Why Do Teachers Need Professional Development?
Education is an ongoing process for teachers as well as their students—and more so now than ever! Today’s rapidly emerging technologies not only expand knowledge exponentially, making it a challenge to stay abreast of almost any subject, but constantly change the science of teaching—both the way teachers teach and the way students learn. To remain relevant in the classroom, it is essential for teachers to develop, sharpen, and update their teaching skills to stay on top of their game. Teachers must continually upgrade their content knowledge and develop or adapt their pedagogical skills to address the learning evolution if they want to make a positive impact on student learning and achievement. Consequently, professional development today is more than just an opportunity to exchange ideas and opinions with other professional educators or learn from a revered educational guru: it is a lifeline in a tsunami of change.
What’s So Special About Teacher Friendly?
At Teacher Friendly, we make professional development all about you, the educator. Teacher Friendly courses were created especially for educators who need professional development hours but don’t have the time to take them in person or to meet specific scheduling requirements. At Teacher Friendly, we have prioritized the needs of the educator throughout our many professional development course offerings to build a platform that offers easy access, plenty of useful professional development options, and the opportunity to achieve both personal and educational goals within a feasible period of time. Intended for educators who seek professional development but don’t need credit towards a degree, our professional development offerings consist of self-paced distance learning courses that provide a wide range of appealing options for educators. Teacher Friendly has worked hard to make it possible for every educational professional to complete fulfilling and creditable professional development coursework on their own schedule and in the convenience of their own home.
We offer a unique program that allows educators to create their own course content based on their needs and preferences. Designing their own professional development course around personal travel experiences, the development of instructional materials for their curriculum needs, activities they want to incorporate into their classroom work, learnings from prior professional development activities, or other concepts, ideas, and events allows them to participate in professional development that meets a critical need rather than a general one-size-fits-all PD session. Teacher Friendly provides the course guidelines and requirements, and teachers have creative input into the substance of their learnings, with the ability to customize and tailor their professional development to their specific needs.
While the credits earned are not intended to contribute to a degree program, they are transcripted, graduate-level credits that provide concrete proof of completion for your school district (or accolade wall!) and offer an excellent option for salary advancement and state licensing requirements for educators on a tight time budget.*
How Can Non-Degree Credit Advance My Career?
- Career/Salary Advancement
Teachers who are recognized for their success in the classroom are the ones most frequently offered new or special positions within their district. They get noticed, and are the ones given lead teacher and department head positions—which are often paid and can lead to advanced positions such as curriculum director, master distinguished teacher, or district supervisor. What better way to get noticed than to keep your teaching innovative, up-to-date, creative, and inspired through the application of professional development learnings?
- Recertification
States have different recertification requirements across the nation. Many require teachers to earn a certain number of professional development hours within a specific time period to be eligible to renew their license. For example, to renew a teaching license, Texas and Louisiana require teachers to complete 150 CPE hours every five years; South Carolina requires 120 renewal credits every five years; Indiana and Maine require 90 professional development hours every five years, New Jersey requires 20 professional development clock hours per year, and California requires teachers to either complete a Teacher Induction Program or obtain National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certification to move from the Preliminary Teaching Credential to a Clear Credential. While the number of hours varies, the theme is the same: professional development hours are so important that many teachers cannot continue their career without them.
University of the Pacific’s Teacher Friendly offers an excellent option to obtain many of these state-required professional development hours, with the added benefit of customizable content and a flexible time schedule that suits your needs perfectly.
- Skill-Building
A good teacher continuously builds, adapts, and improves their teaching skills. Whether it’s learning how to manage students with autism in a mainstream class, developing project-based learning activities, or creating hands-on-activites that motivate and engage students on multiple levels, professional development courses are useful in preparing teachers to achieve success in any situation.
- Personal Fulfillment and Life-Long Learning
Many educators chose their career because they love to learn, love to spark that love of learning in others, and find personal fulfillment in being life-long learners. Teacher Friendly professional development courses offer practically limitless options for studies; teachers can follow their interests and gain professional development credit while indulging in the sheer pleasure of learning, thus finding personal fulfillment and enjoying the benefits of life-long learning.
Give Teacher Friendly a Try
If you are an educator who needs—or simply wants—graduate-level professional development credit, or you are a dedicated life-long learner, or someone who merely desires to learn more about a specific topic or subject in a format that allows you to work at your own pace from your own place on your own time schedule, then you’ll want to check out our Teacher Friendly course selections. We think you will find them well worth looking into and exploring!
Learn more about how you can earn graduate-level credit with University of the Pacific and Teacher Friendly.
*Before registering for a course, individuals should ensure their district accepts credit for the course they have chosen, and that the selected institution and the type of credit are acceptable for the district’s requirements.
Teacher Friendly is affiliated with the University of the Pacific, Benerd College, an accredited institution with the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
