Technology for Teaching

Education systems face the daunting task of delivering effective continuous professional development to teachers and educators. Delivering on this promise is especially challenging in the light of the learning crisis, especially in low-resource contexts. Teachers have to continuously adopt their teaching strategies to adapt to the new realities such as distance and blended learning models, and to the varying learning needs of students. 

New reality, new approaches to teacher professional development utilizing low-or high-tech solutions

Many of the new high and low-tech resources (ranging from synchronous activities requiring high-speed connectivity to resources delivered offline via radio, printed material, etc.) can offer teacher professional development solutions that can be applied “at scale” (regional, national, or global) with the potential to benefit and engage a large number of teachers, either remotely, face-to-face, or a combination of both.

Technology for Teaching (T4T) is the World Bank’s program to enhance and scale TPD opportunities using tech-based solutions. The T4T team is using evidence and operational experiences to illustrate how systems can enhance TPD by leveraging technology throughout the learning experience across all three TPD stages: access, engage, and apply. 

Utilizing existing research and anecdotes, coupled with close consultations with in-country teams, the team developed practical guidance for policymakers and practitioners on how to design, implement, and evaluate TPD approaches using tech-based solutions. 

• Effective Teacher Professional Development Using Technology : Technology-Based Strategies from Across the Globe to Enhance Teaching Practices - A Guidance Note. Drawing on emerging research and successful on-the-ground programs from across the globe, this Note can be used by policymakers and practitioners to consider a range of options to address implementation barriers and scale up TPD programs using technology.

• Technology for Teacher Professional Development Navigation Guide A Summary of Methods. This Guide summarizes evidence on designing and implementing six common methods to deliver tech-based TPD, providing a snapshot of the evidence, impact, technology employed, associated costs, and implementation considerations of these methods.

• Evidence Matrix. An open-source repository of evidence (published and working papers) on tech-based TPD programs in low-and middle-income countries. 

Image courtesy: © Teach2030

Through a global crowdsourcing initiative, Teachers for a Changing World, the team identified effective TPD interventions that utilize low and high-tech solutions to train teachers and pedagogical leaders. After a rigorous review of over 400 TPD programs from 80 countries, the campaign selected the 10 most impactful and scalable tech-based TPD programs as the T4T Champions. The 10 T4T Champions are (in alphabetical order): 

1. Comunidad Atenea is a social network born during the pandemic that provides an avenue for teachers to collaborate digitally. With the main goal of improving teachers’ digital pedagogical skills, Comunidad Atenea has adopted the latest trends to reach more than 50,000 unique visitors from over 100 countries in just one year by utilizing TikTok, Zoom, YouTube livestreaming, and WhatsApp. 

2. Global School Leaders quickly adapted its program during the pandemic to create bite-sized learning modules that provide principals with practical advice on how to facilitate remote instruction and learning. The non-profit designed these modules with principals in mind, sharing the modules via the internet for those with access and delivering it in person for those without internet access.

3. Inspiring Teachers: Peer Coaching Platform connects volunteer teachers based in the U.K. and U.S. to train and mentor teachers in LMICs. The non-profit began with just 5 volunteers in Uganda and a decade later are partnering with local organizations across 11 countries in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.  

4. LeadNow!, a Nairobi-based non-profit that offers an online and blended delivery model, supporting teachers and principals via phone, online feedback, group WhatsApp sessions, and video-conferencing in which users can engage in virtual communities of practice. A COVID-19 response built-off of an existing training and coaching program, LeadNow! started on a small scale in Nairobi and now operating in 6 countries. 

5. OneSky for all Children provides early childhood education trainings to home-based caregivers in China, Mongolia, and Vietnam. The program’s blended learning approach includes classroom training, hands-on mentoring by early childhood specialists, and continuing education through a mobile-friendly online learning community platform. 

6. PerformEd, operating at a national scale in Egypt, is Point of Learning system that focuses on changing teachers’ behaviors through a feedback and reflection cycle. In any given application, the program first conducts a survey to understand teachers’ skills and internet access, enabling trainers to focus on teachers’ needs so that they can provide effective support on an ongoing basis.

7. ProFuturo Digital Education is a non-profit that provides teacher training at scale with nearly a million users worldwide. In addition, the program also provides learning resources for primary school children through a digital learning platform, technical support to teachers, and a monitoring and evaluation system to continuously assess effectiveness of the program. 

8. Puentes Educativos is a non-profit with a holistic program that engages teachers, principals, families, and community stakeholders through in-person trainings and digital outreach. The program focuses on building 21st century skills and aims to foster students’ creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking skills across Latin America. 

9. Teach2030 shares high-quality pedagogical practices with teachers in the lowest-cost and most easily accessible way through smartphones. The program is designed to meet the needs of teachers in low-bandwidth settings, providing bite-sized professional development courses that teachers can engage with a ‘little and often,’ earning a certificate at the end of the course.

10. Tu Clase, tu país works directly with teachers and education systems to support the training of more than a quarter of a million teachers across Latin America. The model supplements face-to-face trainings with virtual learning experiences, providing 10,000 hours of online courses and connecting teachers with certified tutors available around the clock.

Last Updated: Jun 17, 2022

The team provided technical assistance to country teams in Cambodia, Haiti, and Pakistan, and continues to support client countries to implemented tech-based TPD reforms through hands-on workshops. Additionally, a panel discussion was held on September 2021 with global practitioners, policymakers, and researchers to highlight the operational lessons learned on the integration and scale-up of TPD leveraging technology. Watch the event recording here.  

Lastly, we acknowledge the need for the global community to continue documenting innovative TPD practices, especially in low-resources contexts. Please do share your experiences with us at coach@worldbank.org.

Last Updated: Jun 17, 2022