Teacher Influencers - The Leaders of Transformation

Along with teacher shortages, the global pandemic, and economical challenges the global education system is in crisis. It is estimated that 70% of 10-year-olds in low- and middle-income countries are unable to understand a simple written text.

One solution to the crisis is the digital transformation of education. According to UNESCO, achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 for high-quality education depends on exploiting the opportunities posed by technology.

The transformation of education is ongoing, but in order to have the technology to truly help solve the learning crisis, it needs to be promoted and accelerated. The question is, what are the most effective ways to push the transformation?

We might think that digital transformation depends on the right policies and the availability of devices and content. But on a school level what seems to matter the most is whether or not teachers want to use technology more extensively.

When observing how a certain school adopts new practices, you see that the change happens bottom-up, not top-down. And in the end, teachers are the ones who make the decision if a new method or tool gets adopted in frequent use.

According to Deloitte’s research on schools’ technology adoption in the U.S., it was found that the main source for teachers to get ideas and recommendations is the other teachers. Educators trust a recommendation for a learning tool or a material the most when it comes from a relatable colleague.

Teachers’ trust in each other has caused a phenomenon of innovative teachers becoming social media influencers. The most popular teachers can have hundreds of thousands of followers. Compared to influencers in other industries what’s special about teachers is that they usually have a very local audience. Whereas a fashion influencer shares style recommendations that are valid all around the world, teacher influencers’ content is mainly relevant for teachers who work in the same system, and at the same education level.

When a system is undergoing a transformation, leadership is a critical factor in pushing the change for the better. Typically the leaders of change are colleagues who are trusted by others. On a small scale, we talk about teachers who lead by example and support and encourage colleagues. On a larger scale, we talk about teachers who do the same but with an online network including thousands of colleagues. We should pay attention to and support these teacher leaders because these individuals can lead and push education transformation for the better.

To give an idea of this phenomenon of teacher influencers we listed the most interesting influencers in Italy, Spain, and Finland.

Freeed works closely with local teachers and education professionals. Our teacher-collaborators are typically well-connected in the education sector and have the passion to exchange teaching ideas with colleagues. We are currently searching for new collaborators, especially from France, Sweden, Germany, and the UK.

Find more info and submit your interest here.