Education and Information Technologies

, Volume 18, Issue 2, pp 151–164 | Cite as

Creating an effective professional learning sessions model on technology integration for a Kenyan school district

Article
First Online:

Abstract

The Kenyan Government’s ‘Vision 2030’ demands technology integration in teaching and learning. The Kenyan educational context, including resources, the characteristics of the student population and the examination system creates a challenge to the current model of teacher professional development. A new leadership and management course for school leaders has been shown to have the potential to increase school leaders’ awareness of the benefits of technology. Trained school leaders are expected to provide “Professional learning” for the teachers that they are responsible for. A pilot training programme was completed by a first cohort drawn from 80 % of the schools in one district. Leaders from 15 schools were included and were taken through the modelled “Professional learning session” (PLS). Their response to the structure and content of the programme was explored in order to find ways to increase its impact. Data was collected using individual and focus group interviews, artefact analysis and observation. After the first cohort, a second cohort completed a revised version of the programme. The outcomes from the programme demonstrated that the inclusion of all stakeholders in the design of a long-term programme with contextualized content is critical. Collective follow-up including observation, feedback and action planning has a significant impact on professional learning.

Keywords

Professional learning Technology integration Models Pedagogical leadership 
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Notes

Acknowledgment

I would like to acknowledge the Aga Khan Academy for funding the training of the School Leaders and the teachers and for allowing the students to be observed. The support has facilitated the formulation of the model which is now being used in all the academy’s professional learning sessions.

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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media New York 2012

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Aga Khan AcademyMombasaKenya

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