COL, in collaboration with The Open University (OU), UK supported the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Kenya Institute of Special Education (KISE) in hosting a Learning Design Workshop from 25 to 29 November 2019. This activity is part of KISE’s implementation of COL’s ‘Teacher Futures’ model that aims to improve teacher quality and learning outcomes through innovative school-based teacher development.

Staff from the OU’s Teacher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa (TESSA) programme facilitated the training which focused on adaptation and integration of relevant Open Educational Resources (OER) in the teacher development programme on inclusive education. Microlearning resources and a draft training handbook were developed, along with an outline of a future MOOC on inclusive pedagogies.

The Director KISE, Mr. Timothy Wambua, congratulated participants for their enthusiasm since the inception of the project. He added, “We appreciate the international partnerships that our institution has built in order to spearhead improvements in inclusive education in Kenya. We thank COL for their support in facilitating more of such partnerships in this project.”

The Director of the Directorate of Special Needs Education at the MoE, Mr. Fred Haga, reminded the participants of the value of inclusion. He said, “Deep learning comes from experiences gained through exposure to different scenarios and practices, and an appreciation of diversity. The skills and knowledge gained at this workshop will enable participants to carry out such learning.”

Participants included education officers from the MoE, the Teachers Service Commission, the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development, as well as staff from KISE.

COL’s Adviser, Teacher Education, Dr Betty Ogange said, “The partnership with the OU brings on board experience and innovative ideas drawn from different developing country contexts for effective resource development and implementation of school-based teacher development.”