TEACHERS AS AGENTS OF PEACE?

Y U S U F S AY E D 1 S T M A R C H 2 0 1 5

TEACHERS, EDUCATION

AND SOCIAL

COHESIONCENTRE FOR

INTERNATIONALTEACHER EDUCATION

TEACHERS AND THE POST-2015 AGENDA

• 2015 will be the start of a new phase in global education policy development - with arguably an ambitious global policy for 2030

• It will define the terrain for what countries and what donors do – this will shape practice

• And teachers, teacher education, and teaching will be at the heart of an agenda which, for the first time, has quality education at its core

Engaging teachers in peacebuilding in postconflict contexts

79. We need to rebuild and reintegrate societies better after crises and conflicts. We must address state fragility, support internally displaced persons and contribute to resilience of people and communities. Reconciliation, peacebuilding and state-building are critical for countries to overcome fragility and develop cohesive societies, and strong institutions. These investments are essential to retaining the gains of development and avoiding reversals in the future.

(UNSG report to UNGA 2014)

THE ROAD TO DIGNITY BY 2030

Engaging teachers in peacebuilding in postconflict contexts

PROPOSED OVERARCHING GOAL

C E N T R E F O R I N T E R N AT I O N A L T E A C H E R E D U C AT I O N

Thematic (World We Want)

Equitable, Quality Education and Lifelong Learning for All

HLP

Provide Quality Education And Lifelong Learning

SDG

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote life-long learning opportunities for all

UNESCO

Ensure equitable quality education and lifelong learning for all by 2030’

Engaging teachers in peacebuilding in postconflict contexts

UNESCO: By 2030, all governments ensure that all learners are taught by qualified, professionally-trained, motivated and well-supported teachers

C E N T R E F O R I N T E R N AT I O N A L T E A C H E R E D U C AT I O N

Thematic: Equitable lifelong education requires attention to enabling conditions – conducive learning environments with the proper and necessary infrastructure; the presence of sufficient numbers of trained and motivated teachers; and participatory governance structures that empower parents and local communities to be effectively involved in school decision making

HLP: The quality of education in all countries depends on having a sufficient number

of motived teachers, well trained and possessing strong subject-area knowledge

• SDG: by 2030 increase by x% the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially LDCs and SIDS

Engaging teachers in peacebuilding in postconflict contexts

South African Teachers' Strike Shuts Schools, Compounds Educational Crisis (Bloomberg news: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-08-31/south-african-teachers-strike-shuts-schools-compounds-educational-crisis.html)

When teachers strike children suffer (Pretoria News: http://www.iol.co.za/pretoria-news/opinion/when-teachers-strike-children-suffer-1.1511127

Haram: Nigeria teacher training college attacked (BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-29244107)

State school teachers 'fail to push pupils towards Oxbridge'(Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/universityeducation/11022675/State-school-teachers-fail-to-push-pupils-towards-Oxbridge.html)

Teachers must help contain HIV/AIDS(Zambia Daily Mail: http://www.ipsnews.net/2010/01/zimbabwe-training-teachers-to-cope-with-hiv-positive-students/) 

Protestors in Mexico demand justice for missing teachers(Vatican Radio:http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/11/21/protestors_in_mexico_demand_justice_for_missing_teachers/1111848) 

Why should teachers talk about mental health with students and colleagues?(The Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2014/dec/03/teachers-talk-mental-health-students-colleagues)

SOME HEADLINES

http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/shots-fired-near-cape-town-school-1.1651916

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-29244107

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2014/10/mexicos-missing-43/100838/

Engaging teachers in peacebuilding in postconflict contexts

FRAMING TEACHERS

Teachers as victims vs./& teachers as perpetrators vs./& Teachers as agents

Teachers as technocrats vs./& teachers as reflexive professional

Teachers as part of the problem (the blame game) vs./& teachers as the solution

Public, Policy & Research Discourses – from derision to super humans

TEACHER QUALITY AND QUALITY TEACHING

Distinction a useful one

Quality Teaching: successful and effective teaching practices

Quality Teachers: the attributes of an individual teacher, their motivation, experiences and competencies

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WHAT IS MEANT BY TEACHER QUALITY?

A term with many meanings!

