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Challenges and possibilities to deliver quality and equitable ICT-mediated TPD programs in Honduras: Learnings from a GPE-KIX Initiative

Sun, February 19, 4:45 to 6:15pm EST (4:45 to 6:15pm EST), Grand Hyatt Washington, Floor: Constitution Level (3B), Wilson

Proposal

The education system in Honduras is now fully open after two years of total and partial periods of school closure due to the COVID-19. The disruption has had major impacts on the system as a recent report highlights: it has negatively impacted on both coverage and student learning; it has pushed to rethink and critically assess the institutional capacities to deliver quality education, especially in terms of its pedagogical practices, curriculum and role of teachers. All of this has led to bring into the public debate the strategic role that education plays in the development strategy of the country (FEREMA 2022). In this sense, the pandemic renewed the interest in exploring the role and advantages of digital technologies to be used as tools, not only for expanding pedagogies in online environments, but also in terms of the roles they can play in delivering quality and equitable ways for teacher professional development. This presentation will show the findings of a pilot study that sought to adapt and scale a TPD project in Honduras.

The program was conducted by a collaborative effort between the SEDUC - the Secretary of Education, SUMMA and Universidad Pedagógica Nacional Francisco Morazán. These institutions have adapted and tested a model of TPD, mediated by technologies, based on the principles of the TPD@scale framework (TPD@scale Coalition, 2021). This collaborative initiative involved the implementation of a five-week course designed for math teachers of levels 7th-9th. It made use of the national platform to deliver TPD (Moodle platform plus the App version) along with regional tutors specially trained for providing support to teachers during the training period. The course has a comparatively high rate of completion, but most importantly, various findings on how to create, develop, deliver and monitor TPD courses mediated by technologies.

Three main principles this project has attempted to achieve: equity, quality and efficiency in adapting and delivering an ICT-mediated TPD course. The initiative was developed in two phases; an initial test phase with 30 teachers, and a second phase of scaling up with more than 850 teachers in 5 departments of the country. This experience takes place in a context marked not only by the loss of prestige of the teaching profession, low salary recognition, as well as low motivation and lack of incentives linked to the professional career. All of this poses significant challenges for a pilot study of this type. Despite of that, the course was highly valued by teachers as long as this course can help them to improve the access of teachers who work in rural areas far from urban centers (equity). Also, it has the advantage of not taking them out of their classrooms during the training process. This model allows them access to technical-pedagogical resources and professional support that would be more difficult to obtain in face to face activities (quality). The presentation will discuss on equity and quality aspects of the pilot with special attention to the scaling factors that enable and constrain quality and equitable TPD.

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