Two Italians among finalists for $1m teaching prize
a “Nobel” for teachers by Varkey GEMS Foundation:
Daniela Boscolo and Daniele Manni
Two teachers from Italy, Daniela Boscolo and Daniele Manni, are among 50 finalists from across the world for a $1m award, designed to be the Nobel Prize of education for teaching. The Varkey GEMS Foundation Global Teacher Prize is to be given to one exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession. It seeks to do for education what the Nobel Prize has done for science, literature, and peace.
gtp.gifIn a news release, the Varkey GEMS Foundation said it decided to offer the prize after it commissioned a study that found teachers had low status in many nations across the globe. Even in Europe, the foundation said, it found that, in many countries, “less than a quarter of people thought that pupils respected teachers, and only a quarter of parents would encourage their child to become a teacher.”
Shortlisted from more than 5,000 nominations from 127 countries, the 50 teachers will be judged on their use of innovative instructional practices, what they do to “open up their pupil’s minds”, their contribution to the community and how much they encourage others to become teachers.
The eventual winner will receive financial counselling when they receive the prize, which they will get in 10 equal annual instalments on the condition that they remain a classroom teacher for at least five more years.
The criteria include: innovative and effective instructional practices; accomplishments beyond the classroom that provide role models for the teaching profession; contributions to public debates on raising the bar of the teaching profession; sharing inspirational education practices with other teachers; preparing children to be global citizens; improving access to a quality education for children of all backgrounds; third party recognition of a teacher’s achievements in the classroom and beyond; encouraging others to join the teaching profession.
The top 50 shortlisted teachers have now been judged by a Prize Committee with the final ten candidates to be announced in February 2015. The winner will then be chosen from these ten finalists by a Global Teacher Prize Academy. All ten finalists will be invited to Dubai for the award ceremony at the Global Education and Skills Forum (GESF) in March next year.
The top 50 finalists: www.globalteacherprize.org/top-50-finalists
These are the outstanding stories of Daniela and Daniele.
daniela.jpgDaniela Boscolo started her career as a high school teacher but soon realized that she wanted to focus on special educational needs within the Italian inclusive school system. She has pioneered ways of teaching pupils with learning disabilities, enabling them to develop their capabilities in ordinary social situations. In partnership with local companies and associations she has created projects like “At the supermarket” where a simulated supermarket environment is created at her school ITSE C. Colombo in Porto Viro. Other students are included in these projects, leading to respect on all sides combined with collaborative learning and an introduction to the world of work. These projects led to her being named Best Italian Teacher of the Year in 2010, and the project received certification from the regional school authority. Daniela spreads her knowledge by co-convening special education workshops for future teachers at the University of Padua and working with the provincial school office. In addition, she collaborated with the municipal administration regarding violence against women.
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daniele.jpgDaniele Manni teaches computer science in the small city of Lecce (Salento) in the south of Italy. He encourages creative thinking in his classes instead of following the traditional ‘passive’ Italian learning style with a myopic focus on syllabus and schedule. He sets 25-30% of his lesson time aside to engage his students in long-term projects from a variety of topics, such as social inclusion, ecology, sustainability and, especially, start-ups. A decade ago he even co-founded a start-up incubator and accelerator at his school. Over the years his students have earned a significant number of awards, such as three medals from the President of Italy. Daniele ensures that these projects get covered in the press, in order to demonstrate to the Italian teaching profession the success of his alternative approach.
Sunny Varkey, founder of the Varkey Gems Foundation, said: “The prize is not only about money. It’s also about unearthing thousands of stories of inspiration as the many applications prove.
“Of course, more will be needed than the Global Teacher Prize to raise the status of profession worldwide. But my hope is that it’s the start of a million conversations about the role of teachers – from families around the dinner table and teenagers on social media to education ministries around the world.”
Further information on the prize: www.globalteacherprize.org
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