Professional Development for English Teachers: Options

In both offline and online teaching, teachers regularly face different questions and challenges: how to interest students, how best to explain material, how to organize continuous learning, how to make language learning both modern and effective, and so on. On top of that, a foreign language tutor always has to keep a finger on the pulse and understand modern teaching methods and learning platforms. Professional development for English teachers helps answer these questions and supports their growth.

Contents

1. Online courses for English teachers: what the education market offers
1.1. Online courses for English tutors: which to choose
1.2. Conferences, trainings and language programs
1.3. Online courses for English tutors from TalkEn.Cloud
2. English teaching methodology courses: how to improve your work
2.1. Comparing teaching methodology courses
3. Professional development on your own

Professional development courses are an important part of growth for both new and experienced teachers. They help you:

• update your knowledge: online courses for English tutors help refresh and improve your own knowledge so you can teach the language more competently;
• learn about new teaching methods and approaches: this will help make your online and offline lessons more effective, modern and interesting, and add variety to your curricula;
• try modern tools and technologies: online courses for English teachers help make planning, teaching and assessing students more advanced, effective and fast;
• prepare for exams: some courses prepare tutors for international exams, specific qualifications and so on;
• connect with colleagues: taking part in professional development programs for English teachers lets you communicate with other teachers and share experience and learning materials.

In addition, improving your qualifications and gaining new skills makes you more competitive in the job market and can benefit your career as an English teacher.

Professional development is an essential part of a teacher’s work and the key to high-quality teaching

Online courses for English teachers: what the education market offers

Today it is quite easy for a foreign language teacher to find a way to improve their qualifications: from a specialized online course to a training on a specific skill. The main types of professional development for English teachers are:

• institutional programs;
• specialized online and offline courses;
• internships;
• seminars, workshops, trainings, webinars, master classes and so on.

English teaching methodology courses cover a variety of areas:

• improving professional competences (subject knowledge, teaching methods, technologies and so on);
• using and introducing innovations in education;
• applying psychological techniques to motivate students and create a safe and inclusive learning environment;
• tools for assessing students’ knowledge and reporting on their achievements effectively;
• developing management skills;
• exam preparation;
• cultural competence;
• project work and more.

Teaching methodology courses can also help a teacher improve their planning and organizational skills, time management and so on.

Online courses for English tutors: which to choose

The variety of programs lets teachers choose one that fits their experience, the specifics of their work and their needs. Where you can study online:

• language schools or organizations that specialize in English teaching methodology courses;
• professional associations (TESOL, IATEFL and others);
• specialized online courses for English teachers and training centers;
• online platforms that offer programs from leading universities and associations;
• seminars, trainings and conferences: a great opportunity to learn about new approaches, improve specific skills and connect with colleagues.

When choosing online professional development courses for English teachers, pay attention to:

• whether the provider is licensed for professional development or the programs are accredited;
• the qualifications of the trainers and teachers;
• the focus, content, length, breakdown of hours by activity and the course schedule;
• the list of competences the course will improve;
• the expected learning outcomes;
• the minimum and maximum number of people in a group;
• whether further support or mentoring is available;
• the cost of the course;
• the document you receive after completing the course, and so on.

The variety of online courses for English tutors lets a teacher find the best option for improving specific skills and competences

Conferences, trainings and language programs

In addition to online courses, tutors can take part in conferences, trainings and various language programs for regular development. They help improve specific skills or learn about modern teaching methods and lesson ideas. For example, you can learn about:

• the role of tutors and their prospects;
• using online services for interactive and interesting learning;
• increasing students’ motivation;
• creative approaches to teaching;
• smart note-taking;
• organizing the learning process and distance learning;
• improving organizational skills and more.

Online courses for English tutors from TalkEn.Cloud

The TalkEn Training Centre offers a variety of online courses, programs and webinars for tutors that help with everyday work, planning, finding new teaching methods and more. The center’s trainers are certified, experienced and qualified teachers with experience in teaching English and in developing methodological and learning materials.

Professional development programs for English teachers:

The training center’s online courses for English tutors can be free or paid; the price depends on the type of learning package. Learning takes place on an interactive platform. After successful completion, you receive a professional development certificate.

In addition to online professional development courses for English teachers, the center offers the Empowering ESL Learners webinar series.

A modern platform with online courses for English teachers makes learning comfortable and effective

English teaching methodology courses: how to improve your work

Online English teaching methodology courses usually give you a comprehensive look at modern approaches and help improve students’ learning and make the learning process simpler and more effective. The advantages of such programs:

• getting to know different approaches: online courses for English tutors will give you knowledge of different approaches to teaching, game-based methods, technology-based teaching and more. This lets you choose the best methods for your students and lesson aims;
• developing professional skills: online professional development courses for English teachers provide practical exercises and tasks that help improve lesson planning, the use of different materials, student assessment and more;
• better interaction: these programs teach you to interact effectively with students and encourage them to take an active part in lessons and learn together;
• adapting to different levels: they help you be ready to work with students of different English levels, from beginners to advanced groups;
• effective assessment: online courses for English teachers give knowledge of various methods of assessing students, which helps you better understand their progress and needs;
• organizing distance learning: in today’s reality, language learning has to be continuous, so it is important for a teacher to be able to organize and simplify this process for students and themselves.

Professional development courses for English teachers also help teachers improve their soft skills and feel more confident when teaching and communicating with students and their parents.

Online English teaching methodology courses are the best option for comprehensively improving a language teacher’s work

Comparing teaching methodology courses

Below are several examples of online teaching methodology courses (most of them are in Ukrainian):

Professional development on your own

As we noted above, professional development should be continuous and varied. In addition to online methodology courses, it is important to study on your own. Things you can do regularly:

• improve your own level of the language: read books, watch films, listen to podcasts and so on to keep up with current vocabulary and language trends and improve your listening;
• attend master classes and webinars: these short online programs focus on one topic or skill and help you learn about modern teaching methods, life hacks and more;
• read professional articles and research: there is plenty of material online that helps English teachers improve their qualifications. Study modern teaching methods, new technologies and learning tools, and get to know research in the field;
• join professional associations or organizations: a teacher community will help you keep up with current seminars, webinars and conferences and find resources and new opportunities to improve your teaching;
• bring innovation into your teaching: all the new knowledge you gain from online courses needs to be tested in practice. Experiment with new approaches and technologies, interactive methods, online resources and more.

Do not forget to evaluate your teaching regularly, look for strengths and weaknesses and work on improving.

Read also

• TKT, CELTA and DELTA: Key International Qualifications for English Teachers
• The “Effective Teaching” Professional Development Program
• How Can a Foreign Language Teacher Improve Their Pronunciation?