7 free online courses in December

Today, I feel pretty much like Santa, bringing you a fresh batch of free online courses you may enjoy during the December break, so that “New Year, New Me” spirit will have a solid background of December-learning. This time I’ve focused more on self-paced courses, as with the holidays preparation on our heads, we may be too busy to seriously focus on learning.

1 Teaching for Success: Practices for English Language Teaching by the British Council

Start: flexible

Duration: each course takes 4 weeks

This program is more than a mere course – it consists of three courses that can be taken in any order, and will equip you with the tools you need to take responsibility for your own CPD. Each course will look at four professional practices, explain their importance and offer a range of practical advice and suggestions in three areas: Lessons and Teaching, Learning and Learners, The Classroom and the World. Recommended for fresh teachers, but also those who want to connect with teaching buddies around the world.

2 Game Theory by Stanford University, The University of British Columbia

Start: 4th of December

Duration: 8 weeks

Game theory is getting more and more popular in everyday life – and the course will provide the basics: representing games and strategies, the extensive form (which computer scientists call game trees), Bayesian games (modelling things like auctions), repeated and stochastic games, and more. The good thing is that this course is designed for beginners, so no extensive knowledge of maths is required (you should be familiar with basic probability theory though, and some very light calculus would be helpful).

3 Working in Teams: A Practical Guide by the University of Queensland

Start: self-paced

Duration: 4 weeks

This course is an introduction to teamwork skills that will help you improve your own performance and that of your team. It covers why teams are important, the roles of individuals in a team, systems and processes for effective teamwork and communication, and methods for addressing team conflict. I would recommend it to everyone who manages classrooms to improve teamwork, as throughout the course you will be provided with a range of tools and templates that you will be able to use with any team.

4 Blended Learning series by Relay Graduate School of Education

Start: self-paced

Duration: flexible

This, again, is more than a course – a set of four modules that will teach you about blended and personalised learning as a whole. You’ll learn the how and why of “blended” and how blended/personalised learning is changing the face of teaching and learning. You’ll leave this course with four blended “recipes” you can implement in your classroom immediately. You’ll leave this course knowing why your blended practice should be grounded in instructional challenges/student needs and how you can leverage technology to address those challenges, so you can teach each student in a more personalised manner.

5 21st Century Learning by Grainne Conole

Start: self-paced

Duration: 6 weeks

This MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) will introduce you to 21st century learning tools and practices. You will examine how they can facilitate learning and teaching, and evaluate your own digital literacies, create your own personal learning environment, find open educational resources, explore virtual worlds and more. Recommended to fresh teachers or those who feel the pressure of using technology in the classroom but are somewhat shy to start.

6 Educational Technology by Georgia Tech

Start: self-paced

Duration: 16 weeks

This is a proper university course (you can read its detailed description and requirements here) for those who want to focus on educational technology for real – maybe in order to help with their MA or PhD, maybe because this is something they want to do in their lives. This class is built on a number of pedagogical strategies, including project-based learning, authenticity, and apprenticeship. The ultimate goal, supported by these strategies, is that through this class you will make an actual contribution to the field of educational research, and start a project that could be continued even after the semester is over.

7 The Rise of Superheroes and Their Impact On Pop Culture by Smithsonian

Start: self-paced

Duration: 6 weeks

Can you imagine a course with Stan Lee as one of instructors? Well – here we are! You’ll learn about how cultural myths, world events, and personal experiences shaped the first superheroes, you will apply these frameworks to create your own superhero– or you can choose to do a deeper analysis on existing comic book heroes. At last, fans, students and seekers of knowledge have the opportunity to enrol in the ultimate comic book course – so this may be a great idea not only for you, but also for your students of EFL!

I guess I found something I want to study this month…

I hope you’ll feel inspired and together we’ll have fun picking the best course of the month!

Enjoy!