Page 90 - EDUCON 2022 Book of Abstracts

Results: Responses from participants in EdCamp were very positive.
The title of this paper, “It opened my mind,” was a response from an
open-ended question (“Is there anything else you’d like to tell us?”)
and was representative of responses from teachers.
We were particularly interested in five student-centered and inquiry-
based learning strategies, so asked teachers to grade themselves (A-F,
with A being the highest) on those practices both pre- and post- Ed
Camp so that we could see whether they perceived there to be growth.
Figure 1 represents responses of teachers who gave themselves an “A”
both pre (in blue) and post (in orange) Ed Camp.
Implications: While these responses and other results that space
precludes us from reporting here have practical implications for
EdCamp planners and for Australia AID as funders of the initiative,
they also have implications for Namibian teacher professional
development. First, teachers enjoy and appreciate learning from each
other. Second, while “technology” in education can be interpreted as
the latest expensive gadget, EdCamp’s use and distribution of
whiteboards, a relatively low-tech innovation, was appreciated and
quickly implemented by teachers to provide feedback for their
learners.
Recommendations: Our recommendations are two-fold; in the areas
of content and follow-up. First, in the area of content, EdCamp
planners should consider ways in which they could increase
professional development around inquiry-based strategies and
developmental feedback for learners. Second, in the area of follow-up,
teacher participants would be responsive to more extensive EdCamp
opportunities, should there be time and funding available.
Conclusion: EdCamp provides one model of professional
development for Namibian teachers by bringing diverse teachers
together in person to learn pedagogical strategies and by providing a
relatively low-cost, low-tech tool (white boards). It remains to be seen

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