What is the Golden Teacher?

A web resource for teachers that is designed to work on basic web-enabled feature phones and smart phones

Teacher showing phone to a child.

The Golden Teacher (GT) is a web resource for teachers that is designed to work on basic web-enabled feature phones and smart phones. The delivery platform was chosen, following advice from UNESCO, to make it accessible in developing countries.

Due to the limitations of feature phones and differences in national educational policies no curriculum content is included. Instead, the GT takes teachers through a step-by-step process of formative assessment that enables them to design, deliver and evaluate a learning experience for a student or students. It has been developed in the English language in the first instance, and has been translated into Swahili.

Users progress through stages in the teaching programme in which they...

Bronze medal

Plan (Bronze)

Bronze is achieved when SMART goals are set.

Silver medal

Implement (Silver)

When these goals are met.

Gold medal

Evaluate (Gold)

When students have consolidated the learning after a four-week period.

The strategies introduced can be found in Principles of Instruction, one of a series of educational papers published by the International Academy of Education (IAE). They are evidence-based, having been identified through a meta-analysis of research conducted by the Sutton Trust in the UK.

The main concepts introduced are:

  • The phases of learning – accuracy, fluency and generalisation
  • Setting SMART goals
  • Differentiation
  • Modelling and demonstration
  • Scaffolding and prompting
  • Task analysis – small steps
  • Chaining
  • Practice and rehearsal
  • Giving effective feedback
  • Metacognition

There is explanation of each concept together with examples. The whole is presented in an engaging format which allows those using the GT to self-pace their learning, and to track the progress of one or more of their planned learning programmes for individuals or groups.

Man looking at phone.
Mobile phone with website visible.

Video presentation for Nominet Trust (1:30)


References

Higgins, S., Katsipataki, M., Kokotsaki, D., Coleman, R., Major, L.E., & Coe, R. (2014) The Sutton Trust-Education Endowment Foundation Teaching and Learning Toolkit, London: Education Endowment Foundation

Rosenstein B., (2010) Principles of Instruction, Educational Practices series 21, International Academy of Education, Brussels

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