Improving In-Service Teacher Learning: Technology Solving the Big Piece in the Puzzle?

• In Event: Digital interventions in Pakistan: what do Global South teachers need for a 21st-century experience?

Proposal

It has been widely reported that the quality of initial and in-service training greatly determines the competence of teachers. While Pakistan has seen a gradual expansion in teacher education programs, there has been little improvement in teacher quality and student learning outcomes, with several reasons attributed to the failures. These range from teacher education programs overlooking 21st century skills, failing to cater to the diversity in classrooms, and a lack of alignment with the local context, to name a few. At the same time, the disruptions caused by COVID-19, and funding constraints faced by education departments have resulted in a need for cost-effective and innovative solutions that deliver on stated promises in Pakistan’s contexts. Therefore, virtual and digitally supported professional development that promises solutions at scale has increasingly attracted the interest and attention of policymakers and practitioners. In response, Taleemabad, an EdTech provider in Pakistan, designed and rolled out online digital content for primary-level teachers in about three hundred schools in the Federal Capital, housed under a new unit created by the federal government, the National Institute of Excellence in Teacher Education (NIETE).

Purpose: This study assesses the teacher development content provided by Taleemabad. The results serve as a template for recommendations and models for wider penetration and scale for digital content for primary school teachers in the Federal Capital and beyond in Pakistan. The study explores and outlines necessary modifications and improvements required in the content of the online training program, especially to fit the digital content in a 21st-century learning paradigm, keeping in view the sustainability of the intervention in the system in which it is being implemented.

Research Design: The study exploits a qualitative exploratory design using a desk review of the training content, document analysis, in-depth interviews (IDIS), and case-based discussions (CGDs). Document analysis is used to review policy documents, briefs, mission statements, existing classroom observation and LMS data, and online training content for relevance, efficacy, and gaps and to see their fit to the SLOs in the National Curriculum and teacher related benchmarks. IDIs include 12 elite interviews with leadership in Taleemabad, the education ministry and NIETE, and 24 teacher interviews focused on the design and implementation of digital content in classrooms. Moreover, CGDs in groups of six with 24 teachers exploit a traditional FGD model by anchoring these discussions around hypotheses on digital content (including a case, video set, or other problem).

Findings: Preliminary analysis of the digital content and qualitative primary data is currently underway. Findings will be reported in the panel.

Implications/recommendations: The study will result in recommendations for improving and repositioning the overall design and quality of the digital content to fit 21st-century skills in alignment with the SLOs in the National Curriculum. New courses will be proposed with improved designs fitted with stakeholder-driven M&E models to enable them to navigate emerging challenges. The study will also yield policy revisions for facilitating and enabling teachers to practice new learning in their classrooms.

Authors

• Farah Nadeem

• Gulab Khan, LUMS