Optimizing Teaching at the Right Level TPD at scale through design-based implementation research

• In Event: Scaling effective teacher professional development in low-and middle-income countries:Choosing the right model, identifying scalability, and fitting the model to the location

Proposal

Teaching at the Right Level, an evidence-based targeted-instruction approach, is now being implemented in over 17 countries across sub-Saharan Africa at varying points of scale. Evidence - and implementation experience - points to the importance of effective teacher training and continuous professional development to support sustained quality implementation of TaRL, which introduces an innovative pedagogy and new instructional practices into the classroom. Yet traditional top-down teacher professional development (TPD) models have proven largely ineffective, while more effective, contextual, and targeted approaches are often unsustainable for at-scale government implementation.

To address this challenge, TaRL Africa, with research partner Jigsaw, are undertaking design-based implementation research (DBIR), an approach which aims to optimize TaRL TPD to be effectively institutionalized within different government TPD systems in sub-Saharan Africa. The research takes place in Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, and Zambia, and incorporates mixed-method data collection grounded in real-life conditions to establish a baseline understanding of existing practices; the unique contexts and challenges faced by teachers, mentors, trainers, government officials; and the effectiveness of current TaRL TPD methods. These findings subsequently inform co-designed adaptations to the existing TPD approach, which are tested during two rounds of implementation research.

Ultimately we aim to define a minimum viable TaRL TPD package for effective, inclusive, equitable implementation within existing government systems. During this presentation, we will reflect on the progress and challenges faced at the half-way point of research implementation across the three study countries. We will offer initial reflections on the application of the DBIR methodological approach as a means to build contextualized and grounded adaptive learning about cost-effective TPD at scale. And we will share early-stage findings and lessons learned associated with optimizing TaRL TPD in the unique contexts of Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, and Zambia’s government education systems.

Authors

• Kodjo Aflagah, Teaching at the Right Level Africa

• Daniele J Ressler, Teaching at the Right Level Africa

• Saalim Koomar