Recognize How Teachers Transform Education | World Teachers’ Day 2024

Why Do We Celebrate World Teachers’ Day?

It’s because we love our teachers! UNESCO began celebrating World Teachers’ Day back in 1994 to commemorate the adoption of their 1966 “Recommendation Concerning the Status of Teachers.” This recommendation focuses on their rights and responsibilities, and standards for their initial preparation and further education, recruitment, employment, and teaching and learning conditions. World Teachers’ Day continues to bring attention to the rights of teachers as well as recognize the way teachers transform education. All teachers deserve to have their voices heard and deserve to be supported as they share their knowledge with the next generation.

A KnowledgeFlow Thank You

At KnowledgeFlow, we celebrate the way teachers introduce students to different skills they’ll need to navigate today’s digital landscape. We strive to educate people of all ages by providing them with cybersafety knowledge and tools to stay safe in our digital world. Today we want to say thank you to all the teachers who come alongside us in our mission to make Canadians #UnHackable.

3 Ways Teachers Transform Cybersafety Education

1. Teaching Critical Thinking

The first way that teachers transform cybersafety education, and education as a whole, is by teaching critical thinking skills. Critical thinking is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as “the act or practice of thinking critically (as by applying reason and questioning assumptions) in order to solve problems, evaluate information, discern biases, etc.” This art of evaluating what you see, hear, and read in school is the basis for learning. While critical thinking or critical analysis is something that is learned in school, it is practiced beyond the walls of a classroom, and a necessity for getting through daily life. It applies to that math problem you’re doing, the fantasy novel you’re reading, the essay you’re writing, and it equally applies to the way you browse the internet.

Our world today is one where information, but not necessarily good information, is right at our fingertips. Everyone needs to be aware of how to sort through this information. Educators take this on by instilling critical thinking skills into their students, teaching them to evaluate information and how to spot disinformation, misinformation, and biases. The C.R.I.S.P. Scan is a tool created at KnowledgeFlow that is helpful for exercising critical thinking and evaluating disinformation, fake news, and false claims. Another resource is our tip sheet on Media Bias: What It Is and How To Spot It. Today, we’re extremely grateful to the teachers who work hard to ensure their students are prepared with the critical thinking skills to navigate life and keep themselves safe online.

2. Teaching Relevant Skills

The job of a teacher is to prepare the next generation, providing them with skills that are relevant in the society and workforce they will find themselves in. Think about the fact that most primary and secondary schools no longer teach Latin, but they do teach typing skills and basic coding skills which became relevant with the invention of the computer and the internet.

Another relevant skill today is cybersafety. Educators around the globe are guiding their students through the use of the internet and teaching them important ways to stay safe online. Here at KnowledgeFlow, we are beyond thankful for the teachers who are helping us transform cybersafety education and have created countless educational resources for their them and their students. In fact, we have created a Cybersafety Curriculum Alignment Table to help teachers discover resources specific to their grade level and curriculum that needs to be taught. Through our Cybersafety Academy, we offer several free online courses that are perfect for teaching kids and teens about cybersafety. These include: 7 Cyber Savvy Skills, 10 Immutable Rules for Cybersafety, and Charting Your Course: A Map From Cybersafety to Cybersecurity. All our courses are certified by KnowledgeFlow’s co-founder and cybersecurity expert Claudiu Popa who has his own 10 Rules for Cybersafety which are great for teaching a quick lesson.

3. Adopting Educational Technology

Teachers also transform education by inspiring those around them, namely their students. They act as role models for students to learn from and try to emulate. When students see that their teachers aren’t afraid to try new things, they aren’t either.

Most teachers today went through school at a time before technology was widely used in classrooms and before or during the dawn of the internet. Despite the fact that they did not grow up with educational technology tools such as D2L Brightspace, Google Classroom, or even the internet in general, that doesn’t stop them from embracing it as a way of learning. Their desire to accept challenges and teach themselves new technical skills is the perfect example for their students. At KnowledgeFlow, we’re inspired by all the teachers around the world who aren’t afraid to use new technology, but are working hard to keep themselves and their students safe while doing so. That’s what cybersafety is all about!

Teacher Resource Highlights

Check out this list of helpful educational resources on cybersafety:

• KnowledgeFlow: Cybersafety Curriculum Alignment For Teachers
• Human Biases: Their Role In Misinformation And Social Media (knowledgeflow.org)
• Media Literacy Presentation: Know Your Worth On Social Media (knowledgeflow.org)
• How To Be UnHackable: Claudiu’s 10 Rules For Cybersafety (knowledgeflow.org)
• 6 Essential Tips To Help You Recognize Cyberbullying (knowledgeflow.org)
• Cybercrime Fighters 12 Month Calendar: KnowledgeFlow
• CRISP Scan: Identify Disinformation With C.R.I.S.P. Scan (knowledgeflow.org)
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