ETI Leads CIES 2025 Workshop on ICTs for Equitable TPD at Scale
May 9, 2025
The Empowering Teachers Initiative (ETI) was at this year’s Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) conference, held March 22–26 in Chicago, IL, leading a workshop on “Harnessing ICTs to Improve Equity in Teacher Professional Learning Systems”, co-organized with the Global Partnership for Education Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (GPE KIX).
The GPE KIX Team presented findings from their synthesis study on teacher professional development (TPD), drawing on nine research projects involving over 20 Global South-based implementing organizations across 20 countries.
ETI Teams then showcased innovations from their ongoing TPD at scale research, focusing on two key themes:
Using ICTs to improve access to TPD at scale
- Innovations using blended learning to improve equitable access to TPD@Scale in Tanzania – Fika Mwakabungu, Tanzania Institute of Education
- Scaling teacher professional development through digital innovation in Zambia – John Priri, World Vision Zambia
Using ICTs to enhance teacher agency in TPD at scale
- Harnessing digital technologies to enhance teacher agency in TPD@Scale – Marzia Ibrahim, IT for Change, India
- Scaling STEAM+H TPD through teachers’ local adaptation in Lebanon – Eliane Chaker Metni, International Education Association
Throughout the nearly three-hour session, participants engaged in group activities and discussions that encouraged deeper reflection on equity in teacher professional learning, design options for integrating ICTs into large-scale TPD programs in a range of contexts, and opportunities that arise in the field for ensuring that TPD mediated by ICTs is equitable and related challenges.
Four key takeaways emerged from the workshop:
- Understanding the kind of technology decisions to make when scaling TPD programs
- Considering the communities that schools serve as essential stakeholders
- Recognizing the need for teachers to be co-creators of technology
- Empowering teachers with the agency to decide on their professional development
The workshop served as a valuable platform for knowledge exchange, enabling presenters and participants alike to share insights and learn from one another. For the ETI Teams, it was also an opportunity to reflect on how their research resonates across diverse educational contexts.
🎥 Watch: Marzia from the ETI India Team reflects on the workshop.
*All photo credits go to IDRC.
