National Geographic’s free online courses for educators equip teachers with powerful tools to transform their classrooms. Through these courses, educators build their own skills and knowledge so they can foster the mindset of a National Geographic Explorer in their students. National Geographic online professional learning courses vary in their lengths and schedules so that busy educators can find a program that fits their needs.
Courses are open to any educator from anywhere in the world who works with students in either a formal or informal setting. In many of our courses, learners can earn graduate credits through our university partnerships. Read more about our available courses below.
Course List:
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Educator Certification
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Connecting the Geo-Inquiry Process to Your Teaching Practice
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Teaching Global Climate Change in Your Classroom
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Collecting Data to Explore Plastic Pollution in Our Communities
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Mapping as a Visualization and Communication Tool in Your Classroom
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Integrating Service with Learning Goals
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Storytelling for Impact in Your Classroom: Photography
For Educators
Connecting the Geo-Inquiry Process to Your Teaching Practice
Can people from small fishing villages help protect oceans? Are cattle ranchers the key to saving the Florida panther? What can national park rangers do to improve girls’ education in Mozambique? National Geographic Explorers ask questions, collect data, and create stories that inspire others to take action. Bring these skills to your classroom with the National Geographic Geo-Inquiry Process.
- Audience
- Formal and informal educators—any grade, any subject
- Dates
- October 28 - December 23
For Educators
Teaching Global Climate Change in Your Classroom
Follow National Geographic Explorers to the treetops of the rain forests, the reefs of Mexico, the glaciers of Iceland, and the shores of the Chesapeake Bay as they find solutions to global climate change. Practice innovative ways to visualize the changing climate with your students as we all seek a planet in balance.
- Audience
- Formal and informal educators
- Dates
- October 28 - December 17
For Educators
Collecting Data to Explore Plastic Pollution in Our Communities
Follow National Geographic Explorers in the Sea to Source and Mount Everest Expeditions as they carefully collect data to track plastic pollution in the Ganges River and document climate change in Mount Everest. Hone your skills in guiding your students to design and select data collection methods that explore problems in their communities.
- Audience
- Formal and informal educators - all subjects, all grade levels
- Dates
- October 28 - December 17
For Educators
Mapping as a Visualization and Communication Tool in Your Classroom
Maps can inspire us and inform us. They help us see the world in a new way. Join National Geographic Explorers and cartographers to learn how your students can understand and create powerful maps in any classroom.
- Audience
- Formal and informal educators - all subjects, all grade levels
- Dates
- October 28 - December 9
For Educators
Integrating Service with Learning Goals
Curiosity and compassion drive National Geographic Explorers to the ends of Earth as they seek solutions to our trickiest problems. Empower your students to take action in their own communities as they meet curriculum goals.
- Audience
- All formal and informal educators with a focus on grade 5-9 subject areas
- Dates
- October 28 - December 9
For Educators
Educator Certification
Challenge yourself to teach about the world in innovative and interdisciplinary ways. You will collaborate with inspiring educators as you generate activities centered around real-world issues and implement them with your students. You will also apply the National Geographic Learning Framework, a standards-aligned tool designed to foster an explorer’s mindset. During the course, you will contribute to discussions, write reflections, and develop a multimedia capstone project.
- Audience
- Formal and informal educators—any grade, any subject
- Dates
- September 14 - November 20
For Educators
Storytelling for Impact in Your Classroom: Photography
Engage your students in photographic storytelling as they explore, learn, and communicate their ideas in ways that inspire action. In this self-paced online course, National Geographic provides you with a deep understanding of photographic storytelling, and the value of photography as an instructional tool in your classroom.