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Texto para a questão.

World Teachers’ Day: UNESCO sounds the alarm on the global teacher shortage crisis

Claire O’Hagan
4 October 2022
Last update: 20 April 2023

    UNESCO’s estimates indicate the need for an additional 24.4 million teachers in primary education and some 44.4 million teachers for secondary education in order to achieve universal basic education by 2030. With some of the most overcrowded classrooms in the world, sub-Saharan Africa is also home to the most overburdened teachers and understaffed systems, with 90% of secondary schools facing serious teaching shortages.

    New UNESCO figures unveiled for 2022 World Teachers’ Day show that 5.4 million teachers are needed at primary level in sub-Saharan Africa, and 11.1 million teachers at secondary level, if we are to achieve the targets set by the 2030 Agenda. The region with the second largest deficit is Southern Asia: UNESCO projects 1.7 million additional teachers will be needed at primary-level, and 5.3 million at secondary-level.

    In low-income countries, the first obstacle is the heavy workload. According to a new UNESCO data, each primary teacher in these countries has an average of 52 pupils per class at primary level, while the global average is 26. The ratio is particularly high in sub-Saharan Africa – 56 pupils per teacher – and Southern Asia – 38. In Europe and North America there are only 15 pupils per teacher on average.

    Supervision difficulties are amplified by a lack of training, which means that teachers do not always have all the tools at hand to succeed in the classroom. UNESCO data shows that about 26% of primary and 39% of secondary school teachers do not have the minimum qualification requirements in low-income countries, compared to respectively 14% and 16% globally. […]

    The vocational crisis is also accentuated by non-competitive salaries. UNESCO data shows that 6 out of 10 countries pay primary school teachers less than other professionals with similar qualifications. This criterion is particularly evident in high-income countries. In 5 out of 6 countries in this group, primary school teachers earn less than other comparable professionals. Three high-income countries have a commendable teacher salary policy: Singapore, with an average salary equal to 139% of comparable professions, Spain (125%), and the Republic of Korea (124%).

Source: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/world-teachers-day-unesco-sounds-alarm-global-teacher-shortagecrisis

Texto para a questão.

World Teachers’ Day: UNESCO sounds the alarm on the global teacher shortage crisis

Claire O’Hagan
4 October 2022
Last update: 20 April 2023

    UNESCO’s estimates indicate the need for an additional 24.4 million teachers in primary education and some 44.4 million teachers for secondary education in order to achieve universal basic education by 2030. With some of the most overcrowded classrooms in the world, sub-Saharan Africa is also home to the most overburdened teachers and understaffed systems, with 90% of secondary schools facing serious teaching shortages.

    New UNESCO figures unveiled for 2022 World Teachers’ Day show that 5.4 million teachers are needed at primary level in sub-Saharan Africa, and 11.1 million teachers at secondary level, if we are to achieve the targets set by the 2030 Agenda. The region with the second largest deficit is Southern Asia: UNESCO projects 1.7 million additional teachers will be needed at primary-level, and 5.3 million at secondary-level.

    In low-income countries, the first obstacle is the heavy workload. According to a new UNESCO data, each primary teacher in these countries has an average of 52 pupils per class at primary level, while the global average is 26. The ratio is particularly high in sub-Saharan Africa – 56 pupils per teacher – and Southern Asia – 38. In Europe and North America there are only 15 pupils per teacher on average.

    Supervision difficulties are amplified by a lack of training, which means that teachers do not always have all the tools at hand to succeed in the classroom. UNESCO data shows that about 26% of primary and 39% of secondary school teachers do not have the minimum qualification requirements in low-income countries, compared to respectively 14% and 16% globally. […]

    The vocational crisis is also accentuated by non-competitive salaries. UNESCO data shows that 6 out of 10 countries pay primary school teachers less than other professionals with similar qualifications. This criterion is particularly evident in high-income countries. In 5 out of 6 countries in this group, primary school teachers earn less than other comparable professionals. Three high-income countries have a commendable teacher salary policy: Singapore, with an average salary equal to 139% of comparable professions, Spain (125%), and the Republic of Korea (124%).

Source: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/world-teachers-day-unesco-sounds-alarm-global-teacher-shortagecrisis

Texto para a questão.

World Teachers’ Day: UNESCO sounds the alarm on the global teacher shortage crisis

Claire O’Hagan
4 October 2022
Last update: 20 April 2023

    UNESCO’s estimates indicate the need for an additional 24.4 million teachers in primary education and some 44.4 million teachers for secondary education in order to achieve universal basic education by 2030. With some of the most overcrowded classrooms in the world, sub-Saharan Africa is also home to the most overburdened teachers and understaffed systems, with 90% of secondary schools facing serious teaching shortages.

    New UNESCO figures unveiled for 2022 World Teachers’ Day show that 5.4 million teachers are needed at primary level in sub-Saharan Africa, and 11.1 million teachers at secondary level, if we are to achieve the targets set by the 2030 Agenda. The region with the second largest deficit is Southern Asia: UNESCO projects 1.7 million additional teachers will be needed at primary-level, and 5.3 million at secondary-level.

    In low-income countries, the first obstacle is the heavy workload. According to a new UNESCO data, each primary teacher in these countries has an average of 52 pupils per class at primary level, while the global average is 26. The ratio is particularly high in sub-Saharan Africa – 56 pupils per teacher – and Southern Asia – 38. In Europe and North America there are only 15 pupils per teacher on average.

