7 Free Online Courses in June

Can you feel the summer breeze? I surely can, but it doesn’t mean it’s ok for my brain to stop working. As they say, no rest for the wicked, and here I am, with 7 free online courses you may use to make your brain learn something fun, something new, something interesting (like the course about neuroscience, I’m really quite interested in it!).

The recommended seven free online courses this month are as follow:

Introduction to Psychology: The Psychology of Learning by Monash University

Start: 1.06.2020
Duration: 2 weeks
Recommended for: people interested in psychology – you don’t need any past experience
You will learn:

• what learning is
• about the basic principles of classical and operant conditioning
• about biological factors that can influence some forms of learning
• how to interpret the influence of behaviourism on the study of learning

Becoming a Better Teacher: Exploring Professional Development by the British Council

Start: 8.06.2020
Duration: 4 weeks
Recommended for: recently qualified and experienced teacher
You will learn:

• how to reflect on your own beliefs about teaching, learning and professional development
• how to apply a range of tools, activities and strategies to reflect on and improve learning and teaching
• how to identify aspects of your professional practice to develop
• how to collaborate with and learn from peers by engaging with communities of practice

Teaching for Home Learning: Primary Science by the National STEM Learning Centre

Start: 2.06.2020
Duration: 4 weeks
Recommended for: primary teachers of pupils aged 5-11 years, who are supporting parents and pupils with learning from home
You will learn:

• how to design a blended approach to teaching primary science, with offline and online activities to support pupils learning from home
• how to develop your plans to work with parents to support pupils learning at home
• about a a range of teaching strategies and tools, appropriate to your teaching context and teaching remotely
• how to identify primary science activities that can be undertaken at home

Orientation to Educational Neuroscience by Central Queensland University

Start: 29.06.2020
Duration: 2 weeks
Recommended for: teachers, educators, pre-service teachers and those with an interest in neuroscience
You will learn:

• how to explore important understandings and concepts about the brain
• about knowledge of introductory educational neuroscience findings
• how to reflect on the significance of compromised learning environments on the social brain and the implication for learning and memory

Language Assessment in the Classroom by the British Council

Start: open
Duration: 4 weeks
Recommended for: anyone interested in understanding how language assessment works
You will learn:

• how to identify the basic principles involved in reliable and valid test design
• to understand different types of tests and how they can be used
• about some practical techniques for assessing different language skills and knowledge
• how to evaluate assessment needs of students within a given context

Blended Learning Essentials: Embedding Practice by UCL Institute of Education

Start: open
Duration: 3 weeks
Recommended for: anyone working in skills training, vocational education, workplace learning, and lifelong learning
You will learn:

• about using data from learners to help design more effective blended learning
• the use of technology to promote independent learning
• about how innovative solutions can be developed to match an organisation’s needs and ambitions
• how to work with colleagues and external organisations to support professional development and embed blended learning practice

Beyond the Ballot: Women’s Rights and Suffrage from 1866 to Today by the Royal Holloway, University of London

Start: 1.06.2020
Duration: 4 weeks
Recommended for: anyone with an interest in nineteenth or twentieth century history, the women’s suffrage campaign or the history of women’s rights
You will learn:

• about the social, cultural and legal frameworks that curtailed women’s rights in the nineteenth century and how these were being challenged by a selection of pioneering women
• about the origins of the women’s suffrage movement and why early attempts to extend the franchise failed
• about the impact of the struggle for equality since the passage of the Representation of the People Act, comparing the responses of early women MPs and campaigners and wider movements

Have you found something that you’re interested in? Let me know, maybe we’ll meet in the online classroom!