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Characteristics of effective teacher education in low- and middle-income countries: What are they and what role can EdTech play? (Helpdesk Response No. 10B)

Allier-Gagneur, Z., McBurnie, C., Chuang, R., & Haßler, B. - 2020 - EdTech Hub

This paper analyses a range of literature reviews to identify characteristics of effective teacher education, including focusing on practical subject pedagogy; incorporating peer support and; creating a coherent policy environment.

This study uses a national probability sample of 1,027 mathematics and science teachers to provide the first large-scale empirical comparison of effects of different characteristics of professional development on teachers’ learning. Results, based on ordinary least squares regression, indicate three core features of professional development activities that have significant, positive effects on teachers’ self-reported increases in knowledge and skills and changes in classroom practice: (a)...

This article introduces the main outcomes of discussions at EDUsummIT 2011 by the specific Technical Working Group on Teacher Professional Development (TWG3). The focus was to explore how professional development of teachers may ensure that teachers are better prepared to use information and communication technology (ICT) to promote 21st century learning. The article is organized into three main sections: a review of key literature on professional development of teachers (TPD), in general...

Developing a national EdTech strategy [Working Paper]

Coflan, C., Wyss, N., Thinley, S., & Roland, M. - 2022 - EdTech Hub

An output of the EdTech Hub, https://edtechhub.org

Past research into the use of video for professional development has failed to problematise or theorise sufficiently the role of the discussion facilitator. It has been reported consistently that it can be hard or take time to establish norms for discussion of video but little has been said about reasons why, or the role of the discussion facilitator. As a starting point in this area, I suggest fives aspects or decision points in the role of the facilitator. Two aspects are taken from the...

This paper explores the English in Action (EIA) intervention in Bangladesh and explores how the school-based support systems impact on classroom practice in Underprivileged Children’s Educational Programs (UCEP) Schools. It presents evidence to demonstrate how in-school training helps teachers’ professional development (TDP). This paper explores TPD by analysing interviews with UCEP school administrators and teachers who are participating in the pre-pilot EIA intervention. It draws a...

Dialling up Learning: Testing the Impact of Delivering Educational Content via Interactive Voice Response to Students and Teachers in Ghana [Working Paper]

Afoakwah, E., Carballo, F., Caro, A., … Fallon, A. - 2021 - EdTech Hub

This study explores the potential impact of interactive audio content for students and teachers delivered via Interactive Voice Response (IVR) in Ghana following the reopening of schools. The content for the lessons was drawn from the Rising On Air (ROA) audio library, a 20-week programme developed by Rising Academies to support student learning over the radio during Covid-19 pandemic-related school closures. Rising Academies’ 30 low-cost private primary schools, known as Omega schools, were...

Dialling up Learning: Testing the Impact of Delivering Educational Content via Interactive Voice Response to Students and Teachers in Ghana [Working Paper]

Afoakwah, E., Carballo, F., Caro, A., … Fallon, A. - 2021 - EdTech Hub

This study explores the potential impact of interactive audio content for students and teachers delivered via Interactive Voice Response (IVR) in Ghana following the reopening of schools. The content for the lessons was drawn from the Rising On Air (ROA) audio library, a 20-week programme developed by Rising Academies to support student learning over the radio during Covid-19 pandemic-related school closures. Rising Academies’ 30 low-cost private primary schools, known as Omega schools, were...

Treating curriculum studies as an educational field in its own right, this critical resource gives teachers the power to control the focus and direction their classes take by revealing the variety of benefits gained from rigorous curriculum planning. Stressing the importance of a teacher’s own involvement in the creation of curriculum, the guide shows teachers how to deal with the constant changes they face. For educators looking to contribute responsibly and dynamically to the content of...

This paper examines the influences of professional development activities on important teacher-level factors that are important for the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in education for primary school teachers in Mongolia. The study utilizes the survey data collected in 2012 (n = 826) and 2016 (n = 1161) to identify the changes in factors that are important to the use of ICT in education. The study result shows that six teacher level factors that are important for the...

Commentaries regarding appropriate methods for researching professional development have been a frequent topic in recent issues of Educational Researcher as well as other venues. In this article, the authors extend this discussion by observing that randomized trials of specific professional development programs have not enhanced our knowledge of effective program characteristics, leaving practitioners without guidance with regard to best practices. In response, the authors propose that...

This article examines the impacts of a partial year of implementation of Learning to Read in a Healing Classroom (LRHC), a curricular and social-emotional teacher professional development intervention in southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, on teacher professional well-being. Using a cluster-randomized control trial, this study assesses LRHC impacts on a sample of 346 teachers from 64 primary schools. We find statistically significant increases in job dissatisfaction for female...

Sierra Leone series: Freetown Teachers College and its multimodal approach to teacher professional development [Blog post]

McBurnie, C., Moriba, S., & Brainard, P. - 2021, March - EdTech Hub

Over the past few months, the EdTech Hub team has analysed and mapped the EdTech research landscape in Sierra Leone. In doing so, we have met a number of individuals and organisations that are exploring if and how technology can support the country’s education sector.  In week two, we connected with Dr Samba Moriba and Prince Brainard from Freetown Teachers…

Messaging Apps, SMS, and Social Media: A Rapid Evidence Review (Rapid Evidence Review No. 8)

Jordan, K., & Mitchell, J. - 2020 - EdTech Hub

This Rapid Evidence Review (RER) provides an overview of existing research on the use of mobile phone-based messaging (including SMS, and messaging through apps such as WhatsApp) to support education in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This topic was chosen as the focus for a RER in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and school closures, as this form of technology has been adopted as part of some countries’ methods of providing continuing education during closures and disruption. As...

Teacher coaching has emerged as a promising alternative to traditional models of professional development. We review the empirical literature on teacher coaching and conduct meta-analyses to estimate the mean effect of coaching programs on teachers’ instructional practice and students’ academic achievement. Combining results across 60 studies that employ causal research designs, we find pooled effect sizes of 0.49 standard deviations (SD) on instruction and 0.18 SD on achievement. Much of...

This chapter describes the design and implementation of an educational solution to prepare teachers and instructors in India for various pedagogical and technological transitions during the pandemic. The goal was to move from an emergency remote teaching approach towards adopting effective online teaching strategies. This solution had to address the key challenge of remote professional development for the online medium while accounting for the diversity in the Indian educational context,...

In recent years, the government of Kenya has implemented programs with the hope of moving the country to middle‐income status. The government has implemented the Digital Literacy Programme, distributing tablets to schools across the country, and also a new curriculum, promoting innovative teaching that includes digital literacy, learner‐centered teaching, and relevance to students’ lives. Our purpose in this research was to explore culturally sustaining teaching methods in line with the...