Professional Development

Find out about professional learning programs for teachers. These include periodic workshops, learning communities that meet monthly, and annual summer programs.

World History Reading Groups

Teachers in ORIAS World History Reading Groups read one book each month within a global studies theme. Participants meet monthly to eat and spend two hours in collegial conversation. It is a relaxing, intellectually rich atmosphere for both new and experienced teachers.

San Francisco book discussions are facilitated by Shane Carter, Outreach Coordinator for ORIAS and by Alan Karras, author and Associate Director of the Global Studies Program at University of California, Berkeley. East Bay discussions are facilitated by Shane Carter.

In-service teachers are eligible for book...

Investigating Angkor

What can history and archaeology teach us about how human societies interact with each other and with the environment? How can investigating the past help us understand modern identities and ask better questions about our own futures as we now face shifts in our climate and environment? Investigating Angkor is a working group for middle and high school teachers that will engage with these questions through a sustained study of the Khmer kingdom of Angkor.

ORIAS Summer Institutes for Teachers

ORIAS Summer Institutes invite educators to be students again.

ORIAS hosts two summer programs at UC Berkeley. Teachers of many disciplines, from elementary through high school, are invited to attend the k-12 Summer Institute. The Community College Summer Institute is designed primarily for community college and AP-level history and social studies teachers, particularly those who teach World History, Global Studies, or regional histories.

Summer programs explore unique themes in World History and other international and global topics. Teachers leave ready to incorporate new content...

Teacher Travel

"Through travel I first became aware of the outside world; it was through travel that I found my own introspective way into becoming part of it."

-Eudora Welty

Travel is a valuable form of professional development for teachers. Most opportunities listed here are geared toward educators and often include unique interactions with local residents, historians, or other experts.

Summer Program: Climate Change Economics

Climate Change Economics

Climate change is visibly affecting earth's natural systems and these changes are beginning to have wide-ranging impacts at the local, national, and global levels. This week-long program explores the causes, effects, and potential responses to climate change through the lens of economics. Participants will learn about these topics by exploring theory and case-studies.

National Resource Centers

There are dozens of federally funded National Resource Centers (NRCs) at universities around the United States. One of their many functions is to provide resources to help teachers internationalize American education. To do this, they provide curriculum materials, teacher education, travel opportunities for teachers, scholarly speakers, and more. Through these sites you can find a wide array of resources: lesson plans, culture boxes, and...

The Other Europe

Teacher-created lessons about Eastern Europe and Russia. World History textbooks and courses often focus on Western European events and perspectives in historical narratives about Europe. This hinders student understanding of major historical processes: the end of the Roman Empire, the Protestant Reformation, the rise of liberalism, imperialism, and the Cold War, just to name a few. And, as we see now, it means students are missing necessary background to contextualize and make sense of current developments like Russia's invasion of Ukraine. See the Lessons

Teacher participants in The...

Calendars of UC Berkeley Events

Professional Development for Educators: Focus on Education and Teaching

ORIAS is part of a community of organizations that work directly with educators and districts to provide professional development. Here, you can find a list of campus events directed specifically at teachers or very clearly related to education. To learn more about UC Berkeley organizations that provide professional development to educators and school districts, see the Professional Development for Educators...