Teacher Professional Development & Play-based Learning in East Africa - Strengthening Research, Policy, and Practice in Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Uganda

Research has identified both the myriad benefits of play for children’s development and the crucial role of teachers in delivering quality education. This is especially true in crisis contexts where quality education, which includes innovative pedagogical approaches such as play-based learning, can provide comprehensive protection for children and youth affected by conflict and displacement. Teachers are at the center of these efforts; however, to deliver quality education, teachers urgently need more and better support specific to the contextual and material realities in which they work.

This white paper incorporates findings from 189 academic and grey literature resources specific to low- and middle income countries and refugee settings as well as  30 interviews with 37 humanitarian and education sector practitioners with experience in Ethiopia, Tanzania and Uganda. It aims to present:  1) The leading evidence-based practices and promising innovations for teacher Professional Development that can support the uptake of play-based learning; 2) The leading evidence-based practices and promising innovations in school leadership models that can support teachers to deliver high quality educational experiences that include play-based learning; 3) The leading evidence-based practices and promising innovations for host country governments and humanitarian service providers to prioritize, adopt, and implement teacher focused frameworks and policies that promote play-based learning?; 4) The priority knowledge, practice, and policy gaps and opportunities within the TPD landscape in East Africa; and 5) Top-line specific and actionable recommendations for how donors, governments, and humanitarian service providers can effectively contribute to TPD in East Africa.