    Supervision difficulties are amplified by a lack of training, which means that teachers do not always have all the tools at hand to succeed in the classroom. UNESCO data shows that about 26% of primary and 39% of secondary school teachers do not have the minimum qualification requirements in low-income countries, compared to respectively 14% and 16% globally. […]

    The vocational crisis is also accentuated by non-competitive salaries. UNESCO data shows that 6 out of 10 countries pay primary school teachers less than other professionals with similar qualifications. This criterion is particularly evident in high-income countries. In 5 out of 6 countries in this group, primary school teachers earn less than other comparable professionals. Three high-income countries have a commendable teacher salary policy: Singapore, with an average salary equal to 139% of comparable professions, Spain (125%), and the Republic of Korea (124%).

Source: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/world-teachers-day-unesco-sounds-alarm-global-teacher-shortagecrisis

READ THE TEXT BELOW, THEN ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION.

The Implications of CHAT GPT on the Education Sector

ChatGPT, an AI-based language model, has the potential to revolutionize the education sector by providing personalized learning experiences, virtual tutoring, writing assistance, language learning, content generation, accessibility, critical thinking opportunities, and collaborative learning opportunities. However, along with its advantages, potential disadvantages and ethical concerns are associated with using ChatGPT in education.

Among its negative implications, there is potential for inaccurate or biased information, once it generates text based on patterns learned from vast amounts of data. It may only sometimes provide reliable and up-to-date information, and educators should verify the accuracy and relevance of the information supplied by it. Another negative implication is the over-reliance on AI, which may lead to a reduction in critical thinking skills, problem-solving abilities, and creativity. Learners may become dependent on it for answers and need to develop the skills to analyze information critically or solve problems independently. There are also ethical concerns associated with using such model in education, such as data privacy, security, and using it for illegal actions. It is vital to ensure that the use of it in education is done ethically and in compliance with relevant laws and regulations.

Educators must, therefore, ensure that ChatGPT is used responsibly, properly considering its limitations and potential risks, and implement measures to mitigate them. It is essential to strike a balance between the benefits and limitations of ChatGPT in education to ensure its responsible and effective use for the benefit of learners.

(Excerpt taken from: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/implications-chat-gpt-education-sector-shwetarani--1c)

Glossary:

concerns: preocupações

biased: influenciada

reliance: confiança

compliance: conformidade

Read the article abstract and its introduction to answer the question.

Abstract

Just as it’s important for you to have a healthy body, it’s also important to have a healthy mind. For a healthy body, you need to eat healthy food and do some exercise. But how do you keep your mind healthy? Perhaps exploring the meaning of things around us and thinking about how we should act in the world might help. That’s called philosophy!

We wanted to know if doing philosophy with children had a positive impact on their mental health. We conducted a 5-week experiment – two elementary school classes took part in philosophy activities for children and we compared the results to another class which didn’t. We found out that philosophy increases kids’ sense of autonomy (the ability to choose things for yourself) and decreases their anxiety. It didn’t make them feel more capable or give them a greater sense of belonging, though.

Introduction

Have you ever wondered about the big things in life, like what is happiness? Or what is true friendship? It’s normal for all of us to ask these questions. Usually when you are a kid your parents try to teach you about these kinds of things. In the 1970s, philosophy professor Matthew Lipman developed a series of activities for the classroom which he called Philosophy for Children (P4C). The aim of these activities is to help children think for themselves about things that matter. The series includes different kinds of activities in which kids discuss various topics: social justice, the environment, animal rights, and more. Since kids usually spend more time at school than they do at home, school is a great place for these discussions. The teacher’s role is to encourage the students to talk and express their thoughts and beliefs, not to give them the ‘answers’ – after all, these are the kind of questions to which there are no easy answers!

There is evidence that P4C really does make kids better thinkers and better students. But we thought that the program might also help with the students’ mental health. After all, over the past decade, mental health problems among children have been increasing. So what if schools implemented the P4C program? Would it have a positive impact on their mental health? This is the question we wanted to answer.

Available at: https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/wp-content/ uploads/2020/11/p4c_article.pdf. Accessed on: Aug. 22, 2023.

Read the podcast transcription.

By Dr Michael Mosley

One of the things that has made a big difference to my life, and which is very simple to do, is to practise a bit of deep breathing. When I feel stressed or when I’m awake in the middle of the night and struggling to go back to sleep, which is quite common, I do a breathing exercise called 4-2-4. I breathe in for a count of four, hold it for two, then breathe out to a count of four.

According to Ian Robertson, a psychology professor at Trinity College, Dublin, deep breathing “is the most precise pharmaceutical you could ever give yourself, side effect free.

[…]

Deep breathing switches on your parasympathetic nervous system, which acts like a brake, calming your body down. Long, deep breaths will slow your heart and also reduce your blood pressure. That way it reduces anxiety.

Deep breathing can also be an effective way of dealing with pain. Chronic pain is closely linked to stress and learning how to do ‘controlled breathing’ is an important part of treatment for managing both.

That’s partly because pain and stress have a similar effect on the body. They increase your heart rate and blood pressure, make breathing faster and shallower, and cause muscles to tighten up. If you live in a state of chronic stress or pain, your nervous system will stay on permanent high alert, with your muscles in a constant state of tension.

And it’s not just your body. Stress and pain make your levels of stress hormones surge, which in turn will keep your brain in a state of constant arousal. You’ll be more sensitive to pain signals and much more aware of them. One way to help break this vicious circle is to practise deep-breathing exercises.

So next time you’re feeling under pressure, remember you have the power to change your brain chemistry with a few deep breaths, whenever and wherever you like.

Available at: https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/ dr-michael-mosley-deep-breathing. Adapted. Accessed on: Aug. 22, 2023.