School violence and bullying including cyberbullying is widespread and affects a significant number of children and adolescents.

UNESCO Member States declared the first Thursday of November, the International Day against Violence and Bullying at School Including Cyberbullying, recognizing that school-related violence in all its forms is an infringement of children and adolescents’ rights to education and to health and well-being. It calls upon Member States, UN partners, other relevant international and regional organizations, as well as civil society, including non-governmental organizations, individuals and other stakeholders to help promote, celebrate and facilitate the international day.

The 2022 International Day against Violence and Bullying at School including Cyberbullying highlights the important role teachers play in making school a safe space for all learners.  Teachers are at the heart of the solution and need to feel empowered, capable and ready to act. Yet more training and stronger support from the school and beyond is urgently needed.

School violence can be devastating. The children and young people affected can find it difficult to concentrate in class, miss classes, or drop out of school altogether. This has an adverse impact on academic achievement and future prospects. The atmosphere of anxiety, fear and insecurity is incompatible with learning and undermines the quality of learning for everyone.

At the global level, partners and schools will mobilize around this year’s theme, “Not on my watch: the role of teachers in preventing and addressing school violence”. An international seminar will be hosted by UNESCO on 3 November 2022, at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, and online.

See more information here.

Register here to join the seminar.

In our digital societies made of big data, hidden algorithms and fake news, raising educators’ awareness regarding the complexity of using digital technologies and social media for learning is a key issue. Developing critical digital competences is in fact key to everyone, but even more to educators, so that they can empower students to engage not only effectively but also ethically with the current socio-technical ecosystem.  

For this shift to become mainstream, however, education systems need to be invested in approaching digital competences from a critical perspective, starting from the training of teachers themselves, and with the frameworks regulating both pedagogies and curricula. This involves reconceptualising the notion of digital literacies in order to look beyond functional digital skills and encompass instead a richer set of critical digital literacies, that are tailored specifically to educators’ personal and professional needs. 

This webinar will present examples of tools and approaches to develop an in-depth understanding of the dimensions of critical digital literacies within learning design and professional development. 

The webinar is organized by the ETF Community of Innovative Educators, and is mainly targeting trainers and teachers. The agenda and registration form are available here.

The meeting will be delivered in English, Russian and Arabic.

Join us on the 2022 Second Global Meeting of the UNESCO TTF's School Leadership Network hosted by Varkey Foundation and Global School Leaders. 

The first global meeting was held on 1 June 2022, in which over 90 participants joined from across the globe! During this first meeting, despite the different contexts and regionse, similar challenges across regions were highlighted as well as further and deeper engagement for this year was discuss.

Please click here to know more about what emerged from our time together in June and July.

The next meeting will be on September 7th, 2022 / 3:00 pm Paris Time (10 AM Argentina time, 2 PM UK time, 6:30 PM India time)

Please block your calendars and register here.

Join us on the 2022 Second Global Meeting of the UNESCO TTF's School Leadership Network hosted by Varkey Foundation and Global School Leaders. 

The first global meeting was held on 1 June 2022, in which over 90 participants joined from across the globe! During this first meeting, despite the different contexts and regionse, similar challenges across regions were highlighted as well as further and deeper engagement for this year was discuss.

Please click here to know more about what emerged from our time together in June and July.

The next meeting will be on September 7th, 2022 / 3:00 pm Paris Time (10 AM Argentina time, 2 PM UK time, 6:30 PM India time)

Please block your calendars and register here.

Join teachers, learners, mentors and trainers from 6 Serbian schools for a webinar to learn how they have changed their processes of teaching and learning over the last 5 months. 

How well does multi-disciplinary learning, collaborative learning and authentic learning work in practice? 

Having conducted research into innovation into teaching and learning, it became clear that there was a need to work with teachers in vocational schools to see which innovations  fit with the needs of teachers and learners and with their vocational programmes. Not theoretically in the future but now, in real schools by real teachers and learners.  Only in this way can we learn which innovations are relevant to vocational teachers and learners in ETF’s 29 partner countries. 

Nine groups of vocational teachers from six schools in Serbia expressed particular interest in experimenting with different approaches – in particular in multi-disciplinary projects, but also in collaborative, entrepreneurial and authentic learning.  These teachers participated in professional development aimed at supporting them to design new programmes that would make use of innovative ways of teaching and learning.  They were then supported to implement these programmes.

In this webinar teachers will share their experiences. Mentors and researchers will discuss the results of the projects and  draw out the key messages for other schools and teachers.  The projects were supported by the Centre for Vocational and Adult Education, Serbia and GIZ Serbia. Mentoring and training were organised by Education Forum, Serbia. 

Identifying and evaluating innovations in teaching and learning is a priority of ETF and is being addressed through the Creating New Learning Project. The projects in Serbia make up one of three innovation partnerships. 

