Transforming classrooms in the West Bank and beyond: How one homegrown innovation is improving learning

Conducting research in fragile contexts is often fraught with challenges ranging from political and security risks to socio-economic instability and limited institutional capacity. Yet, these same environments can offer fertile ground for transformative research and innovation. 

In such contexts, IDRC harnesses the power of our partnership network, like the long-lasting relationship we’ve built with the Center for Continuing Education (CCE) at the Birzeit University in the West Bank, which continues to work under incredibly difficult circumstances. Their efforts have not only supported improved learning outcomes but are now translating this knowledge into a scalable innovation that is delivering quality education to fragile and under-resourced settings. 

At a moment when the need for resilient, locally grounded solutions has never been more urgent, this story offers timely insights into what it takes to sustain quality education in the face of adversity. This broader challenge is precisely what CCE’s work seeks to address.

For many students in the West Bank and Gaza, the classroom has long been a place of limitations rather than possibility. Overcrowded classes, overstretched budgets and restrictive teaching methods rooted in rote learning have left generations of children without the tools they need to thrive in a rapidly changing world. Teachers, themselves shaped by traditional educational norms, often struggle to introduce creativity or critical thinking into their lessons, let alone adapt content for the cognitive and emotional needs of learners.

This crisis in education is even more urgent for refugee children, whose futures hinge on access to quality learning environments. With instability rising across the region, schools face growing pressure not just to teach, but to heal, empower and prepare students for uncertain futures. Yet how can transformation occur within a system already at the edge of collapse?

In 2011, a small initiative  began at Birzeit University, one that would eventually transform entire communities. The CCE introduced the Experiential Learning Objects (xLOBs) model, an ambitious, research-driven initiative that reimagines learning from the inside out. These experiential learning modules empower teachers to reframe curriculum units around active, engaging and life-relevant experiences that place the learner at the centre of the process. And the results speak for themselves.

Rethinking the classroom: The xLOBs model 

At its core, xLOB retools the existing educational system rather than bypassing it. Using the same classrooms, same teachers and same national curriculum, the model offers alternative “learning objects” that teachers can use in place of traditional textbook lessons. Experiential learning objects are pedagogical tools designed to help teachers present complex subjects in dynamic, engaging, and meaningful ways for students. These tools encourage active learning through activities such as experiments, research projects, discussions, and group work. They may include digital resources, instructional videos, photographs, articles, stories, audio clips, and everyday materials to enrich the learning experience. Each experiential learning module maps directly onto national learning objectives, ensuring alignment with the national curriculum while replacing passive learning with active exploration, problem-solving, knowledge production and real-world applications. Activities are designed to build critical thinking, collaboration and life skills — capabilities that students often lack under conventional methods. 

Real results, real impact 

Since 2017, IDRC has played a pivotal role in advancing the experiential learning objects model, supporting the CCE in refining and expanding its innovative approach to learning. This partnership enabled the model to reach more educators and students across the West Bank. Initially, Birzeit University partnered with the Ministry of Education and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to scale the model across dozens of schools in the West Bank. Rigorous testing revealed that students exposed to experiential learning modules showed higher academic achievement, increased engagement and improved life skills. Equally striking was the impact on teachers, who embraced more dynamic and participatory classroom methods. “I thought I was a good teacher, but now I realize I was just a lecturer,” one teacher reflected. “This method is much more exciting and rewarding.”

Students, too, voiced their excitement: “Why aren’t all our classes taught this way? Learning has never been this interesting before,” said one student. Another asked, “Why is this model only being used in specific subjects? Can we use it in all our classes?” In several instances, the enthusiasm became contagious as students from other classrooms attempted to sneak into the experiential learning lessons, not wanting to miss the more engaging and interactive environment.

Parents noticed the shift at home as well: “Learning used to be a battle,” one parent shared. “Now my child talks enthusiastically about lessons and what they’re discovering each day. It’s not boring anymore!” Another added: “My child now enjoys school like never before. The excitement and motivation are very clear.” 

Adapting in times of crisis 

In recent years, repeated crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, teacher strikes in 2022-2023, and the war in Gaza, have severely disrupted the education system in the West Bank. In response, CCE’s commitment to improving education proved instrumental in addressing these gaps. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, CCE adapted the model into the Independent Learning Objects (iLOBs), a digital and hybrid version enabling remote and blended learning. The pivot proved essential, particularly for students cut off from traditional classrooms. Through iLOBs, the model continued to serve thousands of children, even during lockdowns and school closures.

Additionally, CCE continued innovating in the face of overlapping crises by launching the Al Balad School. It consists of a community-driven network of learning hubs that ensures education does not stop. Rooted in applied research and supported by CCE’s experiential learning modules, it empowers marginalized communities to sustain children's learning and wellbeing when formal systems fail. Mental health and psychosocial support is also fully integrated into these efforts. Eight nodes are already active within shelters and community spaces in the West Bank. 

Scaling Up, scaling out 

Recognizing its potential, UNRWA adopted the model across all its schools in the West Bank, training thousands of teachers and embedding the methodology into its broader education strategy. The cost of scaling this model to schools in the West Bank is less than USD1 (CAD1.3) per child. At the same time, the Jordanian Ministry of Education tapped CCE to develop Jordan’s national digital curriculum, a decision set to impact over 1.4 million students by 2026.

International partners have taken note. In 2023, UNICEF signed a long-term agreement with CCE to support life skills and citizenship education across the Middle East and North Africa region, providing technical assistance to national ministries and driving forward regional education reform. Meanwhile, a digital platform born out of the xLOB/iLOB research – called Ofoq – was honored in 2024 by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia for excellence in digital Arabic content.

In a region too often defined by constraints, experiential learning modules offer a rare and hopeful example of what is possible: a scalable, evidence-based solution born of local expertise that improves outcomes without demanding vast new resources. As educators in the West Bank continue to navigate crisis and complexity, this model shows how solutions rooted in local realities can lead to transformative change.