Like their students, teachers should never stop learning. For teachers, continuing education can help keep their minds sharp with new innovations and technology in teaching while giving them a chance to socialize with their peers in a non-professional environment. In addition, it can allow educators to specialize in specific subject areas, age groups, or special needs groups that will help them concentrate on their unique passions and give the most of themselves to their students.

Lifetime Education and Student Life

Lucky for us, further education for teachers is now available from many sources and in many flexible formats – not only possible through a traditional full time Master’s program like in the past. These educational tools can give new life to teachers’ lessons or contribute to a teacher receiving a certification or recertification, a specialization, or even a Master’s degree. What are some options available to teachers looking for further development?

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Conferences

There are many national and international teachers’ organizations that offer a plethora of resources for subscribed members. These resources can range from a monthly newsletter discussing recent advances in educational science or technology to annual or semi-annual skills conferences. These conferences can be a great way to help a teacher continue their own education by offering intense, quick discussions or workshops on areas that might be relevant to you, often issuing a certificate of attendance at completion. The National Science Teachers’ Association, for example, hosts annual conferences with exhibits by education companies and organizations while also offering teacher development discussions and scholarships for further development.

Workshops/Seminars

Many teachers’ conferences include several types of skill development workshops or informational seminars that can benefit educators. These sessions are sometimes put on by local or federal government agencies concerning new education policies or topics that the government thinks are important to include in the curriculum. In other instances, education companies will host workshops to demonstrate the utility of a new product or technology and bring aboard new teacher advocates. Private professional development companies also offer workshops and seminars to teachers at a price, offering an official certificate of attendance or successful completion at the workshop’s end.

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Night School

Night school has become a popular alternative to traditional day school for working adults who cannot afford to quit their jobs to return to school. Night school programs are hosted by a variety of universities and educational institutions. Many of these programs might be subsidized by your local government as part of a push to develop local talent, making some or all of the available courses free to enroll in. Depending on the type of program you are interested in, you may receive academic credit that can be used towards a further degree or specialization. Most night school courses will at least offer you an official transcript showing your attendance and completion of the course for your records.

Online Courses

Online courses are the most recent innovation in development for teachers. Like night school, online schooling is available through a myriad of sources for every focus and endgoal. Online courses can be done in the convenience of your home at any time of day, usually at a pace you set. They offer you the maximum level of flexibility for your development goals, but still the possibility to earn significant qualifications or credit towards an advanced degree. Schools like Utah State University Online offer small online modules in specialization topics related to subjects like core curriculum, mathematics, and elementary education. You could easily learn to teach Common Core Math through this program in a 5-, 10-, or 15-week course, for example, and take this knowledge to change your teaching position, make your teaching style more effective, or even earn a Master’s degree. Online courses can really help you develop yourself without radically impacting your obligations or lifestyle.

Teachers are our society’s greatest resource. They need to continue learning throughout their lifetime just like everyone else. For educational development, teachers do not need to quit their jobs and undertake a full time Master’s anymore. Instead, they can take advantage of conferences, workshops and seminars, night school, and online courses to earn new qualifications and stay ahead of the curve.