7 Free Online Courses in April

They say April showers bring May flowers – in this case April showers bring stay-at-home activities, because it’s been a year since we all stayed at home in order to be safe. In Poland, teachers get vaccinated if they want to but alas, I’m not a proper teacher (= I don’t teach in a public school), so I have to wait for my turn. Which roughly means 2024 🙂

Still, there’s no point in moping, so I did something I do pretty well – I found some online courses to cheer up a bit, meet some nice people and learn something new. If you’re interested in development – not only professional, but also personal, I think you’ll find something for yourself from the following courses:

Managing Behaviour for Learning by the National STEM Learning Centre

Start: 26/04/2021
Duration: 5 weeks
Recommended for: international audience and to non-STEM teachers
You will learn:

• how your own behaviour influences the behaviour of your students
• how to apply recognition intelligently to motivate students
• how to reduce friction when students behave badly

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

Start: 26/04/2021
Duration: 2 weeks
Recommended for: primary teachers of pupils aged 5-11 years, who are supporting parents and pupils with learning from home due to the coronavirus pandemic
You will learn:

• how to design a blended approach to teaching primary science
• how to evaluate a range of teaching strategies and tools, appropriate to your teaching context and teaching remotely
• how to develop your plans to work with parents to support pupils learning at home

Understanding English Dictionaries by Coventry University, the Alan Turing Institute and Macmillan Education

Start: self-paced
Duration: 6 weeks
Recommended for: teachers and students with a general interest in the English language
You will learn:

• about the lexicographical choices and computational methods surrounding the selection and ordering of word meaning
• how to assess the roles of language technology, corpora and crowdsourcing in the dictionary compilation process
• how to compare the content and wording of definitions

An Introduction to Sociolinguistics: Accents, Attitudes and Identity by the University of York

Start: self-paced
Duration: 4 weeks
Recommended for: school or college students who are interested in studying English language and linguistics
You will learn:

• about stereotypes about accent and dialect, and how these impact on real-world interactions
• how to describe what is meant by accent and dialect and how attitudes to these are arbitrary
• how to develop a better understanding of the approaches used within Sociolinguistic research

English Pronunciation in a Global World by Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Start: 05/04/2021
Duration: 4 weeks
Recommended for: anyone who needs to speak English, in their studies, for work or in their personal lives
You will learn:

• about features of English pronunciation that are important for mutual understanding
• how to explain the differences between your own English pronunciation and that of speakers with other mother tongues
• how to apply what you have learned about English pronunciation to your English accent

Maintaining a Mindful Life by Monash University

Start: 19/04/2021
Duration: 4 weeks
Recommended for: people with previous experience of practising mindfulness. Some practices in this course may not be suitable for people who have not previously learned and applied foundational mindfulness principles and techniques.
You will learn:

• about a more mindful approach to communication, relationships and emotional health
• how to experiment with a range of mindfulness techniques
• how to develop and apply a range of mindfulness techniques that are effective

Digital Wellbeing by the University of York

Start: self-paced
Duration: 3 weeks
Recommended for: people interested in understanding health and wellbeing in the digital age
You will learn:

• about personal digital practices and the impact they have on digital identity and wellbeing
• how to identify some of the benefits and risks of engaging in particular online activities with regards to personal wellbeing
• how to collaborate in a safe and responsible way in online communities, considering impact on others

As you can see, the courses I found can be used not only for your professional development, but also with your students, in your classroom (both online and offline). I hope you’ll find my selection useful.

Enjoy and stay safe!