Fish Hoek High School teacher attends Nobel Prize summit in Sweden

A Fish Hoek High School drama teacher attended the prestigious Nobel Prize Teacher Summit in Stockholm, Sweden, from Wednesday October 2 to Saturday October 5.

Laurie Parsons was one of a select group of educators from around the world who took part in the summit after receiving an invitation to apply for a scholarship to attend.

"The scholarship was awarded by The Swedish Institute," she said.

The summit’s four-day programme started with a reception at Stockholm City Hall.

This was followed by visits to schools, allowing the teachers to experience different teaching environments, and culminated in the main event.

“The theme this year was ‘Minding the Brain,’ which explored the connection between education and neuroscience,” Ms Parsons said. “We heard from Nobel Laureates, scientists, psychologists, and peace activists.”

One of the highlights for Ms Parsons was the summit’s recognition of the important role teachers play. “We were treated with the same respect as the Nobel Laureates, acknowledging the influence teachers have in fostering a love for learning,” she said.

Among the speakers, she found Nobel Prize Laureate David MacMillan particularly inspiring. “His talk on generosity in science and education really stood out. He spoke about the importance of sharing ideas to drive progress, and his humility was truly impressive,” she said.

Ms Parsons also appreciated a talk by Stockholm University’s Armita Golkar on emotional learning. Professor Golkar emphasised the importance of creating safe spaces where students could thrive emotionally, something Ms Parsons feels is crucial in her drama classroom.

“This really resonated with me. In drama, we create an environment where students feel safe to express themselves and explore their creativity,” she said.

The Nobel Prize Teacher Summit attracted teachers from over 30 countries. They took part in workshops and discussions, exchanging ideas on how to apply research to teaching practices.

Ms Parsons said she had found the sessions valuable for gaining insights from other teachers’ experiences and the latest educational research.

“We talked a lot about creating student-centred learning environments,” she said. “In drama, that’s exactly what we do - students learn by doing, by being involved and active in their learning process.”

Fish Hoek High School principal Steven Joubert said: “We’re incredibly proud of Laurie for representing our school at such a prestigious event. Her dedication to her students and her passion for innovation in education is an asset to our school.”

Ms Parsons, along with other South African teachers who attended, now hopes to set up a Nobel Prize Teacher Summit hub in the Western Cape, where they can share what they learnt with colleagues.

“It’s a way of continuing the learning and making sure more educators can benefit from the summit’s insights,” she said.