Teacher Education

through School-based

Support in India

Removing

‘unfreedoms’ through

OER use in India’s

teacher education

system

#OpenEd14 #OER4D @OER_Hub @laperryman @TESSIndia

Presented by

Leigh-Anne Perryman, OER Research Hub FellowAdditional researchers

Alison Hemmings-Buckler, Open UniversityTim Seal, TESS-India Technical Director

• Amartya Sen: ‘Unfreedoms’: e.g.

poverty, limited economic opportunity,

inadequate education and access to

knowledge, deficient health care, and

oppression;

• ‘Increasing the freedoms that men

and women enjoy is a definition of

development, and greater freedom

empowers people to be more effective

agents of development.’ (CoL 3 yr

Plan);

• OER: more teachers; better teachers;

more engaged learners; improved

learner retention; better access to

The power of OER to remove ‘unfreedoms’

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The need for OER localisation

Photos: Leigh-Anne Perryman CC-BY

“What is the future of open

education? Where is it going?

I think there is only one

answer: localisation.” (David Wiley,

2005)

“Localization unlocks the power of OER.” (Tiffany Ivins, 2012)

• What are the challengesto localising OER for use in development education?

• What is the impact of context and localiserperceptions?

• How can OER localisersbest be supported?

• What is the relationship between institutional control, localiserfreedom, and the spirit of open?

Research questions

Photo: Leigh-Anne Perryman CC-BY

Background● India: needs 1.33 million

teachers;

● Bihar: 75% of teacher ed.

colleges did no training

between 2007-2010;

● India - Bihar: 45% of teachers

don’t have minimum

qualification;

● India: some states, only 1%

pass Teacher Eligibility Test;

● India – ASER: “A ritual

exercise bringing the same

disturbing but worsening news”

(Deccan Herald, 2013).

Photo: Eric Parker CC-BY-NC

Focus States

Assam, Bihar, Karnataka,

Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Uttar

Pradesh, West Bengal

Subject areas

English, Math Science,

Leadership, Language & Literacy

Content

• 125 Pan Indian study units;

• Developed collaboratively;

• Standalone, self-directed;

• Support teachers in changing

their practice;

• Suggest and inspire, not

prescriptive;

• Promote reflection.

Photo: TESS-India CC-BY-SA

Photos: TESS-India CC-BY-SA

The TESS-India OER

Research methods

ResearchMethods

Interviews with localisersand localisation facilitators

Document analysis of adapted OER

Participant observation at localisation workshops

Conducted in Hindi and English

Photo: Leigh-Anne Perryman CC-BY

TESS-India localisation process State based workshops led by third party NGO;

State Localisation Managers (SLM) – QA;

Subject Localisation Experts (SLE);

No direct control of adaptation;

Materials translated into Hindi before

localisation.

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Challenges: Translation● Localisers don’t have

translation skills +

translation agency doesn’t

have context/educational

knowledge;

● Possible distortion of

meaning;

● Localisers have to correct

this, but have to look at

English version to do so;

● Little use of Hindi keyboard

so annotated hard copies

used - time consuming.Photo: Leigh-Anne Perryman CC-BY-SA

Photo: TESS-India CC-BY-SA

Impact of context• Navigating localiser

preferences, perceptions and

experiences;

• Hierarchical view of

knowledge ownership and

expertise;

• Little understanding of OER

or online learning.“Localization must involve locals; [...] effective localization is directly proportional to understanding local contexts.” (Tiffany Ivins, 2012)

Photos: TESS-India CC-BY-SA

Navigating perceptions and experience• SLEs’ background

as textbook writers

• Focus on subject

over method

• Preference for

formal, rather than

conversational

writing style

• Unfamiliarity with

activity-based

pedagogy

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Improving localiser support

• More time on OER familiarisation;

• More development re. unfamiliar

pedagogies;

• Time for reflection after the workshops;

• Follow-up meetings allowing communities of

practice to be nurtured.

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Empowerment, development & OER

The OER Engagement Ladder © 2012 Joanna Wild, CC-BY

Neo-Colonialism Knowledge partnership

Creating a knowledge partnership

Knowledge partnership

Respect for individual

perceptions & experience

Institutional (quality) control

& guidance Sensitivity to context (e.g.

status of knowledge ownership)

Openness & ‘embedded’ engagement with OER

Control, freedom and openness

Thank you for listening.

www.TESS-India.edu.inwww.oerresearchhub.org

@TESSIndia @oer_hub @laperryman@tim10101 @goldensyrupgirl