Teacher professional development should be strategic.

Here are twenty one ideas with the current hot topics for
teachers.
Any time we have a break, educators need to get some
rest so that we can be our best. However, our
professional accreditation requirements are still on track
and need to be renewed, as we have to learn and up our
abilities. As I look to listen to educators, here are 21 hot
topics that I think we should consider including in our
personal PD. They fit into the categories of SEL, digital
instruction, engagement/management, and leadership.
Plan Professional Development with Intentionality
Recently, while discussing the next steps for schools this
fall with two instructional designers in the webinar “10
Ways to Move Learning Forward”, we identified ten
considerations for school. (I’ve embedded the webinar
below for you to review.) Many of the topics below were
part of that conversation, including Social Emotional
Learning (SEL).

As a result of this webinar and some research of my own,

I compiled this list which I hope will serve as a quick
menu for you and the teachers at your school to select
summer professional development that will help you
grow and learn. I've also included courses from this blog
post sponsor, Advancement Courses that meet the
criteria for each topic.
Social-Emotional Learning
Social-emotional learning (SEL) is right at the top of the
list for many of us. We have to relate to educate. To
better relate, we have to understand where students are
emotionally so that we can connect with them, get them
any extra help they might need, and move them forward.

SEL isn’t about manipulation it’s about human

connection; and of all the things we need to do,
connecting with one another and regulating ourselves
emotionally is right at the top of the list. Let's look at
some areas we can all improve.

1. Student Mental Health (Including Anxiety and

Depression)
Understanding mental health is more important than
ever. Recently, I had to educate myself on the current
trends in helping students who are anxious, depressed,
worried, or just need guidance about the future.

Research note: As Wall (2021) indicates, there is a

definite connection between trauma and student
behavior as well as student learning. In her qualitative
study, she found that when schools meet this challenge
head-on, student achievement increased and behavioral
challenges decreased. (WALL, C. R. G. (2021).
RELATIONSHIP OVER REPROACH: FOSTERING RESILIENCE
BY EMBRACING A TRAUMA-INFORMED APPROACH TO
ELEMENTARY EDUCATION. JOURNAL OF AGGRESSION,
MALTREATMENT & TRAUMA, 30(1), 118-137.)

Understanding student mental health can also help us

with others who we meet in our world today. Students
need us to understand them so we can teach them.
These courses will give you a start.
2. How to Reach Students Who Have Experienced
Trauma
You nor I can know or understand what children have
experienced in this time of challenge and upheaval. So,
we have to learn how to reach and teach students who
have experienced trauma. We don’t need to know what
it is, but we do need to recognize that the trauma is
there. In my experience, I’ve found that assuming that
students have experienced trauma of some kind is more
likely than assuming that they haven’t.
3. How to Connect to Students and Understand Their
Emotions (SEL)
Teachers around the world are using mood check-ins,
emotional temp checks, and other methods for
connecting. Even when connecting at a distance instead
of in person, we can all benefit from learning some skills
to connect with students on an emotional level, even
while delivering classroom instruction.
4. Engaging Students Online Who Are Experiencing
Anxiety
Some students are not yet ready or cannot return to in-
person learning. It can be more challenging to engage
these students online. Skills for online engagement with
students who are experiencing anxiety (and trauma) can
be especially helpful for educators struggling with
student disengagement in online classrooms.
Student Anxiety in Online Learning – In this course, you’ll
analyze anxiety brought about by technology immersion
as an overactive fight–flight–freeze survival response.
Based on information systems research, you’ll explore
the concept of “technostress” and its triggers, how to
spot it in your students, and how it impacts learning.
You’ll examine common mistakes in addressing anxiety,
as well as how to work with parents to help students
through technostress and when to reach out for
additional help. Finally, you’ll learn traditional best
practices and digital solutions available to students to
offset some of the anxiety they’re experiencing.
5. Better Relating to Parents
Now more than ever, parents and teachers need closer
partnerships if we’re going to help children. However,
how do educators relate to parents, as many parents
have also experienced trauma? Developing and
improving parent communication plans and
understanding how to better connect with parents will
help educators help students even more, particularly if
those students are learning from home.

Courses About Improving Parent Relationships

Partnering with Parents for Student Success – According
to Dr. Susan M. Sheridan (n.d.), “Research shows that
when a partnership approach between parents and
teachers is evident, children’s work habits, attitudes
about school and grades improve. They demonstrate
better social skills, fewer behavioral problems and a
greater ability to adapt to situations and get along.” As
educators, we want what’s best for our students! It is our
job to establish, foster, and maintain productive
relationships with parents so that our students can be
successful.

