The teachers we need for the education we want

The session will be led by Dr Kris Stutchbury and she will be joined by Dr Catharine Bleasdale, Prof Patriciah Wambugu, and Rita Nyirenda.

This interactive session will be informal and brings together teacher educators from across the globe to celebrate the work of teachers on World Teachers’ Day.

We will hear from each panellist about the sort of teachers they need in their context and the implications for teacher professional development and pre-service teacher education. We will draw out the similarities across cultures and highlight some some of the different ways in which teachers can be supported. We will draw on examples from the work we are doing in Centre for the Study of Global Development (CSGD) researching how to empower teachers as agents of change.

Meet the panel:

Dr Kris Stutchbury
Started her career as a secondary Chemistry teacher. She went on to lead the Open University PGCE and is Academic Director of TESSA. Her research is in teacher professional development in sub-Saharan Africa.

Dr Catharine Bleasdale
Started her career as a primary school teacher. She has been working as a teacher educator for 20 years and is currently a curriculum tutor on the Open University Primary PGCE in Wales. Her main interest is in partnership working and mentor development.

Prof Patriciah Wambugu
Prof. Patriciah Wambugu, an Associate Professor of Curriculum and Instruction at Egerton University. She is an expert in curriculum design, development, and implementation. Her deep theoretical understanding, combined with practical experience, allows her to create engaging and equitable learning environments. She started her career as a secondary physics teacher but now supports student teachers. As Director of Quality Assurance at Egerton University, she is committed to enhancing university education standards. Her experience includes teaching higher education courses, conducting research on curriculum theory and pedagogical practices, and developing curricula for institutions. Prof. Wambugu is also skilled in online teaching material development and delivery in her support student teachers.

Rita Nyirenda
Provincial Resource Centre Co-ordinator in Central Province, Zambia. Her background is in Biology teaching. Her current role is supporting schools and teachers in the implementation of Government policy, including the mandated continuing professional development that they all undertake and a new competency-based curriculum.