Where are we going with primary foreign languages?

This article considers Modern Languages in the Primary School (MLPS), which have reached a crucial stage in both England and Scotland. It looks at developments in the two countries and considers these against both a historical and European background. The authors, drawing on their practical experience, put forward some of the key points to be addressed as well as making the case for certain approaches, based on their experience and the available literature. The article begins with a brief update of the situation in Scotland and England, before considering the aims and objectives of both. It also looks at the debate about whether an early start is beneficial and considers methodology. Particular aspects to be considered include knowing about Language and the balance between the four skill areas of Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. The authors conclude the article by drawing out some issues on which there might be a consensus but at the same time identify the need for a national debate on what we are trying to achieve when significant funding is being invested

Experienced teachers supporting women to access teacher education in Malawi

The presence of women teachers in primary schools in Sub Saharan Africa is low and more pronounced in rural areas. Working with colleagues from the Forum for African Women Educationalists in Malawi (FAWEMA), the Open University in the UK (OU) has developed an access to teaching scholarship programme for women from rural areas of Malawi which combines academic distance study with practical work experience. The Scholarship offers women supported study towards the national exam, the Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE), and a period of school experience as ‘learning assistants’ in primary schools in their local community. The success of the programme depends in part on the expertise and experience of practising primary and secondary teachers from Malawi who support the Scholars to develop their confidence and to study for MSCE exams. This paper examines how the conceptual design of the project was developed, what has needed to be addressed or adapted to suit the reality and environment encountered in the rural areas of Malawi where it is being delivered, and the progress of the Scholars from the first cohort. It focuses on the role and support provided to Scholars by the experienced primary teachers who act as mentors, as well as secondary teachers (tutors) who support the women in their study towards resitting the MSCE using open educational resources provided by the OU. The paper concludes by considering the role experienced teachers can play in mentoring and supporting future and newly qualified teachers in developing a sustainable teacher education provision for the 21st century

Taking ownership: Including all teachers in SBCPD

The Zambian Education School based Training (ZEST) programme (2017 - 2022), funded by the Scottish Government, is an innovative response to government policy which engages all levels of the education system . Ministers in Zambia recognise that CPD provision based on the cascade model which takes teachers away from scho ol is disruptive and expensive , and often not effective , as key messages become diluted by the time they reach teachers . However, the alternative system in place in Zambia (modelled on the Japanese system of Lesson Study) has not delivered the expected ga ins in learning outcomes, partly as a result of a lack of resources, and partly as a result of the challenges of ‘cultural transfer’ . ZEST was designed, in partnership with The Ministry of General Education and World Vision Zambia. The system preserves t he aspects of current practice which work well (collaborative planning in regular teacher group meetings), and operationalises the MoGE’s revised Zambian school curriculum, supporting teachers and stakeholders in making a pedagogic shift to a more learner - centred approach to learning and teaching. ZEST strengthens the existing system through the provision of resources made available to all stakeholders and adapts it for the African context. The resources draw on a wide evidence - base about the nature of teacher learning and learner - cent re d education . They include the Teacher Education in sub - Saharan Africa (TESSA) OER, alongside bespoke training guides , and video materials . The paper explains the ZEST approach and present s evidence of impact, drawn from the first cohort of 200 teachers from the Chisamba district, including the challenges faced since its inception. The presentation will offer the opportunity for participants to discuss the resources developed, and to gain first - hand experience of a proposed method for making them widely available using Raspberry Pi computers which can be connected to their Smart phone

Zambian Education School-based Training (ZEST) Project: Cohort 1 Evaluation, June 2019

