There is a lack of research on how localized OER are created and used in low- and middle-income countries (Wolfenden and Adinolfi, 2019; Buckler, Perryman, Seal, and Musafir, 2014). This lack of understanding of how all educators use openness to meet the needs and goals of their students furthers epistemic injustice, for particular knowers are not valued as knowers (Pohlhaus, 2017). Valuing the knowledge of educators in low- and middle- income countries will expand the OER community and its understanding of OER’s capacity to support teachers in meeting the needs of students in different contexts.
This presentation will share how a grassroots nonprofit organization’s embrace of openness supported teachers and students in Lebanon. Lebanese Alternative Learning (LAL) is a nonprofit that collaborated with teachers to build Tabshoura, a digital learning platform that houses content aligned with the Lebanese curriculum for K-9 students. In partnership with LAL, this research design utilizes photovoice to center the teachers’ experiences with Tabshoura through the submission of a photo and caption in response to a prompt. Interviews and classroom observations are then used to expand understanding of the diverse experiences of teachers during an economic and refugee crisis in Lebanon.
This study expands the social inclusion model designed by Arinto, Hodgkinson-Williams, and Trotter (2017) to show how access to localized OER provides teachers with more opportunities to build and direct a responsive learning environment that supports and motivates students—and even parents—to take control of their own learning. Teachers in Lebanon are navigating decreasing stability in schools and navigating a student population with increasing gaps in their education. Through Tabshoura, teachers have a foundation of reliable resources connected to the classroom objectives, exciting tools for engaging students who have experienced trauma, and the flexibility to adapt resources and create an environment of learning for all their students. Teachers have incorporated their knowledge into Tabshoura to customize the learning experience:
- Personalized lesson plans based on students’ progress on Tabshoura
- Alternative schedules that support continued learning outside of school
- Student-centered pedagogical approaches that are exciting for students AND for teachers
The teachers in this project also highlighted that the individualized approach deepened their relationships with the students and their parents. Schooling is no longer limited to the building with students’ ability to use Tabshoura at home on mobile phones, so students can learn at their own pace and repeat lessons as needed. Parents are also more aware and connected to their children’s education that even their own learning was enhanced.
Openness means that educators in all regions and contexts can make the necessary choices to support their students. LAL demonstrates openness by incorporating teachers’ knowledge in the development of Tabshoura and in its continued support of teachers adapting and using Tabshoura as it best fits their students. LAL and the Lebanese teachers have demonstrated that openness is their business, too, and the OER community can benefit and expand from their example of supporting students through OER.
Included in
[Session 6B]: Global Access and EquityReferencesArinto, P. B., Hodgkinson-Williams, C., & Trotter, H. (2017). OER and OEP in the Global South: implications and recommendations for social inclusion. In C. Hodgkinson- Williams & P. B. Arinto (Eds.), Adoption and impact of OER in the Global South (pp. 577-592). Cape Town: African Minds Publishers. Buckler, A., Perryman, L.-A., Seal, T., & Musafir, S. (2014). The role of OER localisation in building a knowledge partnership for development: Insights from the TESSA and TESS-India teacher education projects. Open Praxis, 6(3), 221–233. https://doi.org/10.5944/openpraxis.6.3.136 Pohlhaus Jr., G. (2017). Varieties of epistemic injustice. In I. Kidd, J. Medina, G. Pohlhaus Jr. (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of epistemic injustice (pp. 13-26). Routledge. Wolfenden, F. & Adinolfi, L. (2019). An exploration of agency in the localisation of open educational resources for teacher development. Learning, Media and Technology, 44(3), 327-344, DOI: 10.1080/17439884.2019.1628046after-public-schools-shut-their-doors
Author KeywordsEpistemic Justice, Social Inclusion, Grassroots Nonprofit Organization, Teacher Agency, Vulnerable Students, Lebanon
