As done in previous years, to help teachers and leaders save time finding these organizations, Rutgers Alternate Route has formulated a list of exciting PD opportunities for the fall. These events are hosted by state-based professional associations, local universities and grassroots education groups. These conferences and trainings include many free opportunities and, for those who missed in-person events, there are plenty of options within New Jersey. And, for those educators that enjoy a fun road trip here and there, we’ve incorporated a few national options.

We challenged our teachers to part ways with overused review formats like Jeopardy and Kahoot. Each game is customized for different subjects and grades but can be adapted for any content. Not to mention, most of them require no technology. These free, accessible games use exciting, fresh methods to encourage information recall.
Read on to browse each teacher-designed game and access instructions!

For students to excel on assessments weeks or months removed from the lesson, it's important that teachers shift from short-term memory tactics and find ways to make what they teach stick. To stimulate long-term memory, engage students with fun and challenging learning experiences. Make learning fun by reintroducing play in the classroom and incorporating games that reinforce content from lessons. This will help strengthen students' retention skills and increase their chances at excelling. 

How do we know this? Research proves it! Gameplay has a positive function in learning, thanks to the ability of games to motivate and engage, with “winning” - or, retrieving the most retained information - the reward. 

Fortunately for students of our new teachers, this important teaching detail has not been lost on those facilitating their learning. It appears our Rutgers Alternate Route teachers are on the right track and ensuring that every student’s experience in school is fun and interactive.

Diversifying the teaching workforce is a priority for the New Jersey Department of Education, and the Alternate Route program at the Rutgers Graduate School of Education is doing its part to address teacher diversity. Alternate Route candidates bring varying backgrounds, ages and experiences to the classroom, which helps students expand their perspectives.

To help new candidates gain real-life teaching skills, Rutgers Alternate Route requires them to complete a pre-professional experience that consists of planning and delivering guest lessons. This requirement allows candidates to apply their textbook knowledge to classroom situations, grow from the challenges, and expand their instructional strategies.  

Twitter is a great digital resource because it connects individuals all over the world with information quickly and concisely. For educators, Twitter is a great platform to connect, share ideas and expand their networks. 

Alternate Route knows Twitter’s power, as we host regular Twitter chats with our candidates, stakeholders and education leaders. This form of communication - where the Alternate Route Twitter account poses questions and participants tweet their answers - introduces new ideas and opinions to our community. Participants walk away having a deeper connection and understanding of a topic, and hopefully also walk away with an expanded network.

Rutgers Alternate Route has awarded nearly 260 non-credit teaching candidates a micro-credential that allows them to showcase their proficiency as Reflective Teaching Practitioners. This badge recognizes candidates for successful completion of a year-long professional self-study experience during which second-year provisional teachers examine their instructional practices and the effects of their decision-making on student learning.  

As we quickly approach summer break, now is the time for educators to start thinking about how they want to jump into the 2022/2023 school year. Even though spring is at its peak, educators know how fast fall will arrive. 

Conferences and webinars are simple ways to brush up on best practices, discover new methods to connect with students, network with other professionals and much more. Even better? Many professional-development events are free to attend! 

Most educators agree that the best place for students with learning disabilities is in the general education setting. Therefore, accommodating special education students in general education classrooms is imperative. This calls for increased differentiation of general instruction to make content accessible to special education students. It also calls for heightened awareness of the unique learning needs of special education students.