Microprocessor giant Intel has revealed that 10m teachers around the world have trained through its Intel Teach professional development programme that integrates technology into school curricula, benefiting 300m students worldwide.
Integrating technology lessons into existing curricula enables better problem solving, critical thinking and collaboration skills among students.
According to Intel’s estimates, more than 300m students in 70 countries have been prepared to learn, lead and succeed by teachers trained in Intel Teach.
“Solving tomorrow’s challenges begins in today’s classrooms,” said Intel president and CEO Paul Otellini.
“We invest in teachers so that they will inspire our students to be innovative, creative and prepared with the critical thinking and problem-solving skills that are imperative to our future.
“While we celebrate reaching 10m teachers through Intel Teach today, we continue to focus on developing the next generation by improving the quality of educational opportunities around the world,” Otellini said.
Enabling better student learning
Intel Teach started as a simple idea, in which education is centred on student learning through project-based experiences instead of lecture and memorisation.
It included technology, not just because technology was fun and different, but because computers and software appropriately integrated into the classroom promote students’ problem solving, critical thinking and collaboration skills, areas called 21st-century skills by educators.
“Through my Intel Teach unit, my enthusiasm for teaching has been reborn,” said Angie Hillman, an Intel Teach Master Teacher and language arts specialist at Cottonwood Middle School in Arizona.
“In this day and age, with all the state testing and other things weighing heavy on educators, I had lost my focus on how to make learning fun. In creating my Intel unit, I have been able to bring that fun back into my classroom with the highest level of instruction possible for my students.”
Independent evaluation of the Intel Teach program revealed participating teachers reported their students were “motivated and involved in the lesson” and that “student projects showed more in-depth understanding” than other comparable work.
In many countries, Intel Teach is the primary information and communications technology training programme for educators, recognised by various governments around the world as essential for teacher and student growth.
In Jordan, for example, teachers must complete the Intel Teach program to be eligible for promotion and a 15pc pay increase.
