Many teachers avoid online teacher training with fears that such courses will not satisfy their continuing education requirements and therefore not help them qualify for salary advancement. They also worry that the quality of the online training will be poor, consisting of nothing more than a few pages of online text and a video, never delivering valuable education techniques that can be applied in the classroom.
Because some teachers live far away from universities or colleges that can accredit them, some miss the opportunity to advance horizontally on the pay scale by not completing continuing education requirements.
Teacher training online should consist of courses that significantly impact how teaching is conducted in the classroom. Teachers complete their bachelor’s degree before beginning instruction in a classroom. Continuing education, then, is made up of graduate courses. Many school districts award higher pay to teachers with a master’s degree or better. A strong teacher education curriculum will likely include some or all of the following courses:
- Meeting the Challenges of Today’s Learners
- Using the Classroom as Laboratory
- Modeling Best Practices
- Bridging Theory and Practice
Avoiding stagnant education, teachers should select a university that invests in these or similarly relevant courses to keep up to date as to what is occurring in today’s classrooms.
Today’s classroom is often online or involves Internet tools at least to some degree. Teacher training online offers students the ability to take the course in their own location and at their own pace, and of teacher recertification. Accredited online universities and colleges carry the same weight as a school made of brick. Of course, teachers should verify accreditation before enrolling in any program.
Universities with confidence in their product often allow teacher training register procedures on a trial basis so that the teacher can audit the courses and evaluate the curriculum. Such offers reduce the risk of suffering through poor-quality educational offerings. Some online teacher training schools also offer discounts for districts that sponsor the online university, which can be a big savings for teachers and staff.