7 Free Online Courses in September

Well, hello, autumn! Are you all excited about the new school year? I can almost imagine your enthusiastic response! I want to support your indubitable happiness, so I’ve found some cool online courses that will help you get into the teaching mood. And yes, you can say I’m evil – but first check those courses, as they’re really inspiring!

Inclusive Education: Essential Knowledge for Success by Queensland University of Technology

Start date: now
Duration: 2 weeks
For whom: teachers, other professionals and parents looking to understand genuine inclusion in education
You will learn:

• how to explain the social model of disability and universal design principles
• how to compare integration, special education and inclusive education
• how to apply inclusive language

Teaching Entrepreneurial Thinking by Queensland University of Technology

Start date: now
Duration: 2 weeks
For whom: teachers and educational leaders who want to improve their teaching practice
You will learn:

• why entrepreneurial thinking is an important skill for students to learn
• how to identify the type of entrepreneurial thinking that best suits your teaching context and learner cohort
• how to produce a plan for teaching entrepreneurial thinking

Interdisciplinary Learning: Working Across Disciplines by the University of Leeds

Start date: 27/09/2021
Duration: 2 weeks
For whom: anyone interested in preparing for a joint honours degree or an interdisciplinary degree at undergraduate or masters level
You will learn:

• how to compare the ways that different disciplines create and discover knowledge, and the type of knowledge they create
• how to reflect on how your understanding of your own discipline changes when you compare it to the principles and methods of other disciplines
• how different disciplines have standardised focuses and methods for researching and solving problems

Unlocking The Creative Brain: Develop and Teach Skills For Creative Thinking by Central Queensland University

Start date: 30/08/2021
Duration: 4 weeks
For whom: managers, consultants, educators, and project leaders that want to cultivate creativity as a core skill in themselves and their teams
You will learn:

• the science behind creativity and how you can teach others to be more creative
• how to think outside the box and foster creative solutions to problems
• how the brain processes surround creative thinking and how you can teach others to tap into them

Grow Your Workforce: How to Teach Adult Learners by the Waikato Institute of Technology

Start date: now
Duration: 4 weeks
For whom: new or beginner trainers and facilitators working in either a formal education setting or the workplace
You will learn:

• the key factors involved in Andragogy
• how to identify the difference between student-centred and teacher-centred teaching approaches
• what makes an effective teacher

The Power of Picturebooks by the University of Waikato

Start date: now
Duration: 4 weeks
For whom: teachers working across all levels of education, parents, authors and publishers working in children’s literature
You will learn:

• the key features of picturebooks and their historical development
• how to investigate and discuss the presentation of languages in bilingual picturebooks
• how to identify and apply visual analysis techniques in picturebook illustrations

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

Start date: 6/09/2021
Duration: 3 weeks
For whom: new teachers, whether you’re a primary or secondary teacher, or you teach in other settings
You will learn:

• how to develop skills in personal reflection as a transition to becoming an independent, qualified teacher
• how to explore ways of celebrating personal success and developing a teaching career plan
• how to apply strategies to manage workload, performative pressures and gain support to survive as a new teacher

I hope you’ll enjoy the courses I found – I’m quite interested in the ones about creativity and picturebooks – and you?

Enjoy!