Addressing math and science gaps in preservice education

• In Event: Can adding a fourth year to preservice teacher education close the teacher training divide in Rwanda?

Proposal

Teacher Training Colleges (TTCs) in Rwanda were established to produce qualified primary teachers. However, studies on the quality of primary teacher training in Rwanda consistently reveal the following shortcomings: newly qualified math teachers use traditional teacher-centered methods, and learning outcomes in math are consistently low in national-level examinations (Nkundabakura, Nsengimana, Nyirahabimana et al., 2023). Furthermore, evidence shows that science and math primary teachers face difficulties in mastering math concepts like statistics and probability and are usually challenged when required to use activity-based teaching recommended by the Rwanda competence-based curriculum. An analysis of contributing factors to poor math performance indicates low students’ interest in math and science and highlights the need to build teachers’ capacity on evidence-based instructional methods and assessment techniques (Sibomana, et al., 2021).

The residency program was an effort initiated by the Rwanda MINEDUC to strengthen pedagogical knowledge and skills,and the English and ICT proficiency of beginning teachers who recently completed their 3-year training at the TTCs. The residency program pilot was designed by a US research university and two Rwandan NGOs. In addition to literacy pedagogy, this 4th year of training for primary preservice teachers (Teacher Residents) addressed the weaknesses related to math and science pedagogy. The design included intense training in subject-specific content knowledge aligned with the primary curriculum for math and science and evidence-based instructional strategies to not only simplify math and science concepts for primary school learners but to make the subject meaningful to their daily lives. For example, the Teacher Residents learned to use concept maps and graphic organizers to break complex math and science concepts into connected and more manageable elements. Also, for science lessons, they learned how to use the 5E model -an inquiry-based learning approach that fosters students' agency and exploration while building knowledge through discovery.

In this paper presentation, the panelist will expand on the design implemented to strengthen the pedagogical content knowledge and skills specific to math and science of the 100 Teacher Residents who participated in the pilot. The benefits of coaches supporting the tutors with further capacity building will be presented. Preliminary findings revealed that the tutors’ sense of empowerment was improved by having ongoing feedback from the coaches. The panelist will also discuss the special focus on instructional design, particularly on integrating teaching and learning materials and instructional strategies aligned with the lessons and how the Teacher Residents learned to integrate ICT into the math and science lessons in a context where rural schools’ internet infrastructure is weak. It is important to discuss the findings related to the Teacher Residents’ change in knowledge, skills, and attitudes in math and science instruction. Individual growth analysis using three data points revealed that by the end of the pilot, the preservice teachers grew by 11% in math and by 11.2% in science, reflecting a jump of approximately one proficiency level. This panel presentation will also present implications for scale-up specific to math and science instruction training and the use of ICT in math and science education.

Authors

• Emmanuel Murenzi, Inspire Educate and Empower Rwanda

• Ana H Marty, FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY