Introducing Blended Learning in Low-Tech Settings: Lessons from Haiti

Purpose & objective

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
-Understand opportunities to introduce digital learning in low-tech and low-resource settings based on innovative approaches and lessons from Digital Promise’s blended learning pilot program in rural Haiti
-Describe the value of mother-tongue and culturally relevant digital learning content
-Examine the pilot’s professional learning model, which leverages community-based instructional coaches to develop educators’ knowledge and competencies related to pedagogy, digital content, and technology
-Explore low-cost and resilient infrastructure and technology solutions for under-resourced and remote schools; test the open-source, offline first Kolibri platform from the perspective of an administrator, teacher, and student; and reflect on opportunities to use the platform for low-cost blended learning in settings without reliable internet connectivity

Our Haiti Blended Learning Pilot model aims to shift instruction in Haitian classrooms from a rote, teacher-centered system to an active, learner-centered approach through (i) development and delivery of culturally relevant, mother-tongue digital content; (ii) strategic use of appropriate infrastructure and technology; and (iii) integrated professional development focused on pedagogy, content knowledge, and technology. Our phased approach to implementation and monitoring emphasizes applying lessons from past efforts, iterating over time, and building local capacity to ensure that the results and impact are sustainable.

We are working in partnership with local and global partners - including Anseye Pou Ayiti (Teach for Haiti), Summits Education, Model School Network, Blue Butterfly, and EDC - and using Learning Equality’s open-source, offline-first Kolibri learning platform to deliver a Haitian-Creole science education series for the first and second grades (“the Eksploratoryòm”). Research shows that education in the mother tongue is a key factor for inclusion and quality learning, and it also improves learning outcomes and academic performance. The Eksploratoryòm series takes children on a journey of exploration of the world around them, engaging with fun, interactive science audio and visuals. The content also promotes early literacy and social-emotional learning skills. By making the program available on Kolibri, which is designed for use offline or in low-bandwidth settings and optimized for a variety of low-cost and legacy devices, the content can ultimately be available for classroom settings regardless of Internet connectivity.

Our goal in implementing this blended learning model is to bring together technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge (TPACK) to promote more active, engaged learning. We are simultaneously focusing on improving the capabilities of Haitian teachers to deliver high-quality science learning using technology and tools by building local training and coaching capacity; expanding the availability of culturally relevant, standards-aligned, Haitian-Creole digital content to teachers and students; and improving access to electricity, devices, and connectivity for Haitian schools, in order to provide Haitian students with a quality and continuous education that is a pathway to economic opportunity, wellbeing, and agency.

This work responds directly to a number of challenges in the Haitian education system. Students are often taught in French rather than their native Creole, curriculum is deficit-based rather than culturally affirming, and instruction remains traditional and lecture-based. Not only is investment in quality and equitable education lacking, almost all Haitian students have experienced disruptions to education in recent years due to natural disasters, political unrest, and the COVID-19 pandemic. These disruptions have compounded the challenges of skills inequality and uncertainty in Haiti. Given that only 45% of Haitian households have access to power, let alone internet or a device that would enable them to participate in online learning (Boothby et al., 2021), the gap is widening between wealthy students who are able to continue their learning, and poorer students, especially in rural parts of the country.

Early data from the pilot are promising and show that teachers are implementing the technological and pedagogical skills they are learning with 96% fidelity. In addition, a pre- and post-intervention evaluation of our digital curriculum has shown statistically significant learning gains in all areas of the curriculum tested, with the highest gains when students’ background knowledge was lowest at pre-test (while the performance of students in the control group remained unchanged).

While our model is locally driven, our pilot is widely applicable. For example, in the United States, 50% of schools report that the steep learning curve for teachers regarding the use of technology is a moderate or large challenge; 50% of teachers say that lack of training is an obstacle to using technology; and 12 million students remain disconnected or are under-connected because of the speed of their internet or the limitations of their devices (Weaver, 2022). This project is relevant for anyone interested in leveraging low-cost digital tools to improve teaching pedagogy and learning outcomes in under-resourced settings in the United States and around the world.

Outline

This poster session will first involve a brief (<10 minute) overview of our blended learning pilot in Haiti, including:
-The challenges being addressed
-Program model: infrastructure & technology, digital content, and professional development
-Technological tools
-Data and lessons learned

Then participants will then be invited to do an interactive deep-dive on the open-source Kolibri platform. Participants will be able to to test out the different features of the platform -- including its capabilities related to content creation and organization, instruction, learning, and data collection and analysis -- from the perspective of a school leader or instructional coach, teacher, and student.

Supporting research

Learning Equality. Kolibri Platform. https://learningequality.org/kolibri/

TPACK Framework. http://tpack.org

Jean-Claude Brizard. Digital Promise CEO, Carnegie Corporation 2023 Great Immigrant, and Haiti Pilot Project Advisor. https://www.carnegie.org/awards/honoree/jean-claude-brizard/

Nedgine Paul Deroly. Anseye Pou Ayiti Co-Founder & CEO, Forbes "30 Under 30" honoree, Obama Foundation Fellow, Echoing Green Fellow, Emerson Collective Fellow, and Haiti Pilot Project Partner. https://www.gse.harvard.edu/hgse100/story/looking-inward-push-forward

UNESCO. 2023. Global Education Monitoring Report - Technology in Education: A Tool on Whose Terms? https://www.unesco.org/gem-report/en/technology

DeGraff, Michel. 2020. The politics of education in post-colonies: Kreyòl in Haiti as a case study of language as technology for power and liberation. https://iacpl.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/DeGraff-1.pdf

UNESCO. 2022. Why mother language-based education is essential. https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/why-mother-language-based-education-essential

Boothby, N., Hart, A., Chandler, H., & Dupuy, D. (2021). Leveraging community-based innovations during COVID-19 to strengthen the Haitian school system. Perspectives in Education, 39(1), 277-290. https://doi.org/10.18820/2519593X/pie.v39.i1.17

Weaver, D. J. (2022, December). Delivering on the promise of digital equity. Digital Promise. https://doi.org/10.51388/20.500.12265/166

N50 Project. (2023). STRONGER TOGETHER: Lessons from Luumbo on the Power of Partnerships in Digital Advancement - Confronting the challenges of rural connectivity. https://media.licdn.com/dms/document/media/D561FAQEqit1pFs0_lQ/feedshare-document-pdf-analyzed/0/1695941263052?e=1697068800&v=beta&t=-krnR4P-Vd7vyi2ZxlfRhXeAEjs7Rw0_p02yHPtksks