From Bjoern Hassler

An investigation of appropriate new technologies to support interactive teaching in Zambian schools

DFID Net-RC: New and Emerging Technologies Research Competition

A join project between Aptivate, the Centre for Commonwealth Education (University of Cambridge, UK), and iSchool.zm (Zambia)

October 2010 – April 2011

We look at new and emerging Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in the area of primary education. Building the substantial CCE literature review on developments in using ICT to enhance teaching and learning in Africa, as well as existing projects and NGO work, we investigate how this prior educational technology understanding can be applied to a particular education system in a sub-Saharan country, Zambia, rated one of the lowest developed countries globally (164/182 on the HDI).

The overarching goal of this project is to determine how innovative approaches to using emerging and pre-existing technologies (ICTs) in conjunction with appropriate pedagogies and learning resources can significantly improve teaching and learning in primary schools in Zambia. Here ‘ICTs’ may include netbooks, mobile phones, calculators as well as other types of educational technologies and “electronics” in the widest sense .

The key question is: Based on our understanding of ICT use in schools and of successful pedagogies such as interactive teaching plus collaborative, project- and enquiry-based learning, and given limited resources, what does an effective ICT-enabled Zambian school look like? Moreover, how can one bring existing initiatives and stakeholders together in synergy to realise this model in a sustainable way? To address these questions, we participatively compare a number of class-sized sets of different technologies emerging as most promising, including handheld devices such as tablet PCs, different netbooks (e.g. such as netbooks aimed at the education sector, netbooks with low-energy screens), WikiReaders, self-assembly robotics kits, plus supportive non-digital tools, such as standard wipe-clean slates.

Teachers will then develop model lesson plans around the chosen ICTs, paying particular attention to adopting active, enquiry-based learning approaches that research indicates are most effective, while addressing issues of gender equity. Each set of of technologies is trialled in different school contexts, where we gather qualitative data concerning effectiveness, where criteria for evaluation include usability, software/resource availability, power requirements, robustness, integration with interactive teaching. Towards the end of the project, we tentatively generalise the findings to other similar school settings. These generalisations are tested in a second phase, that itself will lead to models for ICT-enabling primary schools in Zambia.

To find out more, email bjoern(at)aptivate(dot)org

Links:

• http://www.dfid.gov.uk/R4D/SearchResearchDatabase.asp?ProjectID=60812

Outputs:

• W:Publications