TeachingEnglish: Helping teachers to learn

Discover how to support teachers in their professional development by planning and delivering effective training. Find out how to set up and support communities of practice to facilitate collaboration and learn how to encourage all types of self-directed learning. This course is open now – enrol until 23 December.

A group of teachers of different ethnic backgrounds discussing something. They are all smiling.
TeachingEnglish
Integration
9–12 hours
Start: 01/07/25
End: 31/12/25
Certificate
Workbook
Online community

How will the course help you?

By the end of Helping teachers to learn, you'll be able to:

  • identify strategies to develop effective teacher training sessions
  • identify the criteria for an effective community of practice (CoP)
  • facilitate teacher collaboration and encourage self-directed learning.

What does the course include?

  • Self-study modules that you can access at any time before the course closes
  • A certificate of achievement on successful completion of the self-study modules
  • A free workbook with extra learning content and resources connected to the course contents
  • A dedicated Facebook community of course participants with up-to-date insight, resources and innovative teaching ideas for you to try out (Facebook account required)
  • Learning content related to our courses on Facebook and YouTube
  • Live events and recordings with course tutors and language teaching experts on Facebook and YouTube

What are the self-study modules?

Module 1  Understanding teacher learning and training

The aim of this module is to help you better understand teacher learning and how you can support teachers in their professional development by planning and delivering effective training.

Module 2  Facilitating collaborative learning

This module will help you better understand the benefits of communities of practice for teachers and how you can set these up to facilitate collaborative learning.

Module 3 Supporting teacher autonomy and self-directed learning

In this module you’ll learn about the concept of self-directed learning and the skills needed to achieve this.


Course reviews

What have other teachers said about how Helping teachers to learn helped them?

 

"One way I've applied the knowledge and skills from the course in my day-to-day teaching is by setting up a community of practice for teachers in my school. I facilitated regular meetings where teachers could share their experiences, discuss teaching strategies, and learn from each other. This has helped foster a collaborative learning environment and supported ongoing professional development among my colleagues."

Course participant, Philippines

"Assisting students in becoming self-directed learners involves helping them evaluate their strengths and weaknesses in their learning process. This includes teaching them how to set personal learning goals, reflect on their progress, and develop strategies for improvement. By encouraging self-assessment, students can gain insight into their learning styles and preferences, which empowers them to take ownership of their education. Providing tools and guidance for self-reflection fosters critical thinking and helps students become more effective and independent learners."

Course participant, Ethiopia

"Reflecting is a key part of improvement. I have used it in the past and this was a great reminder to continue using it, no matter how long we have worked in our field."

Course participant, Thailand


Do you have more questions?

Please see our FAQs or access further support through our Help button.


Comments

Submitted by yassinkedir66@… on Sun, 10/12/2025 - 20:02

Have I been enrolled successfully? If so, when can I begin the training?

Hi, Yes! You are now enrolled in the course. All of our courses are self-access, meaning you can complete the modules in your own time. To access the course, make sure you are logged in to your TeachingEnglish account. Then click/tap the 'My Portfolio' tab at the top of the screen. Then click 'My courses' -  you will see the course here and can start working through the modules.

Hope this helps and enjoy the course :)

Cath

TeachingEnglish team

Hi muhsaid2025

Thanks for your message. 
I've just checked your profile and can see that you are successfully enrolled. To access the course modules - log into your TeachingEnglish account, then click/tap the 'My Portfolio' tab which is in the top left corner. Then click 'My courses' - you will see the course there and can start working through the modules.

Hope that helps - please let us know if you have further problems.

Thanks,

Cath

TeachingEnglish team

Hi Sanskruti

Thanks for your message - once you are enrolled in this course you can start when you want - all of our courses are self-access and can be completed in your own time.

You just need to log in to your TeachingEnglish account - then click/tap the 'My Portfolio' then 'My courses' tab - you will be able to access the course modules from there.

Hope you enjoy the course!

Cath
TeachingEnglish team

Submitted by Kayla125 on Thu, 09/11/2025 - 08:05

I have created an account, am logged in, have completed other courses but every time I click on enrol, it takes me to the course page but this particular course is unavailable.

Submitted by JJBedwell on Thu, 09/11/2025 - 11:49

In reply to by Kayla125

Hi Kayla,

Sorry to hear you're having problems trying to enrol on this course. I have just tried to join the course myself and I was able to do it successfully so maybe there was a temporary error when you tried this morning which has now been fixed.

When I clicked on the 'Enrol' button, I was directed to a new page entitled 'Enrol in courses' where all the active courses appear and then I had to scroll down a little bit to see the 'Helping teachers to learn' course. I clicked on 'Enrol in activity' and then when I clicked on 'My courses' in the top menu, I could see the course and was ready to start.

So please try again to see if you can complete the same process and let us know if you continue to have problems.

