Open Pathways to Literate Worlds –The TESSA (Teacher Education Sub Saharan Africa) Experience

Although the mediation of a teacher in the context of a formal school is not the only way that a learner might acquire basic literacy skills the fact remains that in most instances this is the manner in which such skills are achieved. This poses a challenge for many parts of sub-Saharan Africa where there are severe shortages in teacher numbers, in the capacity to train adequate numbers of teachers, and in access to locally appropriate materials to support teacher development in a manner that will impact on success rates of children in basic education including literacy acquisition. This chapter explores the way in which the open education resource (OER) Teacher Education in sub-Saharan Africa (TESSA) is attempting to provide sustainable and appropriate responses to such a challenge. It describes the broad philosophical approach that underpins TESSA before exploring some of the TESSA materials and pedagogic approaches to supporting teacher education with regard to literacy. The impact of the scheme so far is analysed briefly through the findings of various internal and external evaluations. Particular cases of the use of the TESSA literacy resources in Zambia to support literacy initiatives from an international non-governmental organisation (Read to Succeed – USAID) and a local scheme (The Reading Tree) are briefly discussed to illustrate both the efficacy and flexibility of the resource. Finally, various challenges and opportunities regarding the TESSA approach are deliberated with particular regard as to how these might help shape the response to the challenge of providing literacy education in the future.