Professional Development (PD) is important for teachers who have to demonstrate a number of hours each year in the name of keeping up to date with teaching philosophies and technology. As a preservice teacher I think it is a good chance to undergo some extra training which may set me apart from my peers when I start to apply for jobs while at the same time helping me become a more informed teacher when I next step into a classroom.
To this end, I have compiled a list of free and online PD courses which I have either undertaken or intend to. I hope there is something on the list that you like the sound of. If you know of any other good courses please leave a comment and share.
The Australian Sports Commission offer a number of online courses:
- Beginning Coaching General Principals
- High Performance Motivation
- High Performance Goal Setting
- High Performance Decisions
- Member Protection Information Officer Training
- Complaint Handling
- Play by the Rules
- Introductory Level Officiating General Principles
Cousera have so many options ranging from 4 week courses to 10 week courses. You can search for topics such as 'education' which I did. See the results linked here.
Cybersafety Online Learning Programme. Having attended a Cyber Bullying workshop yesterday I know this is a big issue that our students face. There are teaching resources available here too.
Football, or Soccer as I used to call it, is very popular at school. The Football Federation of Australia (FFA) offer a number of coaching courses to suit both community level coaches and the more advanced level coaches. Most of these are paid courses but the Grassroots Football Certificate is free. I have done this course and found it very informative and it included a book of drills and recommendations to help you get started. Keep an eye out for when one is next scheduled in your area.
These UNE OPEN courses are a lot more detailed which is fine given they give you credit towards a degree. This may make them a bit of a commitment if you are already studying or working but they are free and run by the University of New England so worth a mention. There is nothing specifically education related as yet but that may change in the future.
Better suited for those that have their teaching number, the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (aitsl) have a number of professional learning programmes. When I get my number (I am counting down the days!) I will do the Supervising Preservice Teachers training.
edit 26/9/13:
Similar to Coursera mentioned above, FutureLearn offers a series of short courses from leading universities. I know some of my fellow UNE friends have some courses penciled in over the summer.
