Initiative includes providing lesson plans and courses on Artificial Intelligence concepts for elementary school professionals; the goal is to train 10,000 teachers and impact 60,000 in their teaching practices
Microsoft and Nova Escola announce a collaboration to train elementary school teachers from public and private schools in the practical, ethical and responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education. The initiative, called “Teachers of the Future”, aims to integrate AI into everyday school life, promoting the development of digital skills for educators and students with the aim of preparing them for the challenges and opportunities of contemporary society. The goal is to train at least 10,000 teachers through the training course and impact 60,000 in their teaching practices, either through the use of lesson plans or access to the content made available.
Nova Escola and Microsoft have produced 10 lesson plans on AI, aligned with the National Common Curricular Base (BNCC). These plans aim to train students to understand and interact with AI technologies in a critical and creative way, exploring concepts of programming and digital ethics. The plans will support teachers in planning a lesson that uses AI to support learning in various areas of knowledge, such as science, mathematics and Portuguese. The 10 lesson plans focused on AI can be accessed at the link: https://novaescola.org.br/planos-de-aula/inteligencia-artificial
The Teachers of the Future initiative also includes the “Artificial Intelligence for Teachers” course, which consists of 10 hours of training and covers what AI is, its development trajectory throughout history, its application in education, and ethical and social aspects essential for its responsible use. Teachers will learn to use technology as a tool to support teaching, without replacing the fundamental role of the educator, who in the AI era has an even more important role in building students’ critical thinking. The training is available at New School Platform.
Teachers are already applying their knowledge in the classroom. Ana Elicker, who teaches Portuguese and English at a public school in the city of Rolante, in Rio Grande do Sul, says she started using technology in the classroom in 2017 to reduce student distance and improve her lessons. Today, the educator also applies AI to learning. “In a Portuguese class with the 9th grade class, we tested basic and efficient elements for a command in Copilot. I even use AI to create my lesson plans, and I leave the solution activated to ask different and random questions in class. The students think it’s incredible, and through cooperation, everyone gets involved. Another fundamental point that I incorporate into my work is to guide safe and responsible use in an ethical and effective way. We are all responsible,” says Ana.
“The collaboration between Microsoft and Nova Escola represents a significant step in preparing teachers for the opportunities of the AI era. We know that educators often suffer from work overload inside and outside the classroom, and so our goal is to put AI at the service of teachers to help them be more productive in operational and repetitive tasks, thus leaving more time to dedicate to supporting students in their individual challenges. In the AI era, critical thinking becomes even more relevant and we believe that teachers have a fundamental role in creating a society that reflects and questions what is put to them,” comments Lucia Rodrigues, Director of AI Training at Microsoft Brazil.
Throughout the content produced – lesson plans and courses with video lessons – several Microsoft tools and resources are presented. These include tutorials on how to use Copilot and best practices, such as explaining logic and concepts of interacting with AI through natural language and creating structured prompts (commands for AI). These solutions are presented in a comprehensive and inspiring way, with the aim of empowering teachers and encouraging them to explore the countless possibilities of applying AI in the educational context. This includes developing teaching activities, creating lesson plans, generating images and simplifying processes, promoting time savings and efficiency.
The materials provide several practical examples that can be used in the classroom. Among the tools are the reading coach, which supports the teacher in assessing a student's reading and text interpretation, Microsoft Sway used for content production and presentation, Microsoft Designer for generating images with AI, Whiteboard for collaboration and creation in real time, Microsoft MakeCode for creating codes and games, Minecraft Education Edition, in addition to the resources of Microsoft Teams for Education, which are free for any public or private educational institution.
According to Ana Ligia Scachetti, CEO of Nova Escola, the initiative meets a growing demand for interest from teachers in Artificial Intelligence and how to make good use of it in their planning and classroom. “With Microsoft, we were able to support teachers so that they could understand how to use artificial intelligence, from raising awareness with the campaign in partnership with Marcelo Tas to practical tools in lesson plans,” says Ana Ligia.
Microsoft and Nova Escola Collaboration
The Teachers’ Day campaign, held in October, marked the beginning of this collaboration between the organizations. Nova Escola conducted a survey to identify teachers’ main doubts and concerns regarding AI, and questions were compiled and answered in short videos recorded by Marcelo Tas, who also participated in a live broadcast entitled “Artificial Intelligence: Doubts and Uses in Teachers’ Practice”. The action was attended by educators, who received training certificates.
About Microsoft
Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) creates AI-powered platforms and tools to deliver innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of our customers. The technology company is committed to making AI widely available and doing so responsibly, with the mission of empowering every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. In Brazil for 35 years, the company launched the Microsoft Mais Brasil Plan in 2020, with the objective of supporting the country’s sustainable economic development, contributing with actions capable of preparing professionals for the digital economy, reducing inequalities and promoting digital inclusion.
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About the New School
Nova Escola is a non-profit social impact organization whose mission is to empower educators to transform Brazilian public education and enable students to develop their full potential. An absolute reference in the development of content for teachers since 1986, when it operated in the printed magazine segment, in 2015, with the support of the Lemann Foundation, it transformed into a digital platform, with more than 3 million monthly hits. It produces free content and tools to support teachers, pedagogical coordinators and principals who work in Basic Education in Brazilian public schools. Learn more at www.novaescola.org.br.
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