Effective teaching practices in low-income countries: 25 years of evidence

• In Event: Global mathematics education – teacher learning and support, part 2: changing teacher practice

Abstract

A primary goal of UNESCO's Education for All movement is to improve all aspects of the quality of education and ensure excellence, so that recognized and measurable learning outcomes are achieved, especially in literacy, numeracy and essential life skills. Numeracy skills, in particular, are important to later academic achievement, economic well-being, and participation in democratic processes (Duncan & Magnuson, 2011; Siegler et al., 2012; Wiest, Higgins, & Frost, 2007, Foster, 2010; Hanushek & Woessmann, 2008). However, the relatively rapid pace of expansion of primary school access in developing countries has posed a challenge in ensuring that the quality of the instruction is sufficient to support learning. Worldwide, one third of children in primary school have not attained even a basic skill level in mathematics (Education for All Global Monitoring Report Team, 2014, p. 191). An investigation into understanding how these children and their teachers can be better supported in gaining foundational numeracy skills is timely (Akyeampong, Lussier, Pryor, & Westbrook, 2013). This paper investigates evidence-based teaching practices in early mathematics, with an emphasis on research in low-income countries over the last 25 years. These practices include the use of developmental progressions, integration of informal mathematics, support of student explanation and justification, making connections between mathematical domains, and facility with multiple representations including manipulatives. Descriptions of these teaching practices and their evidence base will be discussed.

Authors

• Linda Michele Platas, San Francisco State University

• Yasmin Sitabkhan, RTI International