For many countries, education is a top priority. The value placed on education is likely to influence the future of many young people.

Many teachers are dedicated to making a difference in students’ lives and will do all they can to achieve this. It may sound like a cliché – make a difference in young people’s lives – but teachers, in general, are motivated to be a positive influence and are keen to help students achieve their ambitions to be contributors to society in the long term.

Australian teachers and educators have consistently participated in professional learning. They desire to demonstrate high autonomy in their classrooms and learning environments by adopting innovative teaching and learning practices.

In this current education environment, maintaining attention to professional learning is paramount, even though, it can sometimes feel overwhelming in the midst of the ever-changing demands of in-school, out-of-school, remote & hybrid learning (and more!). In addition, no initial teacher training courses could have predicted the exponential changes as a result of technology and a global pandemic. Teachers and educators need to be lifelong learners and engage in continuous professional learning, practice and reflection to sustain their professional status in their chosen profession.

Professional Learning Activities

Most professional learning activities are around student learning and teaching, content and subject knowledge, and assessment. The most effective professional learning is based on a combination of these activities that endeavours to engage ‘lifelong learners’ in an active learning environment, allowing attendees to be participants as well as contributors.

In 2022, Eduwebinar will continue to deliver virtual professional learning in different formats. Our regular monthly webinars will continue to feature and be supported with the addition of virtual roundtable forums and masterclass sessions. The forums will allow participants to engage in the exchange of ideas and activities to support student learning & teaching, the application to content and subjects, and how students can engage in authentic assessment. The masterclasses will have a specific focus on ‘leading from the school library’, as it has been evident that many teacher librarian/school library professionals have risen to the challenges presented by the pandemic to sustain the delivery of programs and services to support students and staff (Eduwebinar, 2020 & 2021; Jacobs & Ellis, 2021; Kapanka, 2021; Little, 2021; Rome Sentinel, n.d.; Softlink, 2021; Shumaker, 2021; Soulen & Tedrow, 2021).

Now is not the time to step back but to engage in reflection, review and strategic planning for the next steps to take to continue to serve school communities.

Barriers to Professional Learning

As previously mentioned, right now there is a high level of overwhelm. The constant demands on teachers and educators to ‘keep schools open’ is having an impact. Often the following barriers can stop education professionals from engaging in professional learning.

  • Conflict with work schedule
  • Too expensive or unaffordable
  • Unavailable in local centres
  • Challenge to find relevant professional learning
  • Lack of employer support
  • Too exhausted

Eduwebinar Solution

Eduwebinar provides virtual professional learning opportunities. Users can access the monthly live webinars which are delivered by knowledgeable colleagues and cover the latest information on teaching and learning practices. They can also access the webinar archives which holds over 200 hours of archived broadcasts that cover:

  • Digital literacy
  • Digital citizenship
  • Curriculum design
  • Literacy and literacy
  • Teaching and learning
  • Research in education
  • Strategic management
  • Apps, tools and resources
  • Designing learning environments.

This means users can sit in the comfort of their own homes and engage in live professional learning or at their own pace to improve their practice and develop competencies.

With the addition of forums and masterclasses, users can engage professionally with colleagues to broaden their knowledge, contribute to collegial discussions and exchange of ideas, and plan strategically for the future.

CLICK HERE to find out about the upcoming monthly webinars + times for the forums and masterclasses

CLICK HERE to find out how you can invest in your ongoing professional learning

CLICK HERE to access the webinar archive library

by Karen Bonanno, National Director, Eduwebinar (January 2022).