Distance training for teachers: types, benefits, and examples

Distance training for teachers is an option that keeps pace with the evolution of technology and the demands of society. The current virtual campuses of the autonomous communities were unthinkable a few years ago; however, today, it is the best option to offer continuing education to teachers without time and space limitations.

Distance training courses allow education professionals to access the training offer, regardless of their place of residence and the geographical destination of their position (interim or permanent). This particularity is more relevant in large autonomous communities with several provinces separated from each other (the Spanish case) or remote states ( LATAM).

Before going into details, let’s first look at what we mean when discussing teacher distance training.

What is distance training for teachers?

Distance training for teachers is an online learning modality. It is recommended for:

• Teachers who already have a degree and want to improve their knowledge without leaving home. 

• Professionals who want to become qualified teachers also opt for academic content from home. 

As it is not a face-to-face format, the didactic resources, evaluation tests, and online pre-degree exams are adapted to digital formats.

We are talking about the aforementioned virtual campuses: digital platforms where teaching can continue to have its traditional principles but is supported by technology to reach the student. 

Virtual classrooms are based on videoconferencing and allow sharing documents and presentations, having a tutor for consultations, interacting with the people connected, and even carrying out activities such as individual or group practices, including some based on gamification.

Benefits of distance training for teachers

Now that you are familiar with the virtual classroom system for teacher training, you may find accessing knowledge from home appealing. This learning system not only has the advantage of convenience. Let’s look at some more benefits of distance learning for education professionals. 



Objectives of distance education for teachers

Distance training for teachers responds to the training demand of primary, secondary, and higher education teachers. It also makes it easier for administrations to manage space and human and material resources. 

Among the objectives of incorporating a digital learning system, we highlight two:

• On the one hand, offer 100% online official and approved courses, which are valid for the official score of interims, for six-year periods, oppositions, transfers, and labor exchanges.

• ​​On the other hand, to offer ongoing training to make them better teachers. We are talking about constant recycling and training activities to improve their overall preparation.

Having a virtual classroom for teacher training facilitates their familiarity with this digital teaching system so that teachers already know how it works and, therefore, are prepared to be distance teachers and have to learn from scratch.

Distance teaching

Digital teaching competence is included among the skills of the education sector. More and more centers dedicate teaching hours to ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) and have changed the traditional system of written communications on paper for formats such as Google Classroom.  

Over time, those conventional slate, chalk, and leather wallet teachers have become digital slate and tablet references.

To be a distance teacher is to manage online classes in virtual classrooms where the door is an access link, where roll call is an automatic exercise of the computer system, where the way to maintain leadership has changed, and where it is a challenge to offer engaging content that supplements the three-dimensional stimuli and tangible reality. 

Times have changed, and education and its professionals are adapting to innovation and trends, as in any other sector. Medical consultations are made by telephone, meetings are held by video call, administrative procedures are processed with electronic certificates, and master classes are given through a screen. 

Science undoubtedly helps global education, but we want to emphasize that a good mastery is due to the human capacity and passion behind each great professional. 

Training courses for teachers

In-service teacher training includes a variety of didactic subjects covering aspects such as reading and writing, conflicts in the classroom, leadership, emotional management, attention to diversity, pedagogy, etc. 

As an example, here are some courses aimed at non-university teachers within the Spanish Teacher Network System of the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training: 

• Classroom of the future
• Citizenship and digital identity
• Positive coexistence for quality education: participation and peer support. 
• Universal Learning Design
• Creative writing: from theory to practice in the classroom.
• Integrate eTwinning
• Pedagogical leadership for the educational success of all students.
• Personal data protection in schools
• Project eTwinning 
• The network tutor
• Design and use of OER in preschool and Primary Education
• eTwinning Embassy.
• Scientific research in the classroom: from the transmission to knowledge creation.

As you can see, e-learning for teachers is so widespread that it is already included in public administrative portals with a wide range of didactic offerings.