Partnership Development to researchpossibilities for primary mathematicsteacher development in rural and remotecommunities Research SymposiumTanzania Institute of Education, Tanzania

August 27, 2012Joyce Mgombelo, Brock University

Dominic Msabila, Mzumbe UniversityNalaila Stephano (Research Assistant)Hatujuani Lukari (Research Assistant)

• Purpose: Document how a District Educationleadership, identified as an exemplar by the REOworks with teachers to enhance their teaching

• The study involved participants at all levels ofeducation leadership in the district

• interviews with District Education Officer (DEO),District Academic Officer (DAO), District Statisticsand Logistics Officer (DSLO), District AdultEducation Officer (DAEO), and Primary SchoolChief Inspector (PSCI) in the district office;purposely selected ward education coordinatorsand head teachers –geography, std 7 results etc.

• focus group interviews were conducted to the schoolcommittee members.

• The interview questions focused on leadership roles,governance and resource allocation, mathematics teachingand learning and teacher development, andcommunication among district leaders and stakeholders.

• An open ended questionnaire was administered tomathematics teachers in schools in the district.

• The questionnaire focused on teachers’ experiences inmathematics teaching and learning; teacher development;and their communication and relationship with leaders andstakeholders and school communities in the district.

• Relevant documents such as policy documents, meetingagendas available and identified in the interviews wereanalyzed.

• All interview data were transcribed and fieldnotes were collected.

• The transcribed data, field notes, documents,and teachers’ questionnaire were analyzed bythe two university members independently toidentify major themes related to the guidingquestions and purpose of the case study

• Relatively newly created District• Started at the bottom in the region with

respect to std 7 examination performance• Has since been climbing up and become one

of the top district in terms of std 7 examresults in the region

• Monitoring and follow up on academic activities inschools

• Supervise the administration of internal and externalexaminations and tests

• Improve teacher’s establishment• Build professional and academic capacity among

teachers• Improve Teachers’ Resource centres and offices for

ward educational coordinators• Maintain a good relationship and effective

communication with various educational developmentstakeholders at all levels

• Improve training on governance, supervision andmonitoring from school to district levels

• Focusing on enhancing pupils’ performance of the first std 7 math exam questions byenhancing math skills - such as multiplication

“We realized that there was no reason for pupils tofail or to not answer the first [std 7 math nationalexam] questions so we decided as a district wewill focus on helping our pupils with skillsneeded to answer the questions”

“in holidays we conduct Std 7 students camps toprepare them for exam”

• Centralized scheme of work and assessment for thewhole district

“In our district we have prepared a scheme of work andtests for the entire district .... we made scheme ofwork for the teachers ... that teachers should beteaching the same topic for all districts .... ... so whenwe break for the monthly test, all schools will havesame monthly tests”

“ “ we also think it is best to centralize examination eveninternal examination because some teachers teach alittle, when they give exams there is not enoughcoverage. And so we came up with monthly tests, forinstance January until May when we produce theexam a teacher cannot say they didn’t teach becausehe was supposed to”.

• Co-Learning and co-teaching through mobileteaching

“So there are mobile teachers, coming from areaswhere there are many teachers for example inmathematics and going to the areas where thereis a need”

“ While they [mobile teachers] are there they alsotrain other teachers””

• Teacher co-learning and share knowledge withdifficult topics

““Mathematics teachers regularly meet to discussways of promoting mathematics in their schools”

• Monitoring and follow up academic activitiesthrough planned visits from the district officers

“ so we (education officers in the district)deliberately plan for these visits in our workcalender and prepare terms of references so thateach one of us looks for the same things”

• Frequent communication with the districtleadership through monthly, quarterly semi andannual reports from ward coordinators

• Partnering with other Institutions to promoteeducation in the district

Eg one university offering professionaldevelopment for teachers in various subjectincluding math.◦ Making sure at lead on district education officer in

involved in the each professional developmentactivities

◦ Trainees share their experience and knowledge withother teachers

• Good relationship and effectivecommunication

• District leadership respect for teachers asprofessionals

“In our district we view teachers as professionals so thatwhen they come to offices we respect them and letthem feell welcomed and at hom in their district office”

• Using the scheme of work and lessonplanning

• Teaching multigrade classrooms• Shortage of math teachers• Failure to use participatory teaching methods

due overcrowded• Inadequacy of teaching materials