Being a teacher means keep on learning. It’s a no-brainer. But how to learn great things for free? Let me present you five simple ways that I’ve tested on myself 🙂

1. Workshops and trainings at your institution

Such workshops usually address the issues recognised as important in surveys or during lesson observations. So it’s quite probably that you will find them helpful and applicable in your course. Another valuable aspect is socialising with your colleagues. It’s a great opportunity to exchange experience and ideas, discuss new project and get support from your peers.

2. Events organised by publishing houses

Not everybody likes them. They are related to the publisher’s current offer so you are likely to get a free copy of a textbook. Recently, such events have changed. Prominent speakers, interesting talks and practical ideas. At least some of them you can leave with a deeper reflection.

3. MOOCs

Have you heard about Coursera or EdX? They are open-source platforms that offer online courses. Their high quality is guaranteed by world-famous universities. Yes, you can do a course at Harvard University sitting on your comfortable couch. And it’s for free. The great thing about them is that you can choose from a number of fields and specialisations. Time management, online teaching or literature – it’s up to you! Joanna recommended me online course offered by Operon. They sound quite reasonable so I need to try them out. 

4. Webinars and youtube channels

Your students love learning from videos so shouldn’t it work for you? There are a lot of institutions (e.g. British Council or publishers) and individual teacher trainers who offer this kind of instruction. Personally I can recommend Anna Popławska’s webinars on technology in education. Surfing on Youtube you can also come across language-related channels. I’ve been really into online teaching so I subscribed to Teaching ESL Online. What are your favourites?

5. Facebook fanpages and groups

Fanpages and groups are a great source of inspiration and practical ideas. I like to check out Lang’s Pomysły na lekcje. They refer to various aspects of teaching and the exercises can be applied to any language. Don’t forget FB groups! Teachers’ post descriptions and pictures of their own ideas and explain how they worked in their classroom. Loads of inspiration!

What are your recommendations?