Colorado Academy places a premium on professional development – continued learning on the part of our faculty so they are abreast of everything from the latest brain research to technological tools. With more than a quarter of a million dollars allocated annually to support professional development, here is just a short list of what ten of CA’s more than 100 faculty members did in the past several months to enhance their teaching:

Librarian and Middle School Technology coordinator Allie Bronston attended the EdTech Teacher: Advanced iPad Workshop in Chicago that focused on the implementation of iPads in the K-12 classroom, with emphasis on creation-based apps, “app-smashing,” and management of workflow. She also attended The Association of Independent School Librarians Summer Institute that helped her imagine a visual prototype of how we might create a scope and sequence for information literacies at CA.

Upper School English teacher Betsey Coleman continued working on her website: Arts and Identity in Palestine and Israel. She interviewed a wide variety of people to document the diversity of Israel and Palestine. This website and research informs what students learn in her freshman English course.

Director of Experiential Education Forbes Cone took an American Mountain Guide Association course over the summer and attended a regional risk management conference.

Upper School French teacher Brigitte Debord traveled to New Orleans to attend and present at the American Association of Teachers of French. As a part of her work, she attended a pre-convention workshop about the French AP test and learned a great deal about French influence in the New Orleans area.

Middle School art teacher Carrie Diehl: took a week-long pastel painting course at Ghost Ranch – Georgia O’Keeffe’s famed home in Abiqiui, New Mexico. Ghost Ranch offers all kinds of classes including: writing, arts, and spirituality. The landscape alone is inspiring, and courses nationally recognized educators teach the many courses offered there.

Teachers Kimberly Jans, Jared Katzman, Paul Kim, Chris Roads, Charity Smith, Bill Witt, and Gary Varden attended Constructing Modern Knowledge, a “minds-on” institute that is “committed to creativity, collaboration and computing” and to giving educators the opportunity to sit in the student’s seat to experience the same frustrations and joys that students have in the learning process. The conferences gave participants insight into how to bring the Maker Movement into the classroom.

Spanish teachers Jane Kelly and Lisa Todd: attended the 96th annual American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese conference in Panama. It was an opportunity to learn from colleagues promoting the latest in teaching and learning Spanish at every stage, from early earning networks to college level. They gained insight about “flipping the classroom” and the culture and history of Panama.

Upper School history teacher Paul Kim attended FUSE14, an immersion in design thinking at Mt. Vernon Presbyterian School in Atlanta. He also participated in the NAIS School Leadership Institute, an in-depth program designed to cultivate an individualized professional development strategy based on strengths and challenges.

Upper School Spanish teacher Daniel Lopez attended the AP Institute for Spanish Language and Culture at Cherry Creek High School. During the four-day course, participants discussed the exam in detail and also shared strategies for teaching this subject with colleagues from around the country.

Upper School history teacher Aaron Thomas was the recipient of a grant to participate in a one-week workshop on Duke Ellington’s Life and American cultural legacy. The workshop provided him with a wealth of ideas on how to incorporate Ellington’s long and productive artistic life into a course he teaches on the History of Jazz.