On today’s episode of The Confluence:
Report from Teach Plus identifies and offers solutions for systemic issues keeping would-be teachers out of the profession
(0:00 - 9:04)
Pennsylvania has seen a decline in people pursuing certification as teachers resulting in a potentially shrinking supply of qualified educators. A new report looks into what can be done to attract and retain teachers in the profession.
The report indicates that between 2010-2020, the number of teachers certified in Pennsylvania has plummeted from 20,000 per year to fewer than 7,000 per year.
“There are definitely many districts and more than we've seen in recent years that are very short on teachers and that they're reporting not only openings, but also many fewer qualified applicants for open positions,” says Laura Boyce, Pennsylvania executive director of Teach Plus, a national nonprofit that advocates for teacher leadership to transform schools and the education system.
Boyce says it’s hard to get exact numbers about shortages because the state doesn’t collect such data, which is a suggestion the report makes: improve data collection to allow for targeted investments in the teacher pipeline.
The report also details recommendations such as improved pay and better training opportunities for future educators, both targeting the educational and employment systems teachers have to navigate in the profession.
Artificial intelligence can now write essays and stories, but not all educators are worried it will help students cheat
(9:09 - 17:29)
ChatGPT is a free online, artificial intelligence program that has the ability to write human-sounding answers to anything you ask. It has been used to write code, television scripts and even complete academic essays, but now some public school systems, including in New York City and Seattle, have banned the program.
Stuart Selber, a professor of English and director of Penn State’s Digital English Studio, says instead of banning the program, educators should think about how AI can assist writers and students.
“ It's remarkable and impressive, but maybe it pressures teachers, in a good way, to think about how we teach writing, to think about the purpose of an exam,” says Selber. “In my part of the world we use writing as a way of learning. And so if a robot is simply answering a prompt, there's been no learning.”
Why does your mouth make sounds when you sneeze, but a sneeze comes from the nose?
(17:41 - 22:30)
We’ve been asking kids for questions, those very good questions that might leave parents stumped. Today’s question involves the action you take after getting a tickle in your nose.
Jayden asks: Why does your mouth make sounds when you sneeze, but a sneeze comes from the nose?
“The irritation does begin in your nose, and then there's a sensory nerve that carries that signal to your brain to initiate the sneeze reflex, which involves a quick inhalation, usually through your mouth, and then a brief pratfall to generate pressure and then a sudden exhalation of that air to clear out the irritant from your nose, but also from your mouth,” explains Dr. Noel Jabbour, director of the Congenital Ear Center at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. “That force is so high, it comes out both our mouth and our nose simultaneously.”
If you have a kid with a good question, you can fill out this form or email confluence@wesa.fm.
The Confluence, where the news comes together, is 90.5 WESA’s daily news program. Tune in Monday to Thursday at 9 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. to hear newsmakers and innovators take an in-depth look at stories important to the Pittsburgh region. Find more episodes of The Confluence here or wherever you get your podcasts.
