Held annually on 5 October since 1994, World Teachers’ Day is an opportunity to celebrate all teachers globally – and what a year it has been! We want to celebrate, acknowledge and thank all our teachers for their excellent work throughout 2021, and continual efforts to provide quality education for our students, even in challenging circumstances.
UNESCO’s World Teachers’ Day 2021 concept note highlights the crucial role of teachers in maintaining learning continuity. They explain “how teachers have been at the heart of educational responses: they have provided online teaching and learning… they have adapted their practices and diversified the formats, means and contents of education to cater for the needs of learners, including their socioemotional well-being; and they have preserved and reinforced social interaction among learners, fellow teachers… exchanging practices and resources with other practitioners, enhancing a sense of community within the profession”.
This is certainly the case across Navitas UPA colleges, and many events and initiatives are being held to show appreciation of teachers and celebrate World Teachers’ Day 2021. These include:
- Deakin College is holding a World Teachers’ Day online event on Tuesday 5th October, focusing on the important role of teachers in our communities and the positive impact they have on the lives of students.
- University of Canberra College (UCC) is organising a World Teachers’ Day event, at which Carol Drew, Program Coordinator and winner of the Navitas Life-changing Lens Inspire Award, will be speaking on “The role of teachers in these difficult and forever changing times to help our students succeed”.
- SAIBT will be celebrating World Teachers’ Day during their new trimester Orientation day, as they start the trimester with a professional development day, with a focus on supporting their teaching team.
- A morning tea will be held at Curtin College celebrating teachers and awarding certificates of appreciation for notable excellence in learning and teaching.
- La Trobe College Australia is organising a Zoom morning tea (due to lockdown restrictions) and a thank you Padlet wall for teachers.
- While in lockdown in Sydney, La Trobe University Sydney Campus will share a recorded message as a portal post with teachers, and Maria Remiendo (Academic Coordinator) is sending a collage of personalised appreciation messages to her teaching team.
- SIBT and WSU-SCC, also under lockdown restrictions, will run a live webinar, while staff and students will be contributing messages for teachers on a specially made Padlet Wall.
- Griffith College is awarding certificates of appreciation to all teachers and organising World Teachers’ Day Padlet Walls for every program, with video messages from the College Principal, Academic Director and Program Convenors and students’ messages for teachers, coordinated by Tessa Daal (Program Convenor) and Lisa Hsu (Marketing Coordinator). This will be followed by a morning tea later in the month.
Throughout 2020-2021 Navitas UPA teachers worked especially hard to redesign their units following a Flexible Learning Model, ensuring continuity of programs during the pandemic, providing flexibility, equivalency, versatility, accessibility, and connectivity for all students across all learning modes.
For more information, or to share your college’s initiatives and good practice, contact Learning & Teaching Services (UPA) at: learningandteaching@navitas.com.
Reference:
UNESCO (2021). World Teachers’ Day 2021. Teachers at the heart of education recovery. Concept note. Retrieved from https://en.unesco.org/sites/default/files/wtd-2021-concept-note-en.pdf