Free professional development resources from the Royal Society of Chemistry…
30-second briefing
Whatever your expertise, the Royal Society of Chemistry’s teacher development programme has a course that’s right for you. Courses are free, remotely taught and cover 19 different topics in teaching chemistry, with no limit to how many you take.
1 | Live online courses
The Royal Society of Chemistry’s live teacher professional development (PD) courses are free to attend. Each session is led by an experienced teacher developer and represents a genuine opportunity for you to update your existing skills and gain in-depth understanding of key concepts in teaching chemistry – whatever your current experience level. You’ll also get access to custom-produced resources to support classroom activities. Visit the RSC’s dedicated education website (see edu.rsc.org/teacher-pd) to browse a list of all upcoming courses.
2 | On-demand courses
Also available from the RSC’s education website are on-demand PD courses that allow you to learn at the time most convenient to you. Each course – consisting of concept-focused sessions aimed at building confidence in every topic – can be completed at your own pace, allowing you to try out new strategies and activities in your classroom before progressing further.
The RSC is committed to supporting PD during the pandemic, with all courses currently fully-funded.
3 | A comprehensive array of video recordings
It’s not too late to catch up on any RSC live courses you may have missed. Its education website hosts video recordings of past sessions that collectively span the full breadth of chemistry teaching, with even more due to be uploaded this term. You’ll also find a selection of standalone recordings, complete with downloadable companion sheets, which contain links to key resources and questions, and will be useful to both specialists and non-specialists looking to develop their expertise.
4 | Course resources
The RSC’s teacher PD courses are accompanied by custom-produced resources, featuring activities for your classroom. These resources will be most valuable to you after you have attended a course and wish to put some of the ideas and activities learnt into practice with your students. The resources available span the subjects covered in the ‘Teaching chemistry’ series of courses.
5 | Professional development articles
You can also access an online curated collection of CPD articles from Education in Chemistry – the RSC’s dedicated magazine for chemistry teachers. These articles cover topics spanning the breadth of chemistry, following the ‘Teaching chemistry’ course series.
You may not think that reading an article qualifies as PD, but it can, in fact, be a highly effective way of staying on top of advances in your field.
Key points
- The RSC is an internationally renowned, not-for-profit knowledge provider that’s working to support teachers to inspire future generations of scientists
- At the RSC’s education website you’ll find a wide range of PD resources to suit your needs – from courses to classroom tools, books, and magazines
- RSC teacher PD courses will expand your skills, knowledge, expertise and confidence, whatever your current ability level or experience
- Each CPD course focuses on subject specific pedagogy, including the effective use of lab-based and non-lab-based practical activities
The Royal Society of Chemistry believes everyone should have access to a high-quality chemistry education that’s engaging, stimulating and relevant. They are a not-for-profit organisation that exists to nurture future generations of scientists, and to support the teachers who inspire them.
Get in touch at education@rsc.org and find out more at edu.rsc.org/teacher-pd.
