From AptivateOER

[edit] Introducing digital Open Educational Resources into Zambian primary schools through school-based professional development

Partners: Sara Hennessy (Centre for Commonwealth Education, University of Cambridge, UK), Björn Haßler (Aptivate, UK, Mark Bennett (AfriConnect, Zambia), Clare Stead (iSchool, Zambia), Godfrey Mwewa (School of Education, University of Zambia), Ruth Mubanga (Director of Teacher Training, Ministry of Education, Zambia), Athanasius Mulenga (Chief Education Officer, Directorate of Open and Distance Learning, and Chair of the iSchool steering committee at Ministry of Education, Zambia), Tiffiniy Cheng (Participatory Culture Foundation, USA)

This CCE-funded pilot project (August 2009-May 2010) is currently underway and assesses the feasibility of providing Open Educational Resources (OER) to ICT- and Internet-equipped primary schools in Zambia, and of supporting interactive forms of subject pedagogy with the new resources. It also identifies the needs of school-based professional development adapted to the local context. The project is conducted in a North-South partnership between the CCE and institutions in Zambia. It uniquely combines stakeholders from various sectors (including educational research, ICT for development [NGOs], government, and the ICT service sector) as a basis for developing methodologies that promise lasting transformation in Zambian primary education. While the project is conducted in Zambia, it is anticipated to be relevant to a wide range of countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Key outputs include models for OER-Pedagogy-ICT adoption in poorly resourced educational systems, and guidance on implementing better learning environments.

A primary aim of the present project is to conduct the necessary research to build a further proposal for external funding over a longer period. We are working with teachers in 3 schools, developing, supporting and trialling uses of OERs combined with new pedagogical approaches for teaching mathematics. There are opportunities for peer observation and reflective practice. The research element records classroom practice and assesses participants' reactions and learning, eliciting messages for embedding basic ICT and OER use in teacher education. Findings will be presented at the e-Learning Africa Conference in Lusaka in May 2010.

http://www.educ.cam.ac.uk/centres/cce/projects/ictzambia/index.html