Forming Community Partnerships to Access Educational

Resources – In this course for school leaders, you will
explore methods for seeking out and partnering with
community members to gain a variety of resources for
your school. You’ll learn from other school leaders who
have successfully built a network of contacts and
resources, and develop strategies to help you do the
same in your community. In addition, you’ll learn how to
create a well-balanced presentation of your schools’
current needs to energize community members to get
involved.
By the end of the course, you’ll have a practical plan to
drive more educational opportunities for your students
through the power of community partnerships.
6. Self-Care for Educators
Teachers have to rest to be their best. Additionally,
educators have to be healthy and whole in order to rise
to the monumental tasks laid upon them in classrooms
today. We must learn to have good health and wellness
so we can be better classroom teachers tomorrow. If
your school lets you take such a course, I think most of us
would benefit.

Self Care Courses

Achieving Work-Life Harmony in Teaching – During the
course, you will develop strategies and practices to apply
immediately in your practices as you assess your stress
and its causes, as well as implementing new rituals and
routines that ease distress through understanding the
concept of resilience.

Self Care Strategies for Teachers – You will learn

techniques for how to stop absorbing stressors, manage
challenging situations, build long-term self-care
strategies for all areas of your life, and track your
progress through a series of somatic and emotional self-
evaluations. This course gives you the opportunity to
invest in yourself so you can build a more grounded,
inspired, and sustainable career in education.

7. Home/School Life Balance Strategies

When school and online learning follow you everywhere,
teachers and students need to learn balance.
Additionally, as students are completing instruction and
asking questions 24/7, educators need to know how to
balance and set healthy boundaries to continue teaching
effectively in the long term. If more educators cannot
establish firm home/school life balance strategies, then I
sadly predict that we will see many more incredible
educators leave the profession.

Work and Life Balance Courses

Creating Work-Life Harmony in Teaching – Using the
techniques from this course, you’ll be able to create a
personalized set of practices that will help you maximize
what’s most important in your personal and professional
life.

Becoming a Calm, Happy Teacher – The techniques will

help you create more life balance so that you can
cultivate more well-being for yourself and your
classroom. The strategies will not only help you be more
engaged, present, and fulfilled as a teacher, but you’ll
also apply your learning to your classroom and your
students.

Online and Digital Instruction

As we work to instruct students in blended learning and
online classrooms, we should continue to update our
abilities to instruct students in digital spaces.

8. Online Instructional Engagement

Students are ghosting. In fact, sometimes students who
turn on their cameras are the exception. How can
teachers engage students when they cannot require
students to turn on their camera? How can teachers in
classrooms engage students in the digital platforms used
to supplement and personalize learning? These are the
questions of the hour right now for educators
everywhere.

Courses to Improve Online Engagement

Engaging Students in Online Learning – Using the tools
from this course, you’ll be able to plan fun and
interesting online instruction that meets a variety of
learning needs.

Fostering Student Interaction in Online Learning – Using

the best practices from this course, you will be able to
help increase student-to-student engagement and foster
a greater love of learning.

9. Online Assessment
Assessment must respect learners, provide actionable
feedback, and motivate. Sometimes this feels like a
Herculean task, but there are best practices to help all of
us get better at assessment. When you take time to
improve assessment, students can improve their
learning.
Courses About Online Assessment
Jumpstarting Online Assessments – By incorporating
dynamic, engaging online assessment into your class, you
will be able to help your students navigate the online
learning space and achieve the same standards as a face-
to-face classroom.

Designing Online Assessments for Students – Using the

techniques from this course, you’ll be able to incorporate
online assessments in your class in a way that makes
sense for your context and that will help your students
learn and grow on a deeper level.

10. Student Accountability in Online Learning

How can educators hold students accountable while still
respecting individual family situations? Student
accountability is a hot topic this year, but it’s not a new
topic. Best practices already exist for holding students
accountable in a way that motivates them. We can all
improve in this area.
Student Accountability in Online Learning – In this
course, you’ll learn to harness the power of authentic
learning experiences to help students see how their
learning is meaningful and connected to the real world.
You’ll learn the importance of developing students’
executive functioning skills to foster independent
learning and investigate ways to create classroom spaces
and curricula that are inviting and engaging. In addition,
you’ll explore ways to get families involved and build
support systems that empower students to learn.
Finally, you’ll assess your school and classroom practices
to ensure they are equitable for all learners, and that
they motivate students to achieve their highest potential.
Using the techniques from this course, you’ll be able to
put students in the driver’s seat by teaching them to
manage, measure, and be excited about their own
learning.

