Transforming Children's Lives through Innovation in Quality Education: Implications for Policy and Practice

This practice paper from the United Kingdom (UK)-based Institute of Development Studies (IDS) argues that quality basic education must be understood to encompass education that empowers students and addresses the ways in which inequality and poverty are carried on from generation to generation. Starting from the premise that there is a crisis in quality in many countries in the global South, the report suggests that what is needed is an understanding of quality education that combines behaviourist and humanist approaches, infused with transformative education (TE) approaches. The report provides a framework for this broader understanding of quality education.

Specifically, as explained here, a broad TE approach combines all the following basic principles:

• Critical reflection and action: This is not a one-off event, but an ongoing process of continuous reflection and action ("praxis") leading to sustained personal and social change.
• Context-relevant paedagogy and active citizenship: "The curriculum should be designed around the local context, using real problems as the starting point for critical reflection....The emphasis is on connecting knowledge with community issues and action, and this requires students to undertake learning projects beyond the school so that they can actively learn by investigating issues in their community. A TE approach is designed to open up democratic spaces for participatory construction of curricula and learning outcomes. This not only encourages the engagement of students but can also heighten community participation, creating community-wide coalitions for learning and action regarding pressing local development issues."
• Mutual learning: The TE approach values students' existing knowledge and conceptualises learning as a two-way dialogue. Instead of giving information directly to children, teachers encourage them to actively discover ideas and information and aggregate their collective knowledge to reach conclusions.
• Psycho-social support: TE approaches emphasise emotional development alongside cognitive development. TE approaches fit within a development paradigm that stresses contextualised and participatory processes. They are also compatible with the humanist approach to education quality. What they add is a concern with issues of power, and the requirement to rethink the dynamics and practices in the classroom. Moreover, TE approaches are concerned at the macro-level with equitable social change and enabling all children (and adults) to be active participants in the life of their communities - economically, socially, and politically.

The report highlights evidence that TE approaches can help stimulate economic development, increase learning retention, lead to better cognitive performance and retention rates, increase civic engagement, raise human rights awareness to address discrimination, and promote reconciliation and reintegration.

Based on this evidence, the report urges policymakers to expand the assessment of "effective" education to include broader education outcomes, including individual and social transformation, empowerment, and learners' retention rates, rather than simple test scores. It is also recommended that TE approaches be included in pre- and in-service training and as part of the mainstream teacher training curriculum.

The authors conclude that the "aim of strengthening education quality should be to build education systems that promote skilled, equitable, stable societies...[Q]uality education must offer children the opportunity to learn in a safe and supportive environment, where inclusion and respect for their rights will help them overcome experiences of trauma, displacement, and social marginalisation. If experience is a foundation for learning, then the children that experience transformative quality education in the classroom and school environments will be more likely to become active citizens..."