Best wishes,

Jenny

TE team

Submitted by RMeraki on Tue, 09/02/2025 - 14:59

When I click on enrol it takes me to a different page. I'd like to complete this course asap as I've just received a new role training teachers at various levels. Thank you in advance if you can help out.

Submitted by JJBedwell on Wed, 09/03/2025 - 06:52

In reply to by RMeraki

Hi RMeraki,

Have you created a free account on the TeachingEnglish website? This is the first thing you need to do and then you need to make sure that you are logged in to your account before you click to enrol on the course.

The course is open, so you shouldn't have any problem enrolling if you are logged in.

Please try again and let us know if you continue to have any problem.

Thanks,

Jenny

TE team

Submitted by sadiakhan112233 on Fri, 08/01/2025 - 05:43

How will we know the time?

Submitted by Cath McLellan on Mon, 08/04/2025 - 15:32

In reply to by sadiakhan112233

Hi sadiakhan112233

Thanks for your comment - all of our courses are self-access - this means that once you have enrolled, you can complete the course content at your own pace.

If you are enrolled in the course, you just need to log into your TeachingEnglish account, click/tap on the 'My Porfolio - my courses' tab - you will be able to see your courses there and work through the modules.

Hope that helps - please let us know if you have any more questions.

Enjoy the course!

Cath

TeachingEnglish team

Hi 

To enrol in this course just click the purple 'Enrol on this free course' button on the page above.

You can also find more information and answers to questions about our courses on this page: https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/training/courses/training-courses-faqs

Please let us know if you need further help.

Thanks,

Cath

TeachingEnglish team

Hi gogo1988

Thanks for your comment and sorry to hear that you are having problems enrolling on a course - which course are you trying to register for? 

Have you tried logging out, clearing the cache on your browser and logging in again? There are no current known issues with our training pages. 

If you are still having problems, can you email us at TeachingEnglish@britishcouncil.org.uk and let us know which course you are trying to sign up for.

Thanks,

Cath
TeachingEnglish team

 

Hello

Thanks for your comment. This course is now closed, but you can still download the workbook (above), which contains lots of information, resources and links related to the course. To keep up-to-date with our training courses and events, you can sign up for our newsletter here: https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/subscribe-our-newsletter

Hope that helps,

Cath

TeachingEnglish team.

Hi carey502

Thanks for your comment and feedback on the site!

This course is currently closed, but will open again on 1st July. Enrollment will open soon, and you can sign up on this page (following the instructions above). To keep up to date with all our latest courses etc. you can sign up for our newsletter, here: https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/subscribe-our-newsletter

You can also see which courses are available for the next year here: https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacheng/files/2025-03/2025-2026_TeachingEnglish_training_course_calendar_QR.pdf

Hope that helps - please let us know if you have more questions,

Cath

TeachingEnglish team

Hi June-La-Yaung-Lyn

Thanks for your comment. This course is currently closed, but will open again on 1 July this year. Enrolment will open soon. When it opens, you can enrol on this page by clicking the 'Enrol on this course' button. To keep up to date on all of our latest courses, events and new resources, please sign up for our newsletter, here: https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/subscribe-our-newsletter

Thanks,

Cath

TeachingEnglish team

Submitted by Touha on Thu, 11/14/2024 - 06:18

They said to my: you haven't any courses!!

Submitted by Cath McLellan on Thu, 11/14/2024 - 11:20

In reply to by Touha

Hi touha

Thanks for your message. Can you try logging out and then logging back in again? Then click on 'My Portfolio - My courses' and then on 'My learning - view all courses' - you should see that you are now enrolled on this course and you can start working on the modules.

Please let us know if you are still having problems. Thanks and enjoy the course!

Cath

TeachingEnglish team

Hi Fikadu,

Thanks for your comment. This course is now closed, but you can still download the workbook (above), which contains lots of information, resources and links related to the course. To keep up-to-date with our training courses and events, you can sign up for our newsletter here: https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/subscribe-our-newsletter

Hope that helps,

Cath

TeachingEnglish team

Hello Chiqueen

Thanks for your message.

To get the certificate for the course, you need to successfully complete all three modules. When you have done this, you can access your certificate by clicking on the 'My awards' tab on the courses page. You can download it from there.

Please let us know if you have any issues, and we hope you enjoy the course!

Cath
TeachingEnglish team

Submitted by Cath McLellan on Tue, 10/21/2025 - 08:32

In reply to by htethtetwintkyi

Hi

Thanks for your comment. Once you have completed all the course modules successfully, you will be able to access your certificate. 

You will need to log in, click/tap on 'My Portfolio - my courses' and then 'My awards - my certificates'. 

Hope that helps,

Cath

TeachingEnglish team

Hi Nazir85

Thanks for your message. I've just checked your account and it looks like you haven't completed all the modules on this course - remember that there are 3 modules with different units in each one. You can see your progress on the courses page.

If you feel that there has been an error with your progress, please contact the courses team by using the orange 'help' button on the courses page.

