OER4Schools
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The OER4Schools programme is a teacher professional development programme utilizing
Phase 1 (Pilot)
The OER4Schools programme started in August 2009 with a pilot phase, that was completed in May 2010. Through this pilot, the programme assessed the feasibility of providing
In the pilot phase the primary aim of the project was to conduct the necessary research to build a further proposal for external funding over a longer period. We worked with teachers in 3 schools, developing, supporting and trialling uses of OERs combined with new pedagogical approaches for teaching mathematics. There were opportunities for peer observation and reflective practice. The research element recorded classroom practice and assessed participants' reactions and learning, eliciting messages for embedding basic ICT and OER use in teacher education. Findings were presented at the eLearning Africa Conference in Lusaka in May 2010.
Phase 2 (2010–2012)
The second phase started in June 2010, and draws on outcomes of the pilot phase. We developed a professional learning resource for teachers and student teachers, focussing on interactive teaching and learning - with and without ICT. A key element of this resource is the use of unique video clips illustrating interactive practice (produced in Zambian and South African primary classroom contexts) as a stimulus for discussion.
The resource is freely available for re-use under a
The second phase culminated in trialling the resource with all teachers in Grade 4 to 6 at Chalimbana Basic School throughout 2012. A Zambian teacher facilitated regular workshops with his colleagues.
Phase 3 (2013–2014)
In the third phase (2013), the programme has now broadened to all grades at the school, involving all 35 teachers and all pupils (around 1,000). Workshops are again being facilitated by teachers who participated in earlier phases, leading colleagues (Grades 1–9) through regular teacher group meetings using the resource. Research questions included: What forms of stimulus and support are most effective in developing more interactive pedagogy? What changes took place? What were the supporting and constraining factors? Research methods included audio diaries, lesson and workshop observations, video recording and teacher interviews.
The OER4Schools professional learning resource
The OER4Schools programme developed a professional learning resource that can be used in
The professional learning programme is suitable for low-resourced primary schools and teacher colleges (combined with teaching practice), and freely available as an OER. It consists of 25 two-hour sessions, organised in five units, covering interactive teaching principles, group work, questioning, dialogue, Assessment for Learning, and enquiry-based learning. Each session includes unique, professionally filmed video exemplars of interactive practices in Zambian and South African classrooms (with and without technology), accompanying texts, practical activities and facilitator notes. It is based on an established process for teacher-led discussion, trialling new ideas, peer observation and joint reflection, all stimulated and guided by the professional development materials. The overall goal is to focus on learning, meeting the challenge of moving away from superficial repetition of facts towards
The resources are hosted using MediaWiki and are also available as ZIM files (using Kiwix).
References
- ^ "The OER4Schools Professional Learning Resource". University of Cambridge: Faculty of Education. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
- ^ "Centre for Commonwealth Education: Archive : Faculty of Education".
- ^ "African Teacher Education OER Network". Retrieved 6 March 2014.