When disability is discussed in education, focus often goes to the learner, — but why do we so rarely focus on teachers with disabilities? How can we engage them in research on teacher professional development? Especially in research that focuses on whether adaptations to those teachers’ needs are being made in schools and at other levels of the education system.…
This blog describes initial findings from two research projects in Pakistan: Technology to Empower Actors Across the Learning Ecosystem and Can Digital Technology Accelerate Learning and Skills? The team comprises researchers from Harvard University, University of Chicago, Pomona College, University of California, Berkeley and The World Bank. The team is grateful for funding support from EdTech Hub, The World Bank,…
We are pleased to share experiences and lessons from the activities carried out as part of the Government of Tanzania’s efforts to operationalise its National Framework for Teacher Continuous Professional Development (TCPD), which shifts TCPD from discreet workshops to cost-effective, ongoing, school-based professional development programmes. Our collaborative work with Tanzanian government education bodies, including Tanzania Institute of Education (TIE), Ministry…
Measuring student learning in a meaningful way is a significant challenge within a single school, but measuring and comparing learning outcomes at a global scale can seem impossible. This is a problem for anyone in a position of choosing between different options for maximising the impact of their spending on education because it is difficult to make a data-driven decision.…
Why and how did we do this? This blog presents Part 1 of our lessons on tech-enabled professional development. We shall be bringing you more insights in Part 2. Stay tuned! Through Bangladesh’s national curriculum reform, the Government of Bangladesh intends to transform education by reducing the pressure of high-stakes exams and enhancing teaching practices (for example, through experiential learning,…
MEWAKA (Mafunzo Endelevu kwa Walimu Kazini, or Teachers’ Continuous Professional Development (TCPD)) is a landmark teacher professional development programme being implemented by the Government of Tanzania. The programme is decentralised, with teacher learning based in schools and focused on semi-structured Communities of Learning (CoLs). CoLs are spaces where teachers can gather weekly to discuss and reflect on issues most relevant…
This study sought to understand more about how teachers and school leaders in low and middle-income countries assessed student progress when students were learning remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study was undertaken in six countries – Bangladesh, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, and South Africa. The data collection involved focus group discussions with two held in each country. It was…
Reflective practice is not just reserved for teachers… it’s the duty of all stakeholders in the field.” Do you know how many academic articles are published each year? A recent study by To and Yu (2020) found that over 3.2 million academic articles were published in 2020 alone. And this only considered publications of researchers from the US, UK, China,…
Historically, the Sierra Leonean government has struggled to attract teachers to work in the most hard-to-reach areas of the country. Today, the country’s education system has one of the highest pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratios in West Africa. The challenge of attracting teachers is most acute for schools in rural locations. Here, the pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio currently sits at 76:1. This ratio compares to…
In March 2022, EdTech Hub’s executive director Verna Lalbeharie joined partners from the Aga Khan Foundation’s (AKF) Schools2030 programme for a school visit in Tanzania’s Temeke district. The visit coincided with the Utafiti Elimu Tanzania conference, of which AKF and EdTech Hub were co-sponsors, as well as data-collection for one the studies in the EdTech Hub research portfolio. Toangoma primary…
