Thomas Prola, project manager at FUNIBER and co-leader of the Erasmus+ DigitalTA project has published an article on the well-being of teachers in the prestigious platform The Conversation.
The article, entitled “How to curb teacher attrition through support networks,” addresses the problems of burnout syndrome and leaving the profession, emphasizing the importance of community and mentoring to encourage young teachers to stay in the profession.
Recent research shows alarming data on teacher attrition: UNESCO predicts that, if current trends continue, there will be a global shortage of 44 million teachers by 2040. The causes of the problem vary around the world: in some parts of Africa there is a lack of professional training for teachers, while in several European countries, 1 in 3 teachers leave the profession in their first 5 years of teaching.
The Digital Teacher Academy platform offers a solution to this high dropout rate by providing an online space for teachers to share their experiences, find mentors, and support each other. According to the article, DigitalTA has already brought together more than 1,200 teachers from around the world. What makes this platform different is that it puts teachers at the center, “recognizing that they are the ones who have the experience and capacity to transform the system from within.”
“A young teacher who, a few years ago, would have left the profession for lack of support, today can find a network that listens to him, guides him, and helps him to move forward,” added Dr. Prola.
The article also announces the launch of the Teacher Well-Being Program, an initiative that will facilitate monthly Spanish-language meetings among teachers to discuss everything from emotional management to classroom strategies. This program will not only support the emotional well-being of teachers but will also promote student success by developing more motivated and empowered teachers. The first session was held on October 2 and is available on FUNIBER’s YouTube channel. For more information on upcoming sessions, please click on the following link.
For more information on the issue of teacher attrition and the impact of the DigitalTA project, you can access the full article at this link.
The Conversation is a free, open-access platform that makes available to the media and readers informative articles and analyses written by the academic and research community.