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This report captures what might be learnt from a selection of the world's most interesting examples of technology-assisted in-service professional development in lower-income countries and from wider reflections about the potential of technology to enhance the professional learning of teachers. This report explores the literature surrounding technology for professional learning, identifying six promising case studies: (1) UNESCO projects in Pakistan and Nigeria -- using mobile phones to deliver pedagogical content to early-grade and primary school teachers; (2) English in Action, Bangladesh using mobile phones and SD cards to deliver content to teachers; (3) Teacher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa (TESSA) -- OER [Open Educational Resources] to support interactive teaching practice; (4) Teacher Education through School-based Support in India (TESS-India) -- OER to support the adoption of more engaging pedagogies; (5) Teachers for Teachers, Kenya -- using mobile technology to strengthen teacher development in Kakuma Refugee Camp; and (6) National Tablets Programme, Kenya -- improving the coaching provided to teachers. Through these case studies we have made a series of reflections on the impact technology can have on teacher professional development, particularly in low- and low-middle income contexts: (1) Promising technology is not enough, we must not forget the human factor; (2) Mobile technologies have high potential to improve the reach, scalability and flexibility of teacher professional development; (3) OER constitute a promising format for professional development resources; (4) High-impact, sustainable technology-enabled solutions depend on local partnership and a sense of local ownership; and (5) The design and delivery of effective technology-enabled professional learning depends on high-quality impact data and careful piloting solutions. Our report explores each of these case studies and reflections in greater detail, drawing lessons for policymakers, practitioners and other organisations who seek to provide technology-related professional development opportunities for teachers.

Increasingly, teachers and schools are becoming aware of the possibilities that becoming research-aware can bring. There is a small but powerful movement within the profession--in the UK and abroad--that has begun to integrate the fruits of research and the skills of the research practitioner into their own practice. But this transition from research consumer to research participant hasn't been without challenges. The quality of some wings of education research can sometimes be suboptimal, or poorly disguised rhetoric, leaving the educator with considerable confusion about which research is valuable and which a waste of time to pursue, or worse. The ecosystem of educational research is often more akin to a jungle than a laboratory, replete with predators in the form of vested interests and those with commercial and political agendas. This report confronts these challenges head on. Better still, it provides an invaluable roadmap for anyone embarking on a journey towards being more research informed, the better to negotiate the difficulties. Many people ask if it really is necessary for educators to be engaged in any way with research--after all, why should they? The short answer is that the world which we now inhabit is propelled by research, and teachers, however much they may dispute it, are as much a part of this as anyone else. Their assumptions and ideology will be informed by the research of others, even if they aren't aware of it. In such an environment, the only sane response is for the teaching profession to become as immune as possible to poor research, and ask as many intelligent questions as possible from those who would seek to benefit from their ignorance. And to become an articulate, informed and research-literate part of the ecosystem--for the benefit of all. [For the second report in this series, see ED574406. For the third report in this series, see ED574405.]

This publication contains 12 (A3 open-out) poster-style reports of teacher experimental research. The style of presentation parallels the type of preliminary reporting common at academic conferences and postgraduate events. At the same time, it aims to act as a form of short primer to introduce teachers to the basic options that there are when conducting this type of research. This said, the determined teacher-researcher would be advised to extend their reading further to full-scale textbooks such as Richard Churches and Eleanor Dommett's Teacher-led research: how to design and implement randomised controlled trials and other forms of experimental research which clearly explains how to choose and conduct the right statistical tests. CfBT Education Trust also offers an in-depth training programme over two days with access to statistical software and support for teachers when conducting and writing up their research. Most of the teachers in this report followed this programme in Wales, or in one case Dubai. Others, associated with Kyra Teaching School Alliance (led by Mount Street Academy, part of the CfBT Schools Trust), attended the Department for Education/National College for Teaching and Leadership training that Richard Churches delivered as part of the Closing the Gap: Test and Learn programme in England. [The teacher-researchers contributing to this document are as follows: Kate Andrews, Simon Andrews, David Ashton, Timm Barnard-Dadds, Sarah Baugh-Williams, Bridie Bear, Ceri Bibby, Wendy Blyth, Allison Davies, Rachel Elphick, Dean Flood, Emmet Glackin, Gavin Jones, Graeme Jones, Daniel Lear, Matthew Maughan, Jess Moore, Charlotte Morris, Theresa Peacock, James Siddle, Alison Turner, and Rob Wilson.]