The world is facing severe threats such as climate change, war and conflicts, lack of human rights, inequalities, science denial and extremism. But the Nobel Prize shows that brilliant ideas, science, compassion and hard work can improve the world. Teachers, the profession of teaching, are crucial to promoting this.
The Nobel Prize Teacher Summit is an international teacher conference by the Nobel Prize Education Network and supported by Swedish Institute. The initiative builds on the ability of the Nobel Prize to inspire people to seek out knowledge, to ask questions and to attempt to understand and improve the world. At the summit, teachers from 30+ countries meet Nobel Laureates, top scientists and peace activists to discuss a theme of great importance in education.
Fast newsflashes, complex disputes, disinformation and polarized values can make the flood of facts difficult to assess. The ‘Nobel Prize Teacher Summit 2021’ themed ‘In the Flood of Facts’ is aimed at providing teachers with strategies to help their students navigate towards knowledge between scientific facts, personal values and conspiracy theories.
As part of the Sweden India Nobel Memorial Week 2021, the Consulate General of Sweden in Mumbai in association with Idobro Impact Solutions organized a local hub for the summit which saw participation from close to 50 academic heads and teachers from schools, colleges, educational institutes across Mumbai. Special Guest Prof. Ravindra Kulkarni (Pro-Vice Chancellor, Mumbai University) attended the summit.
Anna Lekvall, Consul General of Sweden in Mumbai said, “Teachers play a crucial role in helping students fight disinformation and uphold the right information. Through this hub on ‘Nobel Prize Teacher Summit’, we are happy to have the opportunity to engage with Teachers on a topic that is very significant in today’s information age. We continue to nurture the long-standing tradition of deepening relations between the two countries through the Sweden India Nobel Memorial Week 2021.”
In preparation for the summit, the teachers shared their opinion about the current situation of disinformation and how they deal with it at a professional and personal level. The summit included a live screening from Nobel Prize Museum, Stockholm addressed by Nobel Prize Winner Saul Perlmutter, eminent international professors and experts from University of California, Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences, Swedish Academy, Stockholm University. The summit aimed at helping teachers prepare students to distinguish facts from values, teach strategies to debunk lies and use methods to encourage curious questions and critical thinking.
Karon Shaiva (Chief Impact Officer - IDOBRO) said, “Today, the youth are turning to social media and digital channels to source information. In the process they are also increasingly being exposed to fake news and misinformation. The Nobel Prize Teachers Summit is focused on providing tools and solutions that will help Teachers to deal with knowledge resistance. It will also enable Teachers to guide students through “the Flood of Facts” and create awareness based on scientific approaches and personal value systems.”
