How can teachers access professional development programs despite location and scheduling challenges?

Online Professional Development (PD) represent a significant advancement in continuous learning and skill enhancement for educators. These platforms democratize access to high-quality education by offering courses from prestigious institutions and organizations around the world, thus breaking down geographical and financial barriers. The flexibility of learning at one's own pace, time, and place is particularly advantageous for busy professionals who need to balance their work commitments with personal development. The wide range of topics available ensures that educators can find content that is not only relevant to their current roles but also intriguing enough to foster personal growth.

Autonomy in choosing what to learn and how to learn it empowers teachers to deepen their knowledge, expand their perspectives, and enhance their creative and critical thinking abilities. Moreover, self-directed PD activities such as creating portfolios or reflective practices allow educators to introspectively assess their skills and identify areas for improvement, thereby making their professional development journey more meaningful and impactful. This method of PD not only facilitates personal enrichment but also enables teachers to address specific challenges in their practice, explore new educational territories, and stay abreast of the latest trends and innovations in the field, thereby contributing to their effectiveness.

Before you choose the platform on which you want to learn, it's crucial to understand what you want to learn. Rather than getting tangled in the web of buzzwords and what is 'fashionable', you need to do a skill gap analysis for yourself and narrow down which skills are most important for you. You may want to start with an easier skill like learning how to make interactive PPTs or how to create meaningful assignment rubrics for learners at different cognitive levels to get into the mode of learning. Then you can graduate to learn more complex skills like educational policy analysis or data analysis. It is a good idea to dedicate 30-60 mins every day to learn more efficiently & make professional development a part of your daily schedule.

Time is always going to be a treasured resource in education; educators are always busy! We tend to give time to that which we value, consciously and/or implicitly. If the institution values educators who value development, that it needs to be proactive and serious about allocating time within 'normal hours' - wherever practical and feasible - for this endeavour. PD should not be viewed as a non-essential or optional 'bolt-on'. It is the lifeblood of leaders and teachers who ultimately lead learning.