Project overview
UIS data shows that low teachers’ qualifications and motivation remains one of the biggest issues on the way to achieve SDG 4 targets and one of the main reasons for the low education quality at all school levels. Teachers’ salary is the biggest educational budget share (around 75% of budget for in middle- and low-income countries). However, many educational systems fail to build strong teacher’s qualification and well-trained, highly motivated teachers are the basis of its effectiveness both in financial and educational terms.
RCFA as a facilitator of assessment technologies and training institution decided to contribute to this issue by implementing an effective approach for teachers’ training in formative assessment techniques that includes instructions and structured lessons for pre-service and in-service teachers in middle- and low-income countries.
The initiative’s design is a 3-module training course that can be effectively used for both pre-service and in-service training. Research-based module training program is organized in 5 countries (Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Armenia, Belarus, Russia) within the course of one of the national pedagogical institutions. In some institutions, the training program will be incorporated into post-graduate program on educational assessment and pedagogy to engage more young educators and researchers in ESD area.
All three course modules are aimed to address wide audience through the use of the distant learning technologies, short-term immersion in the studied issues, learning formats biased at the immediate application of knowledge in practice.
Conducting form
Participating countries will host and provide broadcast of 1 course module. The course is developed in English and Russian variants, so it will be held in one of these languages depending on the audience with translation option on demand. The lectures will have regular students and online participants. Online participants will have opportunity to submit homework and receive feedback from the teacher and get certificate on course completion. All three modules include peer-review activities and live discussions to encourage knowledge and experience exchange. Teachers in profession will receive tasks that they can try in their classrooms during the course, while MA and PhD students get a chance to practice at research. Coaching will be the major approach throughout the course to provide teachers with access to experts in order to improve teaching strategies under the supervision and continuous follow-up, guidance and support.
Expected results
- Innovative structured lessons techniques will be provided directly to teachers from middle and low-income countries.
- Advanced training for appr. 500 teachers from 5 countries.
- About 100 MA and PhD students will get practice and advanced training in formative assessment.
- The course will be introduced in the curricula of a range of teachers training institutions of participating countries on a regular basis.