Professional Development

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (ALPLM) is certified by the Illinois State Board of Education to provide Continuing Professional Development Units (CPDUs). ALPLM’s professional development programs align to our missions to "inspire civic engagement through the diverse lens of Illinois history and share with the world the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln." Our programs help participants develop advanced research skills, incorporate original records into classroom instruction, and use best practices to cultivate students’ disciplinary literacy and inquiry skills.

All professional development programs are offered free of charge and open to educators across all subject areas and levels (primary, secondary, and higher education).

Scheduled Programs

The Education Department programs throughout the year to coincide with temporary exhibits, public programs or holidays, and museum initiatives.

As part of this programming, we offer two series options:

• PD in Your PJs: One-hour virtual sessions, offered monthly on Mondays from September-May, where educators are invited to come as they are, drink what they like, and learn from the experts.
• Book Clubs for Educators: Offered in June, July, and August, and a few times each semester, these virtual book clubs invite you to read and discuss compelling books with our staff and your peers. CPDU credits are awarded for reading the book and participating in the discussion.

To learn more about these programs or register to attend, please visit the ALPLM's Upcoming Events page.

Teacher In-Service

In addition to the programs scheduled by the Library, the Education Department offers a variety of programs, described below, that can be scheduled by schools, districts, and other education organizations.

These programs can be modified to meet your learning objectives, time allotment, and location constraints and may be presented at the Library, your site, or via distance technology. Requests for onsite presentations outside of Sangamon County will incur travel expenses. With enough notice, the Education Department can also develop unique programs aligned to local learning initiatives and specific subject or content area needs.

Please contact the Education Department for additional information or to schedule an in-service presentation.

Cultivating Future Historians: Teaching the Process of History

Engage in hands-on activities to explore your positionality, consider the challenges of traditional methods of history instruction, examine effective strategies to make the process of history visible in your classroom, and develop a plan to teach students how to think and act like historians. This session can be offered in conjunction with "Uncovering History’s Mysteries."

How to Use the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library

Learn about the original records and resources available at the Library and how they can help your students complete research projects throughout the school year, including those for Illinois History Day. Instruction focuses on finding and requesting library materials ahead of scheduling a student research visit and includes a tour of the Library’s various departments. 

Uncovering History’s Mysteries: Creating Exciting, Hands-On, Primary Source Analysis Activities

"You know my methods, Watson. There was not one of them which I did not apply to the inquiry." - Sherlock Holmes

Working with the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum’s collection and a variety of primary source analysis methods, discover how to create exciting hands-on analysis activities for your students to facilitate the development of disciplinary literacy, learner-led inquiry, and higher-level thinking skills. This session can be offered in conjunction with "Cultivating Future Historians."

Interested in Partnering with ALPLM?

If you wish to partner with ALPLM to create a professional development opportunity for educators, please contact the Education Department to discuss your ideas.