Optimizing teacher professional development at scale: Design-based implementation research for enhanced impact and sustainability

 

In Sub-Saharan Africa, traditional teacher professional development (TPD) models tend to be top down, with one-time training sessions. Such methods have received widespread criticism for having limited reach and impact and for being ineffective for improving classroom pedagogical practices. They can also be exclusionary, as only some teachers can access them. Recent evidence reveals that teacher professional development should be cohesive, comprehensive and integrated, and include ongoing programs that are sensitive to teachers' needs and the dynamic nature of classroom learning. Moreover, they should be contextualized and targeted for the curriculum and education approaches used in different countries.

This project aims to bridge the evidence gap on embedding effective and sustainable TPD within government systems, providing applicable insights for Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) and other education TPD initiatives in Africa. The project will use an iterative, design-based implementation research approach. It will strengthen capacity at multiple levels — including the capacity of teachers and mentors, school administrators and government actors — to use that knowledge and innovation to define a minimum viable product to deliver TaRL TPD at scale. Project deliverables include publications, conference presentations, a minimum viable product TaRL TPD curriculum, learning workshops and a blog series. The study's findings will reach a global audience, but the focus will be on government policymakers in Zambia, Côte d'Ivoire and Nigeria.

This project is funded under the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Knowledge and Innovation Exchange, a joint endeavour between the GPE and IDRC to connect expertise, innovation and knowledge to help low- and middle-income countries build stronger education systems and accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goal on education.