Cohort 1 in the ZEST project started in May 2018, involving 200 teachers, from 17 schools in 3 zones of Chisamba district (Chisamba, Chipembi and Liteta). This cohort 1 evaluation report complements the year 2 annual report and logframe data submitted to the Scottish Government in April 2019, and forms part of the ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the ZEST project. We are firmly committed to the belief that it is ‘possible to research and learn from social policies, programs and initiatives in order to improve their effectiveness’ (Pawson & Tilley, 1997, pxii). Accordingly, this evaluation seeks to demonstrate what we have learnt from cohort 1 of ZEST and to explain how this is shaping our approach to the project. For the small-scale evaluation exercise undertaken in 8 of the cohort 1 schools in March 2019, we adopted the same methodology as the baseline study. The year 2 annual report was therefore designed to report on the measures identified in the logframe, namely: • The use of active teaching and learning approaches in primary school classrooms (Outcome Indicator 1 in the logframe); and • Teachers’ engagement in SBCPD and collaborative work (Outcome Indicator 2 in the logframe). This sort of experimental evaluation is essential for accountability. In this report we have expanded our viewpoint and adopted a slightly different methodology in order to bring in the voices of teachers, school in-service coordinators (SICs), zone in-service coordinators (ZICs), headteachers, and zone and district officials who form cohort 1 in the ZEST programme, to enable us to better understand and illustrate what aspects of the programme are working well and why

Zambian Education School-based Training (ZEST) Project: Baseline Study, March 2018

About the ZEST project Working with World Vision Zambia (WVZ), the Open University UK (OU) have secured funds from the Scottish Government (SG) to implement a project called Zambian Education School-based Training (ZEST). The aim of the project is to contribute to improved quality of teaching and learning experiences for children in primary schools in Zambia, in support of effective implementation of the Revised Zambian School Curriculum, by helping primary teachers in Central Province improve the quality of their classroom practice. Working with The Ministry of General Education (MoGE) in Zambia, the project will do this through co-designing and testing a school based continuing professional development (SBCPD) programme with primary teachers, school leaders and educational officials; implementing the SBCPD programme with up to 4000 primary teachers in 4 target districts in Zambia's Central Province; and building capacity of MoGE officials in implementing the programme to help the MoGE in operationalising their national In-Service Strategy . Aim of the study The aim of the baseline study is to establish the current situation in 4 target districts of Chisamba, Kabwe, Mumbwa and Shibuyunji, in Central Province, with regard to active teaching and learning and teacher engagement in collaborative SBCPD, prior to project execution. The study will contribute to the overall monitoring and evaluation framework for the project. It seeks to establish benchmarks for three key Logical Framework (Logframe, Appendix 2) indicators and provide baseline values for these indicators against which ZEST project progress can be measured during implementation and after the project is completed

Zambian Education School-based Training (ZEST) Project: Cohort 2 Evaluation, April 2020

The aim of ZEST is to support the Zambian Government in the implementation of the Revised School Curriculum. The curriculum calls for more learner-centred approaches and a focus on the teaching of skills and values alongside knowledge. ZEST supports teachers through a focus on active teaching approaches and collaborative working, working within the existing system of regular teacher group meetings and collaborative planning. The main difference between ZEST and the current SBCPD model is that demonstration lessons have been replaced by an expectation that all teachers will try out the planned activities and reflect on how they went. Where possible, teachers are encouraged to observe each other informally for short periods of time. Thus, SBCPD involves all teachers as active participants. Cohort 2 was launched in December 2018, with the programme starting in January 2019. It involved approximately 200 teachers, from 6 schools in 3 zones of Kabwe district (Broadway, Nkwashi and Katondo). Five of the schools are considered to be ‘urban’ with one being ‘peri-urban’. This Cohort 2 evaluation report complements the year 3 annual report and logframe data submitted to the Scottish Government in April 2020, and forms part of the ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the ZEST project. We are firmly committed to the belief that it is ‘possible to research and learn from social policies, programs and initiatives in order to improve their effectiveness’ (Pawson & Tilley, 1997, pxii). Accordingly, this evaluation seeks to build on the Cohort 1 evaluation, to demonstrate what we have learnt from Cohort 2 of ZEST and to explain how this is shaping our approach to the project. Evidence for this evaluation includes an independent evaluation exercise undertaken in all 6 Cohort 2 schools in March 2020. For this we adopted the same methodology as the baseline study and the Cohort 1 evaluation, and the aim was to gather data to enable us to report the measures identified in the logframe (see below). This sort of experimental evaluation is essential for accountability. We have also included evidence which brings in the voices of Teachers, School In-Service Coordinators (SICs), Zone In-Service Coordinators (ZICs), Headteachers, and Zone and District Officials who form Cohort 2 in the ZEST programme, to enable us to better understand and illustrate what aspects of the programme are working well and why; and to identify learning to carry forward into the next phase of the programme

