7 Free Online Courses in September

Yes! Back-to-school vibes are over, we’re properly back and doing our best to thrive. Are you back in your classrooms, or are you still teaching online? How are you feeling? Excited? Anxious? Tired?

As usual, I found  free online courses you can enjoy this month. Some of them could make you feel better, some will be a great help if you’re a newly qualified teacher, and the last one – well, it could help us all.

Enjoy!

Food and Mood: Improving Mental Health Through Diet and Nutrition by Deakin University

Start: 14^th September 2020
Duration: 3 weeks
Recommended for: people interested in learning more about good or bad mental health

You will learn:

• about the relationship between diet/nutrition and mental and brain health
• how diet can be optimised for mental and brain health
• about dietary styles, behaviours, guidelines and assessment

The Science of Happiness by University of California

Start: September 2020
Duration: 11 weeks
Recommended for: people who want to be happy

You will learn:

• the cross-disciplinary research spanning the fields of psychology, neuroscience, evolutionary biology, and beyond
• how cutting-edge research can be applied to your own life
• practical strategies for tapping into and nurturing own happiness

Overcoming Imposter Syndrome: Identify the Patterns Undermining Your Confidence by University of Southern Queensland

Start: September 2020
Duration: 3 weeks
Recommended for: people struggling with feelings of inadequacy in their workplace

You will learn:

• the psychology behind Imposter Syndrome
• how to develop critical reflection skills in order to improve your approach to work
• how to identify your own behaviours and feelings in order to improve them

Neuroleadership and Conceptual Approaches in Educational Neuroscience by Central Queensland University

Start: 7^th September 2020
Duration: 2 weeks
Recommended for: people who want to learn how to better lead students to achieve their learning goals

You will learn:

• the relationship between neuroscience and education
• what brain-based teaching looks like in the 21st Century
• two of the nine neuroleadership principles: trust (the social contract) and feedback (we learn or we die)

Teaching Young Learners Online by the British Council

Start: 7^th September 2020
Duration: 3 weeks
Recommended for: English language teachers, teaching young learners (5-17) in an online environment

You will learn:

• how to build relationships with learners, between learners and with parents, and be present and supportive when teaching online
• how to apply principles of English language lesson planning to online teaching
• how to include and engage learners online both in synchronous and asynchronous environments

How to Succeed as a Newly Qualified Teacher by Manchester Metropolitan University

Start: September 2020
Duration: 3 weeks
Recommended for: new teachers

You will learn:

• how to develop professional self-reflection to continue securing your classroom practice
• the potential problems new teachers face
• how to balance workload, performative pressures and personal wellbeing

Wine Tasting: Sensory Techniques for Wine Analysis by University of California, Davis

Start: 14^th September 2020
Duration: 5 weeks
Recommended for: all of us who enjoy a glass (or a bottle, more likely…) of wine

You will learn:

• the first steps toward understanding the physiological process of wine tasting
• about the complex world of wine and food pairings, and its seven deadly sins
• how to build a sensory vocabulary

I hope you’ll find at least one of those courses useful. Have fun!