How to register? 

If you wish to participate in the online event, please click HERE to fill in the registration form for this event.

After registering you will receive the link to access the meeting. 
The event will take place in online on the Zoom platform and will be delivered in English and BCMS.

Contact

In case you have any questions, please contact: etf.educators-community@stepseurope.it

UNESCO’s Section for Teacher Development and the International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030 are organizing a workshop on adult educators and literacy practitioners: recasting the profession as part of the Seventh International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA VII).

The workshop will examine the working conditions and professional development of adult education teachers, particularly at the literacy and basic education level, and will identify key challenges to improve the quality of teaching and the social standing of the profession. The session will explore examples -from different world regions- concerning the institutionalization of adult education in teacher training and higher education institutions, and policy measures that have been implemented to harness the social standing, labor standards and professional development of adult education practitioners.

Recent studies and analyses of the impact of the COVID-19 on adult learning confirm that youth and adult literacy educators still find themselves in the most precarious position of any group of educators; they receive much less policy attention compared to schoolteachers; and are among the lowest paid teachers and receive the least training (UNESCO, 2020, p.2). In addition, in many world regions, adult educators are usually characterized by low -or a lack of- qualifications and specific training on the education of young people and adults who have been marginalized from basic education.

Against this background, and inspired by the renewed role of teachers depicted in the Futures of Education Commission Report (UNESCO, 2021) the panel will explore alternatives for the institutionalization and professional development of adult education teachers and will provide policy recommendations in order to recast the profession.

Guiding questions:

• What are the main challenges facing the status of teachers in adult learning and education and their professional development?
• What kind of public policies are needed for the institutionalization of adult education and the advancement of the teaching profession?
• What role do universities and other teacher education institutions play in the professionalization of adult educators?
• What existing frameworks may be useful for the development of qualifications and standards to guide this professionalization?

Format and languages:

The workshop will be fully in person. It will consist of a brief presentation of the current challenges facing adult education teachers followed by a conversation and examples of policies and education programmes aimed at improving the social standing and professional development of adult educators.

The discussion will have a global geographical scope with interpretation in English and French.

Speakers

The workshops will be moderated by Mr. Carlos Vargas, Chief of Section for Teacher Development at UNESCO and Head of Secretariat for the Teacher Task Force and it aims to bring together voices from universities, teacher education institutions, civil society, teacher organizations and regional intergovernmental organizations.

• Mr Timothy Ireland, UNESCO Chair in Youth and Adult Education, University of Paraiba, Brazil
• Ms Katarina Popovic, Secretary General, International Council for Adult Education
• Mr Samba Diarry Ndiaye, Centre National de Ressources Educationnelles, Ministry of Education, Senegal
• Mr Mohammed Bougroum, l’Institut de Formation aux Métiers de l’alphabétisation, Morocco

For more information please see here.

The session can be followed on-line here.

Dans le cadre de son nouvel axe d'action principal sur l'apprentissage des politiques nationales et régionales, L’Équipe internationale sur les enseignants pour Éducation 2030 (TTF), en collaboration avec l'Institut international de l'UNESCO pour le renforcement des capacités en Afrique (IIRCA) et l'Association pour le développement de l'éducation en Afrique (ADEA), organise une série d’ateliers pour l’échanges régionaux et nationaux sur les politiques prometteuses.

Le premier atelier régional virtuel aura lieu le mardi 21 juin à 16h00 heure de l'Afrique de l'Est, UTC +3 hrs ou (15h00 heure de Paris), suivi d'un deuxième atelier en octobre/novembre. Entre les deux ateliers, une réflexion supplémentaire par le Secrétariat de la TTF et les membres du Comité Directeur aura lieu pour vérifier les hypothèses et affiner les besoins d'apprentissage des politiques régionales pour le deuxième atelier.

Les ateliers visent à favoriser l'échange et la discussion à l'appui du développement complet de la politique enseignante, comme illustré dans le Guide pour l’élaboration d’une politique enseignante (TPDG) et ses neuf dimensions interconnectées en tant que cadre. La série d'ateliers de cette année se concentrera sur le développement professionnel (notamment en ce qui concerne les compétences en TIC et les pédagogies hybrides), y compris leur relation avec les parcours de carrière et les normes applicables aux enseignants. L'atelier est le premier d'une série de deux qui seront organisés pour les partenaires nationaux et régionaux de la TTF et les parties prenantes de l'éducation dans le cadre de sa nouvelle initiative visant à renforcer l'apprentissage des politiques en temps utile pendant la période de reprise du COVID-19. Ces ateliers sont destinés à s'appuyer sur les besoins des pays en matière d'apprentissage des politiques, tels qu'ils ont été exprimés non seulement lors du Forum de dialogue politique de Kigali, mais également dans le cadre d'une enquête de suivi visant à consolider les besoins les plus urgents en la matière.

