Designing Programs to Leverage Teachers' Current Technology Skills to Support Foundational Literacy and Numeracy in Kenya and Deepen their Technology Skills

• In Event: Supporting digital literacy in African educational contexts

Proposal

Designing Programs to Leverage Teachers' Current Technology Skills to Support Foundational Literacy and Numeracy in Kenya and Deepen their Technology Skills

The integration of technology in education has become a global priority, particularly significant in low- and middle-income countries. Research has shown that when effectively implemented, educational technology can enhance teaching and learning outcomes. For instance, Cheung and Slavin (2013) found that technology applications generally produced a positive effect on reading achievement in K-12 classrooms.

In Kenya, both government and private sector initiatives have attempted to support technology integration in education, but with limited success. The Digital Literacy Programme (DLP), launched in 2016, invested in tablets for first-grade learners and laptops for teachers. The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development created digital content that is accessible through the Kenya Education Cloud. However, these initiatives have not yet resulted in widespread effective use of technology in learning, a challenge also observed in other developing countries.

Our research over the past three years has aimed to understand the teacher training gap as a critical aspect impeding effective technology integration, especially in addressing foundational literacy and numeracy levels. We found that a significant barrier is the disconnect between teachers' existing technology skills, what they need to integrate technology in teaching, and what is offered by various technology programs.

Our study aimed to investigate two key aspects of technology use in education:
The current landscape of teachers' technological capabilities and resources, including their skills, available infrastructure, and how they apply these across personal use, lesson preparation, and classroom practice.
The technology-related challenges teachers encounter, particularly those without effective solutions or workarounds.

Methods and Data Sources:
Analysis of existing data
Co-design sessions with teachers trained in playful learning approaches
Interviews with organizations supporting technology adoption for teachers

Key Findings:

1. Teacher adoption of technology: Educators are increasingly incorporating digital tools into their professional lives for research, professional development, and improving content delivery. However, programs often fail to leverage these existing skills and practices.

2. Challenges in technology integration:
- Infrastructure limitations beyond device scarcity
- Restrictive policies hindering device maintenance
- Inadequate classroom equipment for technology integration
- Limited digital literacy skills among some teachers
- Time constraints in setting up devices for lessons

3. Teacher-led innovative strategies:
- Group-based approaches to maximize device usage
- Downloading content for offline use
- Advocating for online communities for peer learning
- Proactively seeking skill enhancement

4. Areas requiring additional support:
- Training in practical skills like content projection and video editing
- Guidance on finding and evaluating reliable online resources
- Clarification on data protection and online safety
- Development of contextualized digital content for the Kenyan educational context

Our research reveals that teachers already possess some digital literacy skills, using mobile phones extensively and other digital devices to some extent. They use the internet on their phones for research and applications like dictionaries for the pronunciation of letter sounds and English words. While the challenge of insufficient learner devices persists, teachers devise creative solutions, such as engaging classes in group activities to share devices.

A significant challenge is the lack of digital content specifically designed for the Kenyan curriculum and cultural context. Teachers often resort to platforms like YouTube, where they find videos with accents that sometimes add confusion to learning.

We found that programs supporting teachers' ICT skills often don't consider their current skills, available infrastructure, policies, lesson structures, or available digital content. This approach limits teachers' engagement with these programs.

From the research findings, we recommend that future technology integration programs in education adopt a user-centered design approach. This should consider teachers' existing skills, available infrastructure, and specific contextual challenges. Programs should build upon current practices and innovative strategies that teachers employ rather than imposing entirely new technology content and systems of implementation. There's a critical need for contextualized digital content aligning with the Kenyan curriculum and cultural context. We can significantly enhance the impact of technology integration on foundational literacy and numeracy instruction by by tailoring program designs to classroom realities and teacher capabilities.

In conclusion, our study highlights the importance of understanding and leveraging teachers' existing technology skills and innovative practices. By addressing the disconnect between current skills, needs, and program offerings, we can create more effective and sustainable technology integration in Kenyan education, ultimately improving foundational literacy and numeracy outcomes.

References

Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (1998). Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards through Classroom Assessment. Phi Delta Kappan, 80, 1-13.

Braun, H., Kanjee, A., Bettinger, E., & Kremer, M. (2006). Improving Education through Assessment, Innovation, and Evaluation. Cambridge, MA: American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Heritage, M. (2010). Formative Assessment and Next-Generation Assessment Systems: Are We Losing an Opportunity? Washington, DC: Council of Chief State School Officers.

Kellaghan, T., & Greaney, V. (2003). Monitoring Performance: Assessment and Examinations in Africa. Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) Biennial Meeting, Grand Baie, Mauritius.

Oyelere, S. S., Suhonen, J., Wajiga, G. M., & Sutinen, E. (2018). Design, development, and evaluation of a mobile learning application for computing education. Education and Information Technologies, 23(1), 467-495.

Cheung, A. C., & Slavin, R. E. (2013). The effectiveness of educational technology applications for enhancing mathematics achievement in K-12 classrooms: A meta-analysis. Educational Research Review, 9, 88-113.
Herselman, M., & Botha, A. (2014). Designing and implementing an Information Communication Technology for Rural Education Development (ICT4RED) initiative in a resource constraint environment: Nciba school district, Eastern Cape, South Africa. CSIR Meraka Institute.

Authors

• Muthoni Njeru, Education Design Unlimited

• Chebet Seluget, Education Design Unlimited