Formalised action research as an emergent form of teacher professional development

This paper discusses the place of action research in the professional development of teachers. It draws on an EU TEMPUS-funded project (see footnote) that looks to develop capacity in this domain and in aspects of teacher education involving partners from faculties of education in England, Sweden, Malta, Egypt, Lebanon and Palestine. The theoretical underpinning of the paper is the classical application of action research in educational settings. This can be traced back to Dewey and Lewin’s work in the 1930s on research in “natural settings” i.e. in this case, the classroom. Kemmis and McTaggart (2003) identify different orientations of the approach whereby classroom, or pedagogical, action research is seen as different from participatory action research and critical action research. In carrying out such research teachers and faculties of education need to work together to “elucidate, examine, explain and extend teachers’ working knowledge” (Macintyre, 1980 cited in Pollard, 1984). Brydon-Miller et al. (2003:13) see action research as rejecting “the notion of an objective, value-free approach to knowledge generation in favour of an explicitly political, socially engaged, and democratic practice.” For the teacher, such research contexts are not free influences of the school, the community it serves, the education system and its politics (see Hammersley, 1993). In England there has been a significant shift in policies around teacher education and development with control being moved much more towards the school. Somekh and Zeichner (2009) argue that the political, critical stance of action research is most prevalent at such times of step changes in policy. What remains clear throughout this changing landscape and different international contexts, however, is that action research is fundamentally concerned with enquiry into ways of improving practice (Elliott, 1991; McNiff, Whitehead, and Lomax, 1996; 2011; Sellwood and Twining, 2005). This may result in teachers improved self-efficacy and changes in self-perception of their professional identity as well as changes in their practice (Goodnough, 2011). Vaino et al (2013) have further shown that action research can change a teacher’s beliefs and attitudes. Guskey (2000) on the other hand argues that such changes only occur when they are prompted by changes in student performance. The findings are based on an analysis of international case studies and on views of action research as represented in the project partners’ baseline reports and on its application in two schools in England. It illustrates that while action research remains a contested notion it is one that has some core tenets at its heart – that of a practitioner systematically enquiring into his or her own practice through a series of interventions, which lead to the classic ‘spiral’ of action research (Lewin 1946; Elliott 1991; Dick 2002; McNiff & Whitehead, 2005; Carr, 2006; Lendahls Rosendahl and Rönnerman, 2006). This, in turn, can then be used by individual teachers, schools and/or faculties of education as a vehicle for teachers’ professional development. The implications of the paper are for ways in which the increasingly prevalent practices of action research by teachers can be linked with that undertaken by faculties of education. A further challenge is the alignment of the research practice of the classroom with the demands of formal qualifications

Zambian Education School-based Training (ZEST) Project: Midline Evaluation, May 2021

The Open University (OU) and World Vision Zambia (WVZ) are working to deliver Zambian Education School-based Training (ZEST), with funding provided by the Scottish Government. The aim of the ZEST enhanced Schools-based Continuing Professional Development (SBCPD) programme is to support the Zambian Government in the implementation of the Revised School Curriculum. The curriculum calls for more learner-centred approaches and a focus on the teaching of skills and values alongside knowledge. ZEST supports teachers through a focus on active teaching approaches and collaborative working, working within the existing system of regular teacher group meetings (TGMs) and collaborative planning. The main difference between ZEST and the current SBCPD model, based on the Japanese Lesson Study, is that resources have been provided to support TGMs and demonstration lessons have been replaced by an expectation that all teachers will try out the planned activities in their own lessons and reflect on how they went. Where possible, teachers are encouraged to observe each other informally for short periods of time and provide feedback. Thus, this enhanced School-based Continuing Professional Development (SBCPD) model involves all teachers as active participants. Working with the Ministry of General Education (MoGE), the project has co-designed and tested resources for use by teachers, school leaders and education officials over a period of 3 years (2018-2021). Each year, the project has worked with a new cohort of approximately 200 teachers, school leaders and officials in a different District. As the finalisation of resources and delivery models comes to an end, the project is moving into its scale-up phase (2021-2022) which aims to reach up to 4000 teachers in 420 schools across 5 Central Province districts

