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Global recognition
It is the next generation , with teachers as their guide , who will safeguard the future .
Two Aussies make it to the finals of the 2021 Global Teacher Prize .
By Wade Zaglas
Two Australian teachers have made the top 50 shortlist for the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize 2021 , a competition that received more than 8,000 nominations and applications this year from 121 countries .
Rebecca West , deputy principal at Bonnyrigg Public School in New South Wales , and Steven Kolber , an English teacher from Melbourne , are now in the running to win the Varkey Foundation US $ 1million Global Teacher Prize , the largest teaching prize in the world .
Now in its seventh year , the competition — delivered in partnership with UNESCO — was established to acknowledge “ one exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession as well as to shine a spotlight on the important role teachers play in society ” as well as the transformational work of millions of teachers worldwide . Last year ’ s prize went to Indian village teacher Ranjitsinh Disale .
This year marks the beginning of the Chegg . org Global Student Prize , what ’ s been called “ a sister award to the Global Teacher Prize ”. Both prizes recognise “ inspirational stories from both sides of education ”, and the winning student will take home US $ 100,000 .
TEACHER PROFILES Rebecca West is both the deputy principal and an instructional leader at her NSW school , which is set in a highly multicultural and complex area , serving students from predominantly low socioeconomic backgrounds .
During her time as a classroom teacher , Rebecca was acknowledged for achieving “ sustainable growth in academic , behavioural and social skills of the students in her care , creating safe and engaging environments where learning is relevant and student voice is a powerful contributor ”.
In her current leadership roles , Rebecca supports the professional development of teachers across the state . A keen “ tech innovator ” the school leader utilises a lot of “ play-based , experiential , STEM , and games-based learning ” and has become well-known in education circles for developing learning videos on her YouTube channel , ‘ Clever Pickles ’. Another of her channels , ‘ Talkin ’ Chalk ’, encourages professional conversations with other educators across the world .
Like Rebecca , Melbourne teacher Steven Kolber is committed to both improving his own practice and sharing his knowledge with other educators through his ‘ Mr Kolber ’ s Teaching ’ YouTube channel , contributing to the TER podcast and leading teacher discussions on research through the # edureading group .
The teacher , speaker , writer and researcher is also involved with Teachers Across Borders Australia , supporting teacher development with a host of other teachers from Australian , Sweden and the United States .
HOW THE PRIZE WORKS Nominations and applications for this year ’ s teacher and student prizes opened in early February and closed in mid-May . Teachers who applied for the prize are assessed on “ teaching practices , how they innovate to address local challenges , achieve demonstrable learning outcomes , impact the community beyond the classroom , help children become global citizens , improve the teaching profession and gain recognition from external bodies ”.
Teachers and students can also be nominated for the coveted prize , with the person nominating them required to write a brief description online explaining why . The teacher and student nominees were then informed they had been nominated , followed by an invitation for them to apply online . Applicants were able to apply in English , Mandarin , Arabic , French , Spanish , Portuguese and Russian .
Following the shortlisting , the top 10 finalists of the Global Teacher Prize and the Global Student Prize will be chosen . A group of “ prominent individuals ” will assess all finalists , with the winners announced in an awards ceremony in November in Paris .
“ UNESCO is a proud partner of the Global Teacher Prize , which has done so much to highlight teachers ’ transformational role in young people ’ s lives ,” said Stefania Giannini , assistant director general for education at UNESCO .
“ If we are to rebuild a better world in the wake of COVID we must prioritise giving every child their birthright of a quality education . It is the next generation , with teachers as their guide , who will safeguard the future for us all .”
To join the conversation online follow @ TeacherPrize and @ cheggdotorg . ■
6 | educationreview . com . au