Linked increasingly to students’ achievement outcomes

Consensus that teacher quality is a composite that includes: 1.Competences: knowledge, skills and attitudes 2. Teacher professionalism 3. Personal attributes and values 4. Teacher relationships with parents and community 5. Teacher practices in the classroom in specific contexts

Important to recognise context-specificity

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WHAT INFLUENCES TEACHER QUALITY?

3 aspects:

i. National Policies (teacher governance and management)

ii. Teacher professional development (pre and in-service)

iii. School level factors ( school based management)

Different entry points to effect changes

Distinct challenges of e.g.: conflict or post-conflict environments: small-island context of Pacific region; weak government capacity, large federal states

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TEACHER QUALITY & NATIONAL POLICY

Setting minimum professional qualifications and regulations

Teachers conditions of service e.g. salaries, teacher’s contracts, career progression and promotion

Teacher governance: deployment

Teacher Information Management Systems

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TEACHER QUALITY & INITIAL TEACHER PREPARATION

Effectiveness depends on….

Recognition of prior learning and relevant experiences of trainees

Balancing attention to theory with reflection on practice

Training related to specific classroom contexts faced by teachers

School/field based training

Enhancing the quality of teacher educators

Providing scaffolding to implement progressive pedagogies

Training which addresses cultural challenges of implementing progressive pedagogies

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR IN-SERVICE TEACHERS

Effectiveness depends on training which is…

- On site, needs based, experiential and context-specific

- Uses school based mentors and professional clusters

- Is ongoing and continuous

Rethink of the balance between initial and continuing professional development

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TEACHER QUALITY AND SCHOOL GOVERNANCE

School based governance to establish effective monitoring and support systems

Enabling classroom environments to support teacher performance e.g. resources

Good teacher-community relations – especially important in developing country and post-conflict contexts

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AUSAID SUPPORT FOR TEACHER QUALITY

Improved teacher quality through provision of pre- and in-service training a key component of achieving: i. 4 million more boys and girls in school: Helping the

World’s Poor through Effective Aid: Policy Framework to 2015-2016

ii. Improving student learning and completion rates: Better Education: A Policy for Australian Development Assistance in Education

iii. Improving the quality of learning: Education Thematic Strategy Paper 2011

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TEACHER QUALITY IN THE DRAFT PAF‘Teaching quality has also been identified in the theory of

change as a distinctive influence on learning outcomes improvement’

‘Teaching is responsible for the largest amount of variance in student learning outcomes’

Need for improvement of aspects of teacher quality as recruitment, qualification, equitable deployment and system incentives’. However…. ‘the quality of teaching requires its own investment focus’

Key issues include: replicable pedagogical practices; scalable training modalities; mentoring and supervision of classroom practices

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Country Achievement

Bangladesh 190 000 teachers trained

Iraq 430 teachers trained

Laos More than 3 500 primary school teaching and learning toolkit distributed to pupils

Pakistan 500 teacher trained in Gilgit Baltistan

Philippines 700 teachers trained for peace building

ADB 331 600 teachers benefiting from training

GPE 300 000 more teachers employed

IDA 1 million more teachers employed. Example of 100 000 teachers being employed in Ethiopia given

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AUSAID RATIONALES FOR TEACHER QUALITY INVESTMENTImproving primary education access and completion

rates for marginalised and disadvantaged children

Improving learning outcomes of students in literacy, reading and numeracy

Improving youth employment/access to TVET

Developing teacher competencies e.g. active learning and child-centred pedagogies

Providing resources and learning materials to support quality teaching

Enhancing school leadership

Improving social cohesion, consolidating democratic processes, empowering young people

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AUSAID & TEACHER QUALITY: NATIONAL LEVEL Establishing national teacher governance and

management frameworks e.g. Australia Education Partnership, Fiji

Establishing macro-regulatory frameworks/national standards to regulate teacher’s performance e.g. Improved Basic Education Programme, Kiribati

Strengthening data gathering and information management systems e.g. Pacific Benchmarking Education Quality for Results

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AUSAID & TEACHER QUALITY: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Reforms to teacher education curriculum to improve

relevance to teaching contexts of trainees ( e.g. Nepal School Sector Reform Program)

Reforms to improve mode of professional learning used in training –less transmission, more participation and active learning ( e.g. Bangladesh Diploma in Primary Education)

