News & Events
Where Great Teaching Comes Together
For more than three decades, the West Virginia Great Teachers Seminar has brought faculty together to strengthen the art of teaching across the state. Founded on the belief that the collective wisdom of educators is more powerful than any single expert, the seminar has grown into a collaborative, faculty-driven experience where ideas are shared openly and innovation is encouraged.
FAQs
Great Teachers is a faculty-driven professional development initiative that brings together educators from across West Virginia to strengthen the art of teaching through collaboration, reflection, and shared experience.
The Great Teachers Seminar is the flagship annual experience of the Great Teachers initiative. It is an immersive, multi-day gathering where faculty engage in meaningful conversations about teaching and learning.
Great Teachers focuses on the art of teaching, not specific disciplines. It emphasizes collaboration, introspection, and the exchange of ideas among educators.
Great Teachers is led by experienced West Virginia faculty. The seminar itself is entirely participant-driven, with no outside consultants—educators learn from one another.
Great Teachers began in 1992 as a response to traditional professional development models that relied heavily on outside speakers. West Virginia faculty sought a more meaningful, interactive approach and launched the first seminar at North Bend State Park.
Earlier efforts often lacked engagement and were expensive. Great Teachers was designed to be faculty-driven, collaborative, and practical, focusing on shared experiences rather than outside expertise.
- One of the longest continuously running programs of its kind in the country
- Supported by West Virginia’s higher education system
- Entirely faculty-led and discussion-based
- Focused on real teaching experiences, not theory alone
- While its core philosophy has remained the same, Great Teachers has adapted by:
- Shifting cost structures to institutions for travel and lodging
- Continuing leadership through experienced faculty facilitators
- Offering virtual seminars during 2021–2022
- Expanding its network of faculty participants across the state
More than 1,000 West Virginia faculty members have participated in Great Teachers since its founding.
A Larger Movement
Great Teachers launched in 1992 as a response to traditional professional development models that relied heavily on outside speakers. West Virginia faculty sought a more meaningful, interactive approach and launched the first seminar in North Bend State Park in Ritchie County.
"It's one of the most transformative professional development experiences I've ever had."