What does professional learning look like during a busy school year?

September has a way of filling up quickly. Once the first few weeks are behind us and the school year finds its rhythm, making time for professional development can be difficult.

Yet this is also when new questions begin to emerge from everyday teaching. Something comes up in the classroom that you want to understand better, or a topic that has been on your mind suddenly feels much more relevant. Professional development for teachers during the school year often starts there..

At European Schoolnet Academy, we see teachers and education professionals making space for learning throughout their careers. In 2025, 63% of Academy participants told us they take part in professional development at least every six months. More than half were aged 46 or over.

What they told us about their experience was interesting too. Participants particularly appreciated having resources they could return to and hearing new perspectives from other educators. They also valued being able to connect what they were learning with their own teaching. Professional development feels more worthwhile when it connects clearly with what is happening in your classroom or school.

Learning around the question already coming up at school

Some of the most useful starting points for professional learning are the questions already coming up in schools.

Digital well-being is one example. As digital tools have become part of everyday school life, the conversation has moved beyond screen time to include how technology is used across a school and how pupils and staff experience it.

This is the focus of Digital well-being by design: a whole-school approach. The digi.well MOOC is currently running on European Schoolnet Academy. Participants look at their own school context and work towards an action plan that responds to it.

Other questions are emerging just as quickly. Artificial intelligence is changing the way educators think about digital practices. At the same time, familiar online safety issues are taking new forms. This is already reflected in teachers’ professional learning: in 2025, 60% of Academy participants had taken part in professional development on AI in teaching and learning during the previous 12 months.

Cyberbullying is one area where these changes are particularly visible. What happens online can quickly become part of school life, and new technologies are adding another layer to situations that educators, young people and families are already trying to navigate.

That is also why cyberbullying is receiving particular attention this autumn. Throughout September, #NotOnOurFeed – Together against cyberbullying is bringing young people, parents, carers and educators into the conversation. Led by Better Internet for Kids, the campaign is also sharing resources on how to respond when cyberbullying occurs.

Educators who want to explore the topic further can continue with the European Schoolnet Academy MOOC Cyberbullying in a rapidly changing digital world. The course starts on 12 October. The course looks more closely at how cyberbullying is evolving and what these changes mean when working with children and young people.

Finding space to keep learning

Of course, even when a topic feels relevant, there is still the question of time.

There will be moments when following a course feels manageable and others when it simply does not. Sometimes a useful resource or an idea from another educator is enough to get you thinking differently about something you have been working on for a while.

Learning with other educators can help too. Academy participants come from different countries and education contexts. In 2025, participants from 70 countries took part in Academy courses, with Türkiye, Spain and Greece recording the highest participation.

The exchanges that happen during a course can bring another perspective to a familiar question. You might hear how an educator in a different context approaches a question you are also dealing with. You may not take their approach directly into your classroom, but it can make you look at your own situation differently.

There is also no need to decide in September what your professional development should look like for the entire year. Priorities change as the school year moves forward. The topic that feels important now may make way for a completely different question a few months from now.

Last year, European Schoolnet Academy offered 11 MOOCs, with 3,482 certificates awarded to participants. This school year will bring more opportunities to learn too. Some are already underway, while others will come later in the year.

So, as the school year settles into its rhythm, perhaps the question is simply: what would be useful for me to learn next?

Take a look at the European Schoolnet Academy course catalogue to see what is currently available, and stay tuned for new learning opportunities throughout the school year.