Because professional development never stops, and neither does the journey towards mastery, this summer might be the BEST opportunity EVER to attend a conference, and learn, connect and grow. In no particular order, here are NINE amazing, in-person conferences that are running this summer. Click on the links for more details and see which option is best for you.
Top 3 Reasons To Attend Workshops & Conferences
SHAPE America Summer Institute July 29-30. Minnesota.
Fresh off the back of an amazing National Convention AND with the continued buzz of excitement regarding the recently launched National Health Education and National Physical Education standards all eyes will be on Minneapolis in July. “The 2024 SHAPE America Summer Institute is a specially designed, thematic professional development experience that will equip health and physical educators with the skills and strategies needed to teach students in a rapidly changing world. This two-day event will take place on July 29-30 in Minneapolis.“
The lineup of headline presenters really is outstanding.
Best Practices in Health and Physical Education July 18-19. Wisconsin.
With Daniel Hill as one of the keynotes, AND Jeff Bartlett as the pre-conference speaker, The Best Practices in Health and Physical Education Conference is designed for physical education and health educators. With a focus on best practices in curriculum development and delivery, this conference is designed to:
- Develop skills to enhance the ability to excite young people about their health and wellness.
- Incorporate teaching strategies to improve instructional practice in the field of health and physical education.
- Incorporate cutting-edge techniques on ways to connect health, physical activity, and overall wellness into daily life.
KYSHAPE Summer Move, Thrive July 7-9. Kentucky.
There must be something in the water in Kentucky, as they continue to elevate amazing, nationally recognized, educators. KYSHAPE’s Summer Conference will take take place in Louisville, KY July 8-9th There will be an optional pre-conference session on Sunday, July 7th. Be excited for MY President, Dr. Cara Grant’s keynote (you’ve bought her new book, right?)
National PE Institute July 25-26. North Carolina.
It went away, AND NOW IT’S BACK! This is one of the friendliest conferences out there, and that’s all down to the efforts of the master himself, Artie Kamiya. EVERY session is guaranteed to be awesome, and there are FOUR keynote addresses, including Joey Feith. The location, Asheville, makes this conference all the more of a must-attend!
SPARK Institutes Multiple July dates. California.
Each summer, SPARK conducts 2-day “Institutes” for SPARK programs in San Diego that are similar to the SPARK Premium Program – yet offer an even richer, in-depth SPARK experience.
Top program presenters and authors lead interactive sessions, creating a professional family. A terrific time is had by all, and attendees leave inspired and motivated to take their programs to the next level.
Elementary PE Workshop (EPEW) July 15-19. California.
Can you believe that EPEW is celebrating its 51st year!? With the theme of ‘The Spark Within Us’, 2024 Director Stephanie Sandino has collated virtual and in-person sessions. “Every year some of the greatest physical educators come together to inspire and learn from each other. Our presenter list is composed of so many outstanding teachers, including State and National Teachers of the Year and leaders in our field. The EPEW Presenters are what make our workshop priceless.”
SHAPE IOWA Convention June 17-19. Iowa.
Full details of this conference are still being compiled, but you guarantee another outstanding line-up of passionate educators from a number of surrounding states.
Summer NYS Health Symposium June 30-July 2. New York.
Another conference for which the full details are yet to be announced. Lori Reichel has been promoting this conference (and I hope you have checked out her latest podcast). I was at last year’s NYSAHPERD convention and was blown away by the solid line-up of presenters, and I expect this summer symposium to deliver more of the same.
Methods of Teaching School Health Education Online with Sarah Benes. Session B starts July 1st. Connecticut/Online.
This one sounds intriguing as it will be delivered by the awesome Dr. Sarah Benes. “Make the most of your summer with over 550 undergraduate and graduate courses offered at Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU). Choose from online, on-campus, or hybrid formats to fit your schedule.”
* Bonus content * As soon as I shared this blog post I was reminded of the following…
JMU Health & Physical Activity Institute. July 7-10. Virginia.
How did I forget this one? I’ve even presented at this Virginia event. It was the first time I’d seen Brandon Herwick in action as he had an entire room of educators hanging on his every word (and dance move). “The primary objective of the institute is to improve the quality of health and physical education instruction and provide support to implement the VDOE standards of learning for health and physical education which enhance the wellness and educational performance of Virginia’s students.” You can access the presenter notes from the past few years here.
Active Schools National Summit. July 17-19. Colorado
Colorado? In July? Fantastic! The Active Schools National Summit spans three days and will provide participants with a variety of sessions geared toward creating, supporting, and sustaining an active school culture. There will be 9 breakout sessions and 3 general sessions that provide the latest research, best practices, and strategies for promoting physical activity in schools. Attendees will receive the tools and resources to educate all youth in an active school designed to enhance learning, health, and well-being.
2024 Summer Institute. May 30-31. Georgia
Because some teachers finish the school year early. Start your summer PD with a trip to Georgia. You’ll find details on their website – thank you to the awesome Adam Mullis for putting this event on my radar.
Regardless of the conference that you’re attending, taking detailed, actionable notes is a must. After trying so many different, generic, notebooks, I decided to create my own. I was delighted to see many of these being used at the last convention I attended, and I encourage you to check them out here. Each spread features a unique layout – the right side includes a motivational quote and is lined for traditional note-taking, while the left side boasts an emotional check-in, plus grid dots, providing a canvas for diagrams, sketches, and organized lists.
If you need help justifying attendance at a conference, SHAPE America created a great justification toolkit!
Can’t attend a conference this summer? Check out these 10 FREE professional development opportunities that you can do in your own time.
#slowchathealth 