To be or not to be a great educator

I am pleased to introduce the proceedings of the ATEE 2022 Annual Conference "To be or not to be a great educator". 

I am very grateful to all the authors who put their efforts into the preparation of their chapters and sharing their ideas and I am also grateful to all reviewers who took part in double blind peer reviewing process.

The world is changing rapidly, and we must rethink what it means to be a great educator. With the pace of change, it is important to know which knowledge is outdated and how to update it. The COVID-19 pandemic and other diseases have closed institutions, and we must find ways to ensure that learning can continue.This includes teaching students who are not visible behind the screens, those who lack screens, those who cannot read, and those with special needs. War and other conflicts also pose challenges to education. While we may be shocked by the barbarism of conflicts such as the war in Ukraine, we must also consider how to teach the values of culture, dignity, peace, and human life in such situations. It is important to find ways to to teach how to ensure peace even in the face of family loss, invasion, and destruction of our countries.The issue of walls and borders is often viewed as a solution to problems, but sometimes ignoring problems can have consequences. The war in Ukraine caused the democratic world to be shaken, and some people believed it was only an Eastern European problem, leading to organizations and countries being unsure of how to react. Is it true that it’s just an Eastern European problem? This raises the question of how to teach courage, faith, and bravery, like that shown by Ukrainians.The issue of propaganda and fake news is well-known, but the focus here is on educational propaganda. You may have heard statements like “Finland has no homework but great results” and tried to eliminate homework for students, or that “students will learn better if the learning process is interesting.” However,as educators, we know that such simplistic approaches can lead to fragmented knowledge and avoidance motivation. Similarly, while educational technologies can be effective, they come at a cost and require appropriate materials and pedagogies to avoid fragmentation. There are many other such statements, such as the belief that STEM knowledge can solve all problems or that the lecturer is becoming obsolete in the digital age. In light of all this propaganda, how can we encourage scientific thinking and maintain a realistic perspective?There are many challenges in education, but the solution to these challenges is clear – we need great educators to lead the way. The question is, will you choose to become a great educator or not?

I am grateful to all authors 

The link to conference proceedings can be found here: conference proceedings