Supporting teacher professional development in rural communities: the impact of providing off-line access to digital resources

• In Event: Teaching in a Digital Society: Challenges and Innovations

Proposal

Working in partnership with the Ministry of Education in Zambia, The Open University, UK and World Vision Zambia have pioneered the use of Raspberry Pi computers (small, inexpensive devices) to enable teachers to access contextualised digital resources on their own mobile phones. We have worked with 500 schools in Central Province, of which at least 80 are Community Schools, or recently up-graded Community schools, often with no access to electricity. (Community schools sit outside the mainstream, supported by local communities and volunteer teachers. These are gradually being brought into the Government system). Here, we present our vision for school-based teacher professional development in a digital society.
The Zambian school curriculum calls for more active approaches to learning and teaching which actively engage learners to raise standards. In order to operationalise the curriculum, teachers need to be able to visualise alternative pedagogies – especially when they are being asked to teach in a way that they have not experienced themselves. The provision of contextualised resources which include audio visual material is key – but printing and distributing these is not sustainable beyond the input of donors. Given that at least 70% of teachers own a smart phone (and this is rising) we provided schools with a Raspberry Pi, an SD card pre-loaded with learning materials for teachers and a solar charger, to support their regular teacher group meetings. These devices are relatively inexpensive and could be purchased for a local school by a Church group or the local community. They are also easy to store, and highly portable. The result is that even in schools with no regular electricity supply, teachers can access high-quality, contextualised materials that show them how to implement more active teaching pedagogies and can draw on examples of practice to develop their classroom skills.
We are guided in this work by socio-cultural theories of learning and conceptualise knowledge about teaching as socially constructed in context through a process of collaboration, practise and reflection (Kelly, 2006; Putnam & Borko, 2000). Rogoff, (2008) suggests that learning takes place in three ‘inseparable, mutually constituting planes compromising activities that can become the focus of analysis at different times’ (p139). These planes are apprenticeship, guided participation and participatory appropriation. In the context of teacher learning, we are interpreting these as personal learning (a teacher engages with new ideas), interpersonal (teachers develop understanding through peer support – or ‘guided participation’) and community learning (new practices become embedded based on shared understandings of the context, established over time). Through access to resources there is opportunity for personal learning. In combination with support structures (regular teacher group meetings), over time, there is access to deeper learning and ‘participatory appropriation’ (i.e. the embedding of new practices).
We realised that many teachers needed support in connecting their phone to the Raspberry Pi, but also that many young teachers are already confident users of technology. We created the role of ‘School IT Champion’ and asked Head teachers to identify a member of staff who was a confident user of technology. Training was provided for this group and access to support from World Vision through WhatsApp. This means that whenever teachers are trying to connect, there is someone available to assist.
We have evidence of personal, interpersonal and community learning. Our endline evaluation (Stutchbury et al., 2023) reports on a statistically and pedagogically significant changes in classroom practice. However, across 500 schools and 4000 schools, there is considerable variation and we are currently engaged in research as part of the Empowering Teachers Initiative to better understand issues of marginalisation and equity. In this presentation we report on the lived experiences of the teachers and those who support them, in order to understand what ‘participatory appropriation’ means in practice across different communities of teachers and the role of technology in making teacher professional development more equitable.
Our research has focused on exploring the experiences of teachers and the impact on schools that the provision pf technology has had. An in-depth case study of six schools in Mumbwa district is being followed up with teachers in Community schools. In this presentation we will report on three research questions:
• How do teachers experience the use of IT to support their professional development – how do they access and use the resources?
• What is the impact on the school when teachers are supported to access digital resources?
• What have we learnt about the role of the School IT Champion?
There is no doubt that access to resources and regular teacher group meetings have brought improved practices, as measured by an increase in the amount of time learners talk in lessons. The impacts of the technology go beyond this however and we will report on three key findings.
Firstly, our data shows an increase in teachers’ confidence with respect to implementing more active pedagogies. This is linked to greater autonomy, more awareness of the needs of their learners, and a more supportive environment. We have examples of teachers uploading their own videos on to the Raspberry Pi to be shared with colleagues, and schools using it to store data and important documents.
Secondly, the identification of ‘technology experts’ has led to a flattening of hierarchies, with teachers in senior positions actively seeking help from younger, less experienced teachers. This is unusual in this hierarchical culture and has led to more harmonious relationships and an atmosphere in which teachers at all levels are more willing to seek help.
Thirdly, the appointment of School IT Champions has led to an increase in the use of technology and a network of IT ‘savvy’ teachers across the District. A layer of ‘super champions’ have been created who are able to provide IT support now that World Vision Zambia are no longer directly involved.
Thus we will argue that digitisation supports collaboration and therefore, teacher learning. It supports greater teacher autonomy, challenges traditional hierarchies that sometimes make it difficult for young teachers to grow and supports a more equitable education system.

Author

• Kris Stutchbury, The Open University (UK)