Thanks

Cath

TeachingEnglish team

Submitted by hod on Wed, 05/22/2024 - 13:25

I couldn`t enrol on this free course.

when I click or tap the button to enrol on this free course , opens anther page her address Unhandled exception

Hi hod,

Thanks for your comment. We are sorry that there are technical difficulties and some users are unable to access our courses at the moment. Our technical team is working on it and we hope to solve it soon. 

Thanks for your patience,

Cath

TeachingEnglish team

Submitted by AlexRose on Thu, 05/23/2024 - 11:09

In reply to by Cath McLellan

The same thing is happening to my account

Submitted by Cath McLellan on Fri, 05/24/2024 - 08:36

In reply to by AlexRose

Hello

Thanks for your comment. 

We were having some technical problems with the site yesterday which meant access to courses was affected. This issue is now resolved, so you can access your training in the usual way.

Please let us know if you have any further problems.

Best wishes,

Cath
TeachingEnglish team

Submitted by ENMswimmingcyclist on Sat, 04/20/2024 - 12:49

Hello

Can you please check if I have enrolled on this free course for prospective teacher educators? I was hoping for an email confirmation or something similar. I believe I have used the website correctly to enrol, but I now I am not sure.

Also, I just wanted to confirm whether we will be able to access the materials from June 11th onwards?

And, finally, how long will participants be given to complete the course?

Or am I missing something and it is no longer possible for me to take this course?

I'm sorry if I sound confused.

Thank you very much.

Hi ENMswimmingcyclist,

Thanks for your comment.

I've just checked your profile and yes, you are successfully enrolled in the course! To access the content you need to be logged in to your TeachingEnglish account. Then you can click / tap on 'My portfolio - my courses'. From there you can see this course in the 'My learning' tab. You are correct that this course opens on June 11th, so you won't be able to access the content until then. The course is available until 30 November 2024, and you can finish it at your own pace (it is approximately 12 hours). You can also join the TeachingEnglish Facebook group if you haven't already - where you can join in live events and interact with other course members.

Please let us know if you have any other questions / doubts. Hope you enjoy the course! 

Cath

TeachingEnglish team

Submitted by SümeyyeT on Thu, 03/28/2024 - 08:28

I'm reaching out to express my eagerness to enroll in this course scheduled for 1 April 2024. Despite missing the initial enrollment deadline, I am deeply in need of participating. If I have a chance to register after the registration deadline, I kindly request your assistance in facilitating my enrollment.

Submitted by Jo Gore on Fri, 03/29/2024 - 16:19

In reply to by SümeyyeT

Hi SümeyyeT

I'm sorry but it's not possible to register for this course now. You might like to sign up for the TeachingEnglish newsletter to get advanced notice of upcoming TeachingEnglish courses and live events in future.

Best wishes

Jo

TeachingEnglish team

Hi Nazish

The course is open now so if you have enrolled you can start whenever you like. You have until April 1 to complete it.

To start, check that you are logged into TeachingEnglish. Click or tap 'My courses' from MY PORTFOLIO. You should be taken to your training course.

Best wishes

Jo

TeachingEnglish team

Submitted by CAHStevenson on Tue, 03/26/2024 - 14:29

Hi,
I've enrolled on the course 'Helping teachers to learn' based on the description below, as it sounded like a course for teacher-trainers, but the course content is about self study and the structure of B.C. courses. I'm confused...is there an error somewhere, or am I doing something wrong?
Many thanks in advance for your reply.

How will the course help me?
Discover how to support teachers in their professional development by planning and delivering effective training. Find out how to set up and support communities of practice to facilitate collaboration and learn how to encourage all types of self-directed learning.

Hi CAHStevenson

Thanks for your feedback and question. I'm refering your query to our courses department who will be better placed than me to comment on the content of our courses. We will be in touch next week.

Thanks and best wishes

Jo

TeachingEnglish team

Hi again CAHStevenson

My colleagues in courses thought you might be talking about Getting started module, which is all about navigating the LMS. Everyone has to complete it once and the system remembers that for any other course you do in the future. 

As the module objectives show, 'Helping teachers to learn' aims to give some background and some practical ideas for training, for communities of practice and for supporting teachers with self-directed learning. The accompanying workbook aims to help you organise your learning while on the course. 

The course will run again from June - November if you want to return to it and you still have access to the workbook. If not, please let us know what your expectations were and how the course differs. We are always happy to get feedback on our courses.

Many thanks

Jo

TeachingEnglish team

 

Submitted by Natalia2312 on Mon, 03/18/2024 - 18:32

How long do I have to complete these courses?

Submitted by Cath McLellan on Tue, 03/19/2024 - 08:58

In reply to by Natalia2312

Hi Natalia2312

You can start this course immediately, and it will be open for six months.

Hope you enjoy it!

Cath

TeachingEnglish team

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