Why is this theme important?
Teachers are a critical factor in the learning of children and young people in our schools. However, across the region there are concerns about teacher supply/demand and deployment , as well as the need to improve the quality of classroom teaching and learning to meet the goals of SDG4. Teachers at all stages of their careers need quality professional learning experiences and there are currently gaps in what we know about designing and implementing effective teacher education programmes. During the pandemic teachers showed ingenuity and creativity in their responses to school closures, often harnessing low cost ICT devices and tools to enable students to continue their education. Through the conference presentations and discussions, we hope to deepen our collective understanding of how these innovative ways of collaborating and communicating could foster innovation in teacher education in cost effective, sustainable and equitable ways.
What kinds of papers are we encouraging?
We hope to read about different kinds of studies of teacher education programmes (both pre-service and in-service, designed and/or implemented), teacher deployment, innovations in teaching, or experiences across Africa which will help the sector to develop effective models for both pre-service and in-service teacher professional learning. Studies might be experimental in design, interpretivist or participatory - we welcome a diversity of approaches.
What are we looking forward to in the submissions?
We’re particularly interested in studies which have the potential to inform large scale programmes - what has been working, and not working and could improve the effectiveness of these initiatives. We’d like to learn more about how teacher education programmes can be made accessible to teachers working in challenging circumstances such as remote locations, refugee camps and multigrade schools – too frequently these teachers find it hard to access and participate in professional learning experiences. And we’re always keen to hear teachers’ voices within studies. If your work has relevance to the teacher education priority, please share with us by submitting an abstract for ICERDA 2023.
We look forward to hearing about your work.
Reflections from the theme convenors Christine Adu-Yeboah & Freda Wolfenden
Submit your abstract by Monday, 29th May 2023 through https://www.icerdaafrica.org/abstract-submission