eBASE, effective basic services:Improving Teacher Professional Development in Mastery Learning through Pedagogic Audit and Feedback in Cameroon Primary Schools

Improving Teacher Professional Development in Mastery Learning through Pedagogic Audit and Feedback in Cameroon Primary Schools

This project strengthens teacher professional development by focusing on mastery learning and embedding a system of pedagogic audits and feedback. By building the capacity of inspectors and teachers, developing a mastery learning module, and providing continuous feedback, the initiative seeks to improve instructional quality and ensure learners achieve stronger literacy and numeracy outcomes in Cameroon’s primary schools.

Background

Cameroon’s primary education system faces significant challenges in ensuring that leaners achieve foundational literacy and numeracy skills. According to Global Partnership for Education (GPE, 2017), the overall quality of Cameroon basic education remains low with only 32% of pupils are able to solve basic Mathematical problems upon completion of primary school. One critical factor contributing to this issue is the need for more effective teacher professional development programmes focused on mastery learning. The Ministry of Basic Education in Cameroon reports that only 30% of primary school teachers participate in continuous professional development programmes related to mastery learning (MINEDUB, 2023). Our innovation aims at bridging this gap, by building teachers’ capacity on Mastery Learning and utilize pedagogic audits and feedback to ensure sustainability. This intervention seeks to ensure that teachers receive ongoing, constructive feedback to refine their teaching practices and enhance learners’ learning outcomes

Objectives

  • Build teachers’ capacity on mastery learning techniques and use of formative assessment data in lesson planning.
  • Improve sustainability, teachers’ practices regarding integrating Mastery Learning techniques in teaching/​learning activities.
  • Improve teacher professional development and learners’ performance.

Methods

  • Develop Mastery Learning modules and formative assessment data guides for teachers and train pedagogic supervisors on effective usage.
  • Use audit and feedback to inform continuous improvement in teachers’ teaching techniques and learners’ outcomes thereby strengthening sustainability.
  • Conduct baseline audit in targeted schools to understand pedagogical challenges and to evaluate the effectiveness of the approach and identify barriers to behavior change.
  • Use formative assessment data to inform continuous improvement and reflection in schools.

Indicators of Success

  • Improved knowledge of 7 pedagogic inspectors on mastery learning and pedagogic audits and feedback.
  • 7 teachers improve their knowledge and practice of Mastery Learning and formative assessment data in lesson planning (at least 60% of teachers effectively use Mastery Learning and formative assessment data guides to inform their teaching practice).
  • A Mastery Learning module is developed to ensure teachers engagement, motivation and behavioural change