The UK Department for International Development (DFID) has commissioned a series of rigorous literature reviews focused on different aspects of education. The reviews identify critical evidence gaps to guide future research programmes and present existing evidence for the development of effective interventions. Dr Jo Westbrook from the University of Sussex and colleagues authored the review titled Pedagogy, Curriculum, Teaching Practices and Teacher Education in Developing Countries. The review’s key finding is that teachers’ use of communicative strategies encourages pedagogic practices that are interactive in nature, and is more likely to impact on student learning outcomes and hence be effective. This claim for teachers’ use of communicative strategies is not something that is reported consistently in those terms in the literature reviewed, but it has emerged from an interpretation of the overall body of evidence.

In this video Dr Westbrook gives a detailed summary of the review:

The full review titled Pedagogy, Curriculum, Teaching Practices and Teacher Education in Developing Countries, can be downloaded from our document library.

Other reviews in the series

This review is part of a series of DFID education rigorous literature reviews. Other reviews in this series include:

• The Impact of Tertiary Education on Development
• The role and impact of private schools in developing countries
• Literacy, Foundation Learning and Assessment in Developing Countries
• The Political Economy of Education Systems in Developing Countries

Biography

Dr Jo Westbrook is a Senior Lecturer in Education based in the Centre for International Education in Department of Education, School of Education and Social Work, University of Sussex.  Following 9 years of secondary school English teaching in London comprehensive schools, and as Head of English and Media Studies at a school in the London Borough of Brent,  Jo worked for two years as a Teacher Trainer in Uganda for Voluntary Service Overseas teaching English both at a National Teacher’s College and in a secondary school.  Together with colleagues at the college she organised and ran Outreach workshops for English teachers, and national CPD for tutors from all the Teachers’ Colleges on Gender and Education.

Upon her return to England she worked as a Senior Lecturer in Education at Canterbury Christ Church University on the secondary English PGCE and went on to develop the new flexible PGCE across primary and secondary.  She also worked as a national Advisor on flexible teacher training provision with the Teacher Training Agency (now the Teacher Development Agency) before being appointed to Sussex as a Lecturer in Education in September 2003.

At Sussex Jo taught across a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses, becoming Director of Teaching and Learning from 2009-2012.  Jo has been involved in research on teacher education and reading in sub-Saharan Africa and has recently completed two major literature reviews on unqualified teachers and on pedagogy and curriculum in developing countries.  She currently teaches on the MA in International Education & Development, MA in Education Studies and secondary English PGCE as well as the International Doctorate summer school with a specialism in teacher education, pedagogy, and reading in the UK and in development countries.