Professional Development for Teachers: Benefits of Online Courses
Most teachers would agree that professional development is important, but many educators struggle to carve out the time, money, and resources to commit to it.
Thanks to online courses, however, taking professional development courses on a regular basis (and earning salary points and/or graduate level credit) is easier than ever!
Whether you’re a new teacher or a veteran educator, online professional development courses can give you new ideas, add to your skillset, and boost your paycheck!
for professional development, you could learn from other teachers at your school, read articles and books, or attend continuing ed conferences or workshops. But online courses have distinct advantages over other professional development options.
Online Professional Development Courses Are Convenient
You can’t beat online courses for their convenience and flexibility. You’re the boss – you can study anytime, from anywhere that you have Internet access. Online courses can be adapted to your schedule. Learn at six in the morning or three in the afternoon…you decide.
Online Professional Development Courses Are Self-Paced
Along those same lines, some online professional development courses (including all of the E4E classes) are self-paced. If you have a lot of time this week, you can devote more of it to your online course. If you’re busy next week, you can skip studying.
Online Courses Offer Easy Access To Instructors
It seems counter-intuitive, but even though your online instructors might be hundreds of miles from you, they’re more readily available. You don’t have to limit your contact to once a week, like you might if you were taking an in-person class or workshop. You can reach out to your E4E instructor anytime and get a timely response.
Online Professional Development Courses Introduce You To Cohorts From Across The Country
Sometimes the teaching life can seem a bit “claustrophobic,” within your school, district, or town. Online professional development courses widen your sphere, introducing you to teachers and innovative concepts and approaches from across the country.
Online Professional Development Courses Offer An Array of Choices
If you decide to complete your professional development at a conference or workshop, you’re limited to the slate of speakers and topics. Online professional development courses, on the other hand, are available on just about any teaching topic you can imagine.
At Education 4 Equity, we have specific subject matter topic courses, such as creative writing and publishing, STEAM, cognitively guided instruction in math, and NGSS (science standards).
We also have courses that help with classroom management, such as “Creating A Conducive Learning Environment” and “Movement for Improvement.”
We have 1-credit, 2-credit, and 3-credit online courses for teachers that qualify for graduate credit and have been approved for LAUSD salary points through the Los Angeles Unified School District.