3.1 Key messages from the TESS-India Teacher Development OER

• The OER positions the teachers’ classroom as the site of learning and teachers as agents in learning.
• By participating in the activities, rather than just reading about them, teachers experience and come to understand the participatory pedagogy as they enact it in practice. It is intended that teachers will then be able to use the ideas in the OERs to teach any topic in the curriculum.
• The OER focus on pedagogy, but as teachers engage with the activities and case studies, the OER will also help to support their subject knowledge development.
• Each OER is written to make a coherent account for the teacher, but individual case studies, activities and resources can be used effectively depending on the context.
• The language is designed to be straightforward and clear.
• The OER can be adapted if necessary – the topics and examples can be changed.
• By engaging with active, participatory pedagogy, teachers are provided with direct evidence from their own classrooms of how this new practice enables student learning. In this way the TESS-India OER takes policy developments into the classroom, motivates and sustains pedagogic innovation, and improves student learning and achievement.
• The OER also encourage teachers to work collaboratively and promote planning lessons in advance. They invite the teachers to reflect on their past experiences and provide opportunities for the teachers to extend their knowledge and understanding.

A copy of these key messages [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)]   and a PowerPoint slide titled ‘TESS-India OER: addressing these problems’ are available. You might find these useful for later activities in the MOOC.