11. Education Technology Accessibility for All Students

Many technology tools require teacher customization in
order for all students to access the content. Additionally,
other tools limit the accessibility for those who learn
differently or have physical challenges. Accessibility is
another hot topic that also relates to equity and inclusion
in the digital classroom. We all must improve the
accessibility of our digital content.

Courses About How to Make EdTech Accessible

Accessibility in the Digital Classroom – By the end of this
course, you’ll have the knowledge and tools you need to
create or modify digital learning materials to be more
accessible to all students

Equity in the Digital Classroom – By the end of this

course, you’ll have a roadmap for how to avoid the
pitfalls of online learning and plan an equitable learning
experience for all your students.

12. Fun Learning Strategies for Engaging Students Who

Have Been Disengaged (Game-based Learning)
We can play games and learn with digital games and
activities that engage learners in the face-to-face and
online classrooms. Level up and have fun while learning
with courses that help you improve your ability to play
games, learn, and teach at the same time.
Game-Based Learning
Let’s Play! Creating a Playful Classroom – Using
techniques from this course, you will transform your
classroom into one that is meaningful, relevant, and
most of all, fun!

Level Up! Student Achievement Through Gamification

and Game-Based Learning – By the end of this course,
you will be equipped with strategies for creating and
selecting educational games that are best suited for your
content, your grade level, and your students’ unique
interests and needs.

Topics for Every Classroom: Online and Face-to-Face

13. How to Help Students Who Have Been Disengaged by
Learning Gaps
Learning gaps are the hot topic of the moment as schools
and teachers wrestle with the reality that some students
will return to school behind by a whole grade level — or
more. What does a teacher do when a student isn’t even
on the first page of this year’s textbook? The traditional
problems of helping students who are behind is
magnified by the struggles with student engagement
during the pandemic. Helping students progress quickly
is the challenge facing schools everywhere.

Summer Learning Strategies: Combatting the Summer

Slide — This course offers tools that teachers can quickly
and easily implement so that their summer learning
suggestions are ready to go long before the end of the
year nears. During the course, you’ll learn how to
increase motivation through student choice and get
parents involved so they can support student learning
even in the midst of summer travel and vacation plans.
You’ll also see how you can set up e-mail templates so
you can stay in touch with students and parents without
having to compose e-mails over the summer.

14. Reaching Every Student Through Differentiation.

If teachers continue to use the same approach for every
student, some learners will disengage. Differentiated
instruction is one of my favorite methods to help
students learn and engage with content as I use
technology. This topic will benefit teachers in face-to-
face and online classrooms everywhere.

Differentiated Instruction – In this course, you will master

the skills necessary to effectively differentiate instruction
for optimal achievement by all students. You will learn
how to identify individual students’ needs and learning
styles, and create activities and tiered lessons that will
meet those needs. You will cultivate different strategies
for grouping students, arranging your classroom, and
using cognitive approaches that help students take
ownership of their learning.

15. Equity and Inclusion

Including and engaging all students is vital to helping
every child thrive. Courses in cultural sensitivity and
inclusion can help educators everywhere bring everyone
into the learning.

Courses on Equity and Inclusion

Fostering Cultural Awareness and Inclusivity in the
Classroom – After participating in this course, you’ll be
able to approach instruction with an awareness of your
own biases and will be more adept at fostering inclusion
and better meeting the needs of your learners.

Implementing Culturally Responsive Teaching Strategies

– Whether you’re looking to make your classroom and
lesson plans more culturally inclusive or start a school
wide initiative, this course will give you the tools you
need to be truly inclusive, culturally responsive, and
capable of understanding and reaching all children.

Cultural Diversity in the Digital Classroom – By the end of

this course, you’ll have practical, meaningful strategies
and ideas to become more culturally responsive in a
digital learning environment and help your students feel
more included and motivated even when they’re
physically far apart.

16. Helping Special Needs Students Succeed

Students who struggle to learn and have special
accommodations require adjustments for teachers,
particularly in online classrooms. However, there are
methods to make it easier for educators to reach every
child.