Zambian Education School-based Training: Endline Evaluation Report

This report draws on data gathered in Year 6 of Zambian Education School-based Training - a project funded by the Scottish Government - to evaluate the programme. The Open University, working in partnership with World Vision Zambia and the Ministry of Education developed resources, alongside an innovative system for delivery (offline access using a Raspberry Pi computer and the teachers' own mobile smart phones) to enhance the existing system for school-based continuing professional development in 500 schools in five Districts within Central Province. There is statistically and pedagogically significant evidence of improvement in teachers' practice and evidence of a number of impacts at school, District and Provincial level. The program is sustainable and is now 'owned' by the Central Province team

Zambian Education School-based Training (ZEST) Project: Cohort 3 Evaluation, May 2021

The aim of ZEST Enhanced Schools Based Continuing Professional Development (SBCPD) programme is to support the Zambian Government in the implementation of the Revised School Curriculum. The curriculum calls for more learner-centred approaches and a focus on the teaching of skills and values alongside knowledge. ZEST supports teachers through a focus on active teaching approaches and collaborative working, working within the existing system of regular teacher group meetings (TGMs) and collaborative planning. The enhancements to the current SBCPD model are that resources are provided to support TGM activities and demonstration lessons have been replaced by an expectation that all teachers will try out the planned activities in their own lessons and reflect on how they went. Where possible, teachers are encouraged to observe each other informally for short periods of time and provide feedback. Thus, School-based Continuing Professional development (SBCPD) involves all teachers as active participants. Cohort 3 of the ZEST project represents the end of Phase 1 (the Co-design phase). In Phase 1, we have worked with three cohorts of 200 teachers in three different Districts in Central Province to develop resources and ways of working. This will be followed by Phase 2: Scale up. Cohort 3 was launched in December 2019 by the OU project team and WVZ for 11 schools from three zones in the Mumbwa District. As well as supporting schools to implement the ZEST enhanced SBCPD programme using the resources provided for TGMs and to support the use of teaching approaches in their schools, the specific aims for Cohort 3 were to • build capacity at a Provincial level in preparation for scale-up • to introduce the final version of the materials, including those for year 2 of the programme • test the use of Raspberry Pi computers as a way of providing access to digital materials and to build a network of school ICT ‘champions’ • to develop a detailed Implementation Guide to support the leaders of SBCPD at provincial, District, Zone and School level • to work with the District to establish ways to integrate school support into their existing monitoring and support practices • to prepare for scale-up by inducting cohorts 1-3 into year 2 of the programme and introducing two new Districts • to engage the Ministry of General Education (MOGE) with a focus on sustainability for and beyond scale-up. This Cohort 3 evaluation report complements the Year 4 annual report and logframe data submitted to the Scottish Government in April 2021, and forms part of the ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the ZEST project. We are firmly committed to the belief that it is ‘possible to research and learn from social policies, programs and initiatives in order to improve their effectiveness’ (Pawson & Tilley, 1997, pxii). The Cohort 1 and Cohort 2 evaluations focused on refining the processes and the resources. The Cohort 3 evaluation seeks to understand the issues surrounding scale-up and to produce recommendations which will ensure its success and sustainability beyond ZEST (completion date: March 2022). Evidence for this evaluation includes an independent evaluation exercise undertaken in all 11 Cohort 3 schools in November 2020. For this we adopted the same methodology as the baseline study and the Cohort 1 and Cohort 2 evaluations, and the aim was to gather data to enable us to report the measures identified in the logframe