Learn more about the 2019 51ΑΤΖζ Annual Convention on and in the Μύ
With more than 600 sessions to choose from and more than 7,000 fellow educators to meet, you can fit years’Μύ worth of professional learning experiences into just four days this November!
Here’s how:
Customize Your Own PD
To save costs, school districts often have to invest in one-size-fits-all professional development opportunities, but veteran teachers donβt need the same things as newcomers to the field.
Similarly, in our own professional growth weβre not all seeking new learning in the same areas. Perhaps your approach to writing could use an overhaul. Maybe youβre looking for some fresh titles to pair with those youβre required to teach.
Whatever your interest and experience level, there is a full, customized program waiting for you at #51ΑΤΖζ19. Featured keynote speakers and all-attendee events take place at times that donβt conflict with the 600 other concurrent sessions that you will choose from on your own.
The full program will be available this fall, but you can get a sense of the range of sessions typically available by
Build Your Personal Learning Network
Ask a returning attendee why theyβre coming back, and 9 times out of 10 youβll hear them say, βbecause this is where I come to find my people.β Everywhere you turn, youβre surrounded by teachers who share your passion for reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language.
This common ground leads to lasting friendships that make the 51ΑΤΖζ Annual Convention feel like a giant literacy reunion. The ancillary benefits of finding your professional learning network here are many. The friendships and networks made at the Convention lead to cross-country collaborations, co-written journal articles, partner research, and more.
Meet Your Literary Heroes
In our role as teachers, itβs easy to see the books our students read as essential but inanimate objects that simply serve the purpose of furthering their learning. Though we talk about the authorβs intent, we usually donβt really βknowβ the authors.
Except, that is, if you have been to 51ΑΤΖζβs Convention, where you can listen to, talk with, and get books signed by more than 250 of them!
This rich and rewarding access to authors is a hallmark of the event and one that benefits both parties. Some of our most beloved authors say they found their audience through meeting teachers at our Convention, and countless lifelong readers have been born from the singular gift of being handed a book signed by their favorite author.
Give Back to Your Village
Attendees often remark on what a personally rejuvenating experience the 51ΑΤΖζ Annual Convention can be, but we know that many, many participants find creative ways to spread that rejuvenation to others when they get back home.
The wealth of books and resources available in the Exhibit Hall often serves as a main source of new material for classroom libraries and giveaways at staff meetings. You can help to bolster the case for days off with a promise to provide a learning session for your colleagues when you return. In this way, these four days of intense learning can have an exponential impact when you approach the experience with your village in mind.
Get Credit for Your Learning
Check with your school or district to see if participation in the Annual Convention can count toward your recertification. We will happily send you a certificate of participation.
Additionally, through a partnership with the University of San Diego, attendees at the Annual Convention can earn graduate credit.
This #51ΑΤΖζ19 page will help you make the case to attend!ΜύΜύ
FIRST TIME AT 51ΑΤΖζ?
Be sure to join us for a special First-Timersβ Welcome on Friday morning. Veteran attendees will be seated at every table, and they will talk with you about how to get the most out of your convention experience. You wonβt want to miss it!