Les points focaux et adjoints de la TTF, y compris les membres des pays et des organisations, seront invités à l'atelier régional de l'Afrique anglophone. D'autres partenaires clés dotés de compétences régionales seront consultés et invités à participer activement.

Pour plus d'informations contactez Thomas, Yael (y.thomas@unesco.org) ou Soto Echeverri, Emilia (e.soto-echeverri@unesco.org).

Register here and join us for the launch of INEE's Guidance Note: Teacher Wellbeing in Emergency Settings.

This publication is part of a larger project funded by Education Cannot Wait, to develop a Teacher Wellbeing Toolkit in order to support EiE practitioners to meet the needs of teachers in their local context.

This INEE Minimum Standards-aligned Guidance Note is an opportunity to put teacher wellbeing at the center of our response and recovery efforts in conflict and crisis-affected settings. Not just because an investment in teachers is an investment in children and adolescents, but because at this moment in history teachers deserve our unparalleled attention as an end unto itself.

We invite you to engage in this session by learning about the development and content of the Guidance Note and participating in a Q&A discussion with our panelists:

• Abla Assaf, Education Technical Officer - Palestine, Norwegian Refugee Council
• Amy Parker, Learning through Play Programme Lead, Save the Children Denmark – plus former TiCC co-chair
• Chris Henderson, Co-Chair, Teachers in Crisis Contexts Collaborative, Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies and Teachers College, Columbia University
• Julia Finder Johna, Senior Education Advisor on Education in Crisis and Conflict at USAID- plus PSS-SEL Collaborative co-chair
• Jwalin Patel (PhD), President, Together In Development & Education Foundation
• Nikhit D'Sa, Ed.D. Assistant Professor and Senior Associate Director of Research, Global Center for the Development of the Whole Child
• Raksha Sule, Education Program Manager (Myanmar), People In Need.
• Sophia D’Angelo, PhD, Independent Consultant

The webinar will take place at 1pm UTC on Wednesday 1st June 2022. Click here to convert to your time zone.

For more information please contact Rachel Smith (rachel.smith@inee.org).

As part of its new main line of action on national and regional policy learning, The Teacher Task Force is co-organising a series of workshops for the Anglophone Africa Region with the UNESCO International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (IICBA), in cooperation with South Africa and ADEA.

The first workshop will be held on 22 June, followed by a second workshop in October/November. Between the two workshops, additional reflection by the TTF Secretariat and the regional Steering Committee members will take place to verify assumptions and refine regional policy learning needs for the second workshop.

In particular, the workshops aim to foster exchange and discussion in support of holistic and comprehensive teacher policy development as illustrated in the Teacher Policy Development Guide (TPDG) and its nine interconnected dimensions as a framework. This workshop will focus on common policy learning needs related to teacher education and professional development including issues related to teacher training, qualifications, licensing, and its relationship to career path/ structure, working conditions and teacher standards. In addition to this, countries demonstrated an interest in the ICT dimension of teacher education including ICT skills and pedagogies for remote and distance teaching. Countries also demonstrated learning needs related to school leadership and teachers in emergencies, not only to recover from COVID-19, but also to prepare for future crises.

Country focal points and deputies, including both country and organisational members, will be invited to the Anglophone Africa regional workshop. Other key partners with regional remits will be consulted and invited to actively participate as they are familiar with regional policy learning needs.

For more information contact Thomas, Yael (y.thomas@unesco.org) or Soto Echeverri, Emilia (e.soto-echeverri@unesco.org).

As part of its new main line of action on national and regional policy learning, The Teacher Task Force is co-organising a series of workshops for the Arab States Region with the Regional Center of Quality and Excellence in Education (RCQE) and the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States (ABEGS), in cooperation with Lebanon and Hamdan Foundation. The first workshop will be held on 13 June, followed by a second workshop in October/November. Between the two workshops, additional reflection by the TTF Secretariat and the regional Steering Committee members will take place to verify assumptions and refine regional policy learning needs for the second workshop.

In particular, the workshops aim to foster exchange and discussion in support of holistic and comprehensive teacher policy development as illustrated in the Teacher Policy Development Guide (TPDG) and its nine interconnected dimensions as a framework. This workshop will focus on common policy learning need related to teacher education and professional development including issues related to teacher training, qualifications, licensing, and its relationship to career structure and teaching standards. In addition to this, countries demonstrated an interest in the ICT dimension of teacher education including ICT skills and pedagogies for remote and distance teaching. 

Country focal points and deputies, including both country and organisational members, will be invited to the Arab States regional workshop. Other key partners with regional remits will be consulted and invited to actively participate as they are familiar with regional policy learning needs.

For more information contact Thomas, Yael (y.thomas@unesco.org) or Algohani, Maram (m.algohani@unesco.org).