Courses to Help Special Needs Students

Communicating with Parents of Students with Special
Needs – Using the tools and techniques from this course,
you will be able to cultivate a positive, caring relationship
with your students’ families and effectively share their
progress so you can work together toward their child’s
success.

The General Educator's Guide to Special Education –

With the strategies and best practices from this course,
you will be equipped to better serve students with
disabilities regardless of your grade, subject area, or
teaching context.

Cultural Competency in Special Education – By the end of

this course, you will have the self-reflection and
pedagogical skills you need to continually grow and
respond to the needs of your special education students.

17. Classroom Management

For me, the concepts I learned in Harry Wong’s The First
Days of School changed my classroom for the better. If
behavior is a problem, often learning better classroom
management techniques can help teachers provide
students with more opportunities for success. I know
that better classroom management has helped me.

Courses to Help Teachers Improve Classroom

Management
A Well-Managed Classroom for 21st-Century Educators –
With the tools and techniques from this course, you’ll be
able to build a thriving, positive learning environment for
your students—and for you.

Curbing Disruptive Behavior – Using the proven, practical

solutions from this course, you will be equipped to take
back control of your classroom—starting today.
Classroom Management for Online Learning – By the end
of this course, you’ll be able to confidently build and
manage an online classroom to maximize learning for all
students.

18. Digital Citizenship and Self-Control for Students Using

Technology
Appropriate online behavior, online safety, and personal
privacy are all topics for students to master as they move
to learning that is strongly technology-enhanced. Self-
control has also loomed as a vital issue. Digital citizenship
topics can help students and teachers get on the same
page and create a safer online space.

Digital Citizenship Courses for Educators

Developing 21st – Century Skills in a Digital World – With
the knowledge and techniques from this course, you will
be equipped to support your students in developing the
21st-century skills they need to succeed in our tech-
focused world and workforce.
K-5 or 6-12
Respect, Educate, and Protect: Cultivating Digital
Citizenship in 21st-Century Learners – Using the
techniques from this course, you will be able to instill in
your students' important 21st-century skills and
empower them to use technology in a safe and
responsible manner throughout their lives.

Teaching Media Literacy in a Post-Truth World – From

the design of the learning environment to expectation
setting and more, it’s critical to create an environment in
which all students, regardless of their opinions or
background, have an opportunity to fairly express their
thoughts.

Teacher Leadership and School Health

19. How to Retain Excellent Teachers at Your School
Teachers (and substitute teachers) are becoming scarce.
The best schools will retain and attract the best teachers.
Administrators and teacher leaders need to understand
the techniques to do this and help their school succeed.
Recruiting, Retaining, and Reengaging Excellent Teachers
– By investing your time in this course, you will be able to
proactively build and keep a great staff for years to
come, saving yourself time and headaches down the
road.

20. Effective Instructional Coaching Techniques

Whether online or face-to-face, all of us teachers (me
included) can improve. However, instructional coaching
can be done in a way that either fosters improvement or
resentment. Learning effective instructional coaching
techniques is essential for those empowered to help
teachers level up their pedagogical approaches.

Creating an Effective Instructional Coaching Program for

Your School –  By investing your time in this course, you
will be able to proactively build and keep a great staff for
years to come, saving yourself time and headaches down
the road.

21. Teacher Leadership and Helping Teacher Cohorts

Progress Together
Teachers can create powerful learning communities as
they band together to progress and learn with one
another. Effective schools create nurturing Professional
Learning Communities (PLCs) and use other techniques
to help teachers level up and learn together. Learn the
techniques and develop plans to help your school
improve.

Teacher Leadership and Learning Courses

Teachers as Leaders – With the knowledge and
techniques from this course, you will be able to sharpen
your leadership skills so you can better serve your
colleagues and improve your team, school, and district.

The Seven Domains of Teacher Leadership – By the end

of this course, you’ll be equipped to make a meaningful
impact on your school’s improvement efforts and create
a more equitable learning environment for your
students.

Maximizing Teacher Success Through Small Group

Collaboration – Using the techniques from this course,
you will be able to form and manage productive, growth-
oriented groups for better collaboration among your
peers.

Pick A Course and Make Progress

I recently shared how I selected my summer professional
development and which course I’ll begin taking in June. I
like Advancement Courses because they have practical
outcomes and give me six months to complete the work.
Remember to use my offer code COOL20 to receive 20%
off your course registration.

Let’s do this!

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