Why Continuing Education Is Important for Teachers

Whether you are teaching at the college, high school, middle school or elementary school level, even the most experienced teachers could use a refresher course to keep them up to speed on the latest teaching techniques as well as the major issues affecting their profession. Continuing education can sharpen teachers’ skills in areas such as addressing student drug use, how to proceed when you notice signs of abuse or neglect in children and how to foster gifted and talented students. Some continuing education courses even brief teachers on changes in law that could affect the way you deliver instruction. It’s also important to note that in order to maintain teacher certification, teachers generally must complete a certain amount of continuing professional education (CPE) hours within a specific timeframe.

The Advantage of Taking Online Classes

Online classes are helpful for teachers because they can provide the necessary continuing professional education hours that state boards of education expect of them without requiring them to drive to a college campus or training center. Online courses have proven themselves to offer the same quality of continuing education as you would expect in a traditional class, with experienced instructors delivering relevant content that can improve your skills as a teacher. Online classes are also flexible, allowing you to log in at any time of the day that is most convenient to you. Teachers also have the added convenience of being able to log into their online course from any place they need to, whether it be their home on a weekend, a coffee shop down the street or a city park with Wi-Fi.

How Free Online Classes Can Supplement Your Career

The best teachers are ones who dedicate themselves to being lifelong learners themselves. While typically not credit-bearing, free online classes can also be useful to teachers looking to sharpen their teaching skills and improve student performance in the classroom. The great thing about these online educational offerings, often called Open Courseware because they are free and open to all, is that they are offered by a variety of well-respected universities, such as MIT, Utah State and the University of Michigan. Examples of some of these quality courses include: Educational Theory & Practice, Technological Tools for School Reform and Intro to Instructional Design.

• Research for the Classroom Teacher: Teachers who want to plan their own research projects should take this course for tips and best practices advice. [Utah State]
• Educational Theory and Practice I: Secondary school teachers learn about education reform, curriculum design and more. [MIT]
• Introduction to Education: This course teaches K-12 educators how to evaluate and learn from the classes they monitor. [MIT]
• Technological Tools for School Reform: Find out how new technologies are leading teachers and students into the future of education. [MIT]
• Introduction to accelerated learning: Learn how to identify gifted students and lead accelerated learning classrooms. [The Open University]
• Intro to Instructional Design: Teachers and administrators can take this course on more effective lesson and curriculum planning. [Utah State]
• New Teaching Methods: Challenge yourself to design new types of lesson plans after taking this course. [Connexions]
• School Personnel Administration and Instructional Supervision: Learn about supervising and administrative work in education. [Connexions]
• School business manager: developing the role: School business managers develop their forward-thinking and decision making abilities. [The Open University]
• Enhancing pupil learning on museum visits: If you plan on taking your students to a museum for a field trip, take this course to make sure you’re maximizing the experience. [The Open University]
• Teaching using digital video in secondary schools: Teachers who want to offer their students modern, relevant media for learning purposes should take this course. [The Open University]
• Teaching Students with Special Needs: Behaviour Management: If you’re a special needs teacher, you can get tips on classroom control and corrective management here. [University of Southern Queensland]
• Play, learning and the brain: Discover how games and play contribute to learning. [The Open University]
• Organizational Change in the Field of Education Administration: Graduate students find out what it really takes to implement organizational change in education administration. [Connexions]
• 21st Century Theories of Education Administration: Review contemporary theories of teacher and school administration here. [Connexions]
• Collaborative Learning and the Open Educational Resource Movement: Learn what open education is all about when you take this class. [Connexions]
• Online Instructor Training: Here you can learn how to upload assignments, communicate with students online, and fulfill other online education instructor tasks. [UC Irvine]
• Concept-Centered Teaching: Learn how to get through to your students so that they truly grasp concepts. [MIT]
• Educational Administration: The Roles of Leadership and Management: Find out which leadership characteristics are most important for education administrators. [Connexions]
• Creating open educational resources: Here you will learn how to create your own open educational resources for your students and learners around the world.
• Teaching College-Level Science: College science teachers discover ways to use research, current events, technology and other resources and techniques to challenge their students. [MIT]
• Introduction to Teaching and Learning Mathematics and Science: Explore the different ways and tools you can use to teach math and science in K-12 classrooms. [MIT]
• Why teach art?: Find out why the arts is so important to the common curriculum. [The Open University]
• Encouraging book talk in the school library: Discuss book reviews, book qualities, and book clubs here. [The Open University]
• Gender Issues in Academics and Academia: Explore gender issues in academia, and try to figure out why men seem to get the best jobs. [MIT]
• Using visualization in maths teaching: Consider the way visualization can lead to enhanced mathematical understanding. [The Open University]
• Teaching citizenship: Work and the economy: Learn how to teach the nature of citizenship, corporate social responsibility, and identity. [The Open University]
• Individualized Reading Instruction in the Elementary Grades: Here you will learn how to help students develop their reading skills at their own pace. [University of Michigan]
• Managing your distance course: If you’re new to distance learning, you can get tips on how to manage your courses online here. [Connexions]
• Evaluating school classroom discussion: You’ll learn how to analyze language, productivity and development here. [The Open University]
• Assessment Practices: Teachers learn more about what they bring to the table as an individual, and discover ways to bring multiculturalism into the classroom. [Connexions]
• Financial Management of Schools: If you’re interested in becoming an administrator, take this course to learn how to manage school finances. [Connexions]
• Changes in Science Education: Analyze the purpose of science education, its definition and limitations, and how the public understands science. [The Open University]
• Teaching and Learning for a Sustainable Future: Discover ways to incorporate green ideals and practices into your lessons and everyday teaching. [UNESCO]
• Language as a medium for teaching and learning: Consider language as a teaching tool and as a form of socio-cultural psychology. [The Open University]
• Copyright in Education: Take this course to understand all the issues and ramifications of copyright in education. [P2P]
• Parents and toddlers: teaching and learning at home: Pre-school teachers can learn how to engage parents in their children’s learning with the help of this course. [The Open University]
• Experiments in Education: Explore the ways in which learning occurs when you take this course. [MIT]
• Educational Theory and Practice III: This course covers educational technology, student motivation, career tips and educational psychology. [MIT]
• The How Tos of OER Commons: Learn how to navigate OER Commons and share your own materials. [Connexions]
• Gifted and Talented Education Seminar Series: GT teachers learn how to challenge and support their students. [UC Irvine]
• Supporting professional development in Initial Teacher Training: Tutors, teachers and student teachers learn about the benefits of mentoring here. [The Open University]
• Teaching assistants: support in action: Learn about the role and career of the teaching assistant here. [The Open University]
• Teach Global: Here you’ll get tips on encouraging your students to think globally, in all of their lessons. [The Open University]
• Using film music in the classroom: Learn the benefits of using film music to enhance learning. [The Open University]
• School geography: exploring a definition: Discover how geography is being taught in schools today. [The Open University]
• Teaching languages: Language awareness: Units in this course tackle word histories, etymology and introducing vocabulary. [The Open University]
• Mentorship for Teacher Leaders: This class is focused on Teachers without Borders but is helpful for any educator stepping up to become a mentor for other teachers. [Connexions]
• The Nature of Constructionist Learning: Discover the philosophy and techniques for constructionist learning and how it may benefit your classrooms. [MIT]
• Finding information in education: Teachers learn better research skills in this course. [The Open University]