Empowering Early Childhood Education and Care Educators through Blended Professional Development in Bangladesh

• In Event: Highlighted Session: Blended continuous professional development for educators: Case studies from the Global South

Proposal

VSO has been implementing an Education in Emergency project in Jamtoli Rohingya Camp and host communities in Bangladesh since 2018. The project aims to provide safe, inclusive and play-based early childhood care and education opportunities for Rohingya and children from host communities. At the beginning Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) facilitators were selected from Rohingya communities to run home-based ECCE centres. In 2020, VSO started setting up community based ECCE centres in host communities. The facilitators in both Rohingya camp and host communities are community volunteers who have basic primary education but have not received any training to become ECCE facilitators prior to joining the project. To address this training need, VSO has adapted a blended CPD approach. ECCE facilitators received face to face training, regular follow up support visits from VSO coaches and peer learning sessions. In addition, VSO developed a mobile application, VSOSCHOOL App, and distributed a tablet to each ECCE facilitator. The application contains interactive videos, songs, stories, and modules on making resources from low cost and waste resources. During the implementation of VSOSCHOOL App, the government of Bangladesh restricted the use of mobile devices in the camp, therefore, only ECCE facilitators in host communities continued using VSOSCHOOL App and received other interventions.
The case study and presentation zoom in on the design, development and implementation of the blended CPD trajectory and shares VSO’s experience of applying the principles of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) which promote diversity and inclusion while considering education technology in a blended CPD trajectory. For example, when tablets were distributed to ECCE facilitators, it was observed that these facilitators were hesitant to use them because it was the first time they had ever used a tablet and they were worried of damaging the device. To address this, they were given multiple occasions to familiarise themselves with the technology in a safe environment: once a week they would come together in an ECCE centre and followed the session on the VSOSCHOOL App, facilitated by a VSO coach, allowing them to ask questions immediately. The CPD materials were offered in local languages, the model lessons were delivered by one of the community volunteers, and additional videos were added, all resulting in greater participation in the blended CPD trajectory.
The panel presentation includes further insights and reflections on adapting a blended CPD trajectory and makes recommendations for organisations which are interested in developing blended CPD trajectories.

Author

• Purna Kumar Shrestha, VSO