Sustaining and Scaling Pedagogic Innovation in Sub-Saharan Africa: Grounded Insights For Teacher Professional Development

Authors

  • Bjoern Hassler University of Cambridge
  • Sara Hennessy University of Cambridge
  • Riikka Hofmann University of Cambridge

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56059/jl4d.v5i1.264

Keywords:

Teacher Professional Development, Sustainable Development Goal 4, sub-Saharan Africa, Open Educational Resources, peer-facilitation, school-based active learning

Abstract

Developing sustainable and scalable educational initiatives is a key challenge in low-income countries where donor-funded short-term projects are limited by both contextual factors and programme design. In this concept paper we examine some of the issues related to in-service teacher development in the context of sub-Saharan Africa, grounded predominantly in our experiences of over 5 years of iteratively developing, refining and evaluating an intensive school-based professional learning programme for primary school teachers. “OER4Schools” integrates interactive pedagogy, Open Educational Resources (OER) and use of mobile devices (where available). The focus of this paper is on identifying what the main factors are perceived to be in sustaining and scaling up such a programme, from the perspectives of participating teachers, workshop facilitators and the research team. Synthesising our previous research and drawing on recent work in the field, we identify the key characteristics of effective and sustainable professional learning in low-resourced contexts. Such characteristics include effective peer facilitation, school-based active learning, explicit programme structure, appropriate scheduling and resourcing, and mitigating resource constraints through use of OER. Our conclusions thereby offer insights concerning the importance and impact of wider influences on participation and engagement of stakeholders and lead to recommendations for programme design and implementation, that should be taken on board by future initiatives.

Author Biographies

Bjoern Hassler, University of Cambridge

Associate Member, REAL Centre, Faculty of Education

Sara Hennessy, University of Cambridge

Reader, Faculty of Education

Riikka Hofmann, University of Cambridge

University Lecturer, Faculty of Education

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Published

2018-03-17

How to Cite

Hassler, B., Hennessy, S., & Hofmann, R. (2018). Sustaining and Scaling Pedagogic Innovation in Sub-Saharan Africa: Grounded Insights For Teacher Professional Development. Journal of Learning for Development, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.56059/jl4d.v5i1.264

Issue

Section

Commentary
Received 2017-10-21
Accepted 2018-02-07
Published 2018-03-17