Professional development of teacher educators ( Master Teacher Trainers Program, Pakistan)

Matching course content with needs of distinct groups of teachers e.g. in remote areas of Papua

Provision of tailored opportunities for teachers to upgrade qualifications ( accelerated programmes in Laos)

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AUSAID & TEACHER QUALITY: SCHOOL LEVEL

The teaching and learning environment e.g. provision of resources, school buildings and furniture ( e.g. UNICEF support for Multi-donor Education Fund, Myanmar)

Activities to enhance classroom teaching practices ( Education Sector Development Programme)

School based Management and Professional Development e.g. mentoring teachers/using school clusters to model and support good practices

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EVIDENCE GAPS

i. Understanding the impact of policy changes on teaching quality and student outcomes. Specifically, a future evaluation should consider what policy changes are most effective for improving teacher quality and student outcomes.

ii. Examining the investment in teacher professional development (pre and in –service) and their impact on teacher quality and student outcomes: which models of professional development are more effective, what kinds of support are and should be provided to teacher training institutions,.

iii. Evaluation of the relationship between aid investments and what specific aspects and attributes of the teacher’s classroom practice contribute to student learning outcomes in low resource contexts

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EVIDENCE GAPS

iv. Evaluation of school level investments and relationship to teacher quality and student learning outcomes. Specifically - whether school based management, school clustering and community involvement have a positive effect on teacher quality and reduce teacher absenteeism.

v. Evaluation should consider which aid modalities are more effective for investments in teacher quality that impact on classroom practice, particularly in low income contexts. This may entail considering the differences between project-related aid versus direct budgetary support for government.

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CONCLUDING REMARKS

Relevance of commitment to equity in evaluating all interventions

Teacher quality essential for student learning but cannot fully overcome structural social inequalities and contexts - requires joined up pro-poor policy interventions

Interventions to improve teacher quality should be context specific

Engaging teachers in peacebuilding in postconflict contexts

SEVEN ROLES OF TEACHERS IN SOUTH AFRICA

1. Learning mediator

2. Interpreter and designer of learning programmes and materials

3. Leader, administrator and manager

4. Scholar, researcher and lifelong learner

5. Community, citizenship and pastoral role

The educator will practise and promote a critical, committed and ethical attitude towards developing a sense of respect and responsibility towards others. The educator will uphold the constitution and promote democratic values and practices in schools and society. … will develop supportive relations with parents and other key persons and organisations based on a critical understanding of community and environmental development issues. One critical dimension of this role is HIV/AIDS education.

6. Assessor

7. Learning area/subject/discipline/phase specialist

Engaging teachers in peacebuilding in postconflict contexts

POLICE MANUAL IN SOUTH AFRICA (2009)

10. EXAMPLES OF WHAT WORKS10.1 Elements of promising safe schools programmesThe following elements were included as part of a number of safe school[initiatives with positive results and feedback from stakeholders]: Peer group mediation Conflict resolution; conflict management and restorative justice Programmes Education and curriculum programmes to increase tolerance and develop Life and vocational skills Family support Teacher training support Individual learner support Safety plans Anti-bullying programmes Focusing on victims, victimisers and promoting healthy behaviour

Engaging teachers in peacebuilding in postconflict contexts

TEACHERS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE RESEARCH

Understanding the conditions under which education interventions focused on teachers can promote peace, social cohesion and mitigate and reduce violence with a view to identifying measures and processes that can increase the effectiveness of such programmes in conflict-affected situations.

Focuses on the role of teachers who are both potential agents of peace and of enduring conflict.

Engaging teachers in peacebuilding in postconflict contexts

Dimensions Focus

Policy analysis Integration of teachers as agents of peace in national and education policies

Stakeholder Analysis Position(s) of key actors/agencies in relation to teachers as agents of peace

Teacher governance Analysis of selected programmatic interventions to recruit and deploy teacher in hard to reach areas in post conflict contexts

Teacher professional development

Teacher practices

Analysis of selected initial and continuing teacher education interventions in relation to enhancing teacher knowledge, competences and disposition to educate for peace building post conflict contextsCurriculum training

Teacher accountability Analysis of selected programmatic interventions to enhance teacher accountability to school and school community in post conflict contexts

Gender and violence as transversal foci across all dimensions