Including the Excluded: The Case of Slow Learners at Buloba Primary School, Uganda

This article describes a study of Mathematics teachers at Buloba Primary School in Uganda. The purpose was to analyse the teachers’ perceptions, essential practices for creating inclusive classroom environments for slow learners, and implementation challenges. This quasi-experimental research included a focus group discussion, an interview with the headteacher, three lesson observations and post-observation focus group discussions. The results indicate that the teachers have mixed perceptions and several practices: peer learning, certain teaching methods, linking teaching to real-world applications, seating environment, and providing a threat -free classroom environment. Highlighted challenges include heavy workloads, limited time, inadequate training, mixed classes of both slow and fast learners, inability to identify slow learners, class size and lack of knowledge. It emphasizes the need to define and develop reference frameworks of teacher competencies and institutionalize in-service teacher education programmes through school-based practices and research.Group C: Teacher Professional Developmen

Examination of Locally and Externally-Initiated Teacher Professional Development (TPD) Programmes for Science and Mathematics Teachers in Ugandan Secondary Schools <Special Issue : Study results of the Africa-Asia university dialogue for educational development network second phase>

This article draws from a study that explored how Ugandan secondary school teachers' competences are continuously developed to cope with the ever changing trends in Science and Mathematics teaching. The study was premised on a framework of professional development that views teacher education as a continuum that includes training, recruiting, retaining, and retraining. The article argues that in Uganda more research has been focused on the first two levels of the continuum, with evidence on the last one remaining less documented. Data was largely collected from qualitative semi-structured interviews with selected policy makers, school administrators, and teachers. The interviews were complemented with an analysis of relevant documents and a workshop with the participating teachers. A thematic analysis of the data revealed three categories of existing Continuing Professional Development programmes in Uganda including those initiated by government agencies and donors; those initiated by schools; and those initiated by individual teachers. The article highlights the need for a critical examination of these existing programmes with a view to ensuring that they reinforce each other

Examination of Locally and Externally-Initiated Teacher Professional Development (TPD) Programmes for Science and Mathematics Teachers in Ugandan Secondary Schools

This article draws from a study that explored how Ugandan secondary school teachers' competences are continuously developed to cope with the ever changing trends in Science and Mathematics teaching. The study was premised on a framework of professional development that views teacher education as a continuum that includes training, recruiting, retaining, and retraining. The article argues that in Uganda more research has been focused on the first two levels of the continuum, with evidence on the last one remaining less documented. Data was largely collected from qualitative semi-structured interviews with selected policy makers, school administrators, and teachers. The interviews were complemented with an analysis of relevant documents and a workshop with the participating teachers. A thematic analysis of the data revealed three categories of existing Continuing Professional Development programmes in Uganda including those initiated by government agencies and donors; those initiated by schools; and those initiated by individual teachers. The article highlights the need for a critical examination of these existing programmes with a view to ensuring that they reinforce each other

Large Class Teaching in Resource-Constrained Contexts : Lessons from Reflective Research in Ugandan Primary Schools

Since May 2006, the authors have been engaged in a study of large classes (70+ learners) in Uganda. The study was undertaken in two phases. First was the baseline survey in 20 schools among 35 teachers. Second was the reflective action phase involving ten teachers in 5 schools in order to develop further the strategies they had identified as having greater potential to facilitate teaching and learning in their large classes. The findings of the study showed that teaching and learning were constrained by large classes. The paper argues, however, that the immediate solution may not be class size reduction. Such approaches as increasing the number of teachers to allow more than one teacher per class, providing schools with the necessary resources and enabling teachers to develop the confidence and skills to improve the learning environment in large classes should be explored as alternatives to class size reduction