As soon as the COVID19 pandemic hit Kenya in March 2020 we realised that it was going to be important for us to work alongside our school partners to ensure our commitment to them remained relevant and impactful. Whilst we never would have imagined that national school closures would have persisted for almost ten months, we did forsee (to some extent) the emerging complexities for children already in learning poverty, and particularly those in marginalised communities. Our team sprung into action, with a laser focus on children’s learning and well-being.
And so began our journey to LeadNow…
The Dignitas team had been exploring technology as a route to scaling impact before the pandemic, but the crisis of school closures quickened the pace of that exploration, and pushed us to think strategically about how we could use digital platforms to support school leaders and teachers.
Our most successful professional development events over the last 18 months have brought school teams together in their own schools in groups of 4-6 to participate as a small in-person group in which they can leverage group think and activity, and collaborate around the workshop activities. The groups are facilitated virtually alongside a number of other groups in the same learning cohort. The groups are also supported with a school resource kit in advance of the workshop with relevant printouts, resources such as flip charts, markers and sticky notes, fun resources for group learning, and even snacks and drinks. The idea is to replicate the motivation, celebration, and value of an in-person workshop, but to be able to deliver virtually, and at scale.
Dignitas now has a fully developed LMS LeadNow which hosts all of our school leader professional development training and coaching content. We continue to complement this with the delivery of bitesize modules and toolkits through our Chatbot, and WhatsApp Communities of Practice.
It has been quite the journey, but three things have been at the centre:
- Listening to school partners – we have not walked this journey alone! Our school partners and alumni have been an important source of information from the beginning. With each new step for LeadNow, we’ve tested and consulted with them, and made sure their voices and experiences are taken into consideration.
- Leveraging data to inform an iterative approach – Dignitas has always had a strong commitment to data. Our school partnerships, delivery of training, and coaching support are all data-informed, and LeadNow is designed with this in mind.
- Seeing challenges as an opportunity to learn and develop – our commitment to our vision; a world where all children have the opportunity to thrive and succeed; has kept us focused, even in the complexities of the pandemic, national school closures, and school reopening and recovery.
“I am very grateful to Dignitas for helping me transform my school. Teachers relate well with learners and children are happier now than before. In the community, people say we care for our learners. All teachers now engage learners through group work, turn and turn, think-pair-share, and other techniques. When I get a new teacher who is not used to engaging learners, learners (especially in upper primary) come to ask me why the teacher does not engage them. I take that opportunity to share strategies for engaging learners and other useful tips that I learned during training”
Teacher Judith, Nairobi
The World Bank and HundrED have just released a Spotlight Report highlighting the top 10 education innovations supporting in-service teacher professional development – and we made the list!