Mirela Tanc, who teaches Romanian at the Oltea Doamna Gymnasium School in Oradea, is one of the 50 finalists for the Global Teacher Prize 2021, Agerpres reported.

The Global Teacher Prize is a USD 1 million award granted annually by the Varkey Foundation to “an exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to their profession.”

Tanc has incorporated video games like Minecraft and Fortnite, the games her students are most interested in, into a wide variety of subjects, a presentation of the prize finalists explains. “She has even shown how science can illuminate ideas in literature by asking students to create sequences from books wholly within Minecraft. For Mirela, the emotional component of teaching – and the motivation of students – is just as important as the academic component.” 

If she wins the prize, she plans to use part of the funds to help Romanian educators improve their teaching practice through training courses and educational camps.  

The 50 finalists are listed here.

The winner will be chosen by the Global Teacher Prize Academy made up of head-teachers, educational experts, commentators, journalists, public officials, tech entrepreneurs, company directors and scientists from around the world.

(Photo: Andreaobzerova | Dreamstime.com)

simona@romania-insider.com