uBoraBora

?? Join uBoraBora at CIES 2025! We’re excited to invite you to the uBoraBora Happy Hour at the CIES - Comparative & International Education Society Conference 2025. ?? Date: Sunday, March 23, 2025 ?? Time: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM (Chicago Time) ?? Location: Chicago, IL This is your space to connect with fellow educators, implementers, and innovators for an evening of engaging conversations, shared insights, and meaningful connections. Expect light snacks, drinks, ice-breakers, and an atmosphere designed for sparking new ideas and collaborations. ?? ?? Grab your ticket here: https://lu.ma/en9ihkb8 We can’t wait to see you there. #uBoraBora #CIES2025

This week, we shift focus to? FHI 360's implementation research within Nigeria's PLANE program, where they're reimagining teacher coaching systems to better serve remote communities. Recognising the pivotal role of coaching in teacher development, FHI 360 embarked on a qualitative research journey. Through interviews, observations, and focus group discussions with educators, coaches, and system stakeholders, they're gathering insights before deciding on a tweak that refines their coaching model. ?????? ??????????To create a more responsive and efficient support system tailored to the unique needs of low-resource settings. We spoke to Abubakar from FHI 360 and they shared more on the experience so far and the preliminary findings. Their dedication to learning, adapting and enhancing teacher support mechanisms offers valuable perspectives for all working to improve education in similar contexts. #uBoraBora #BetterBetter #FoundationalLearning #ContinuousImprovement #SubSaharanAfrica

When it comes to improving foundational learning, the magic is often in the tweaks. Across the uBoraBora portfolio, teams are already implementing strong, evidence-backed approaches like Structured Pedagogy (SP) and Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL). We know these models work, but we’ve also been asking: Where is the headroom for even greater impact? Over the past few months, we’ve been working with our teams to test small but meaningful refinements, adjustments to teacher materials, training, and ongoing support to see what really makes a difference in learning outcomes. Some of these tweaks are simple, like adding a few extra booklets to support reading practice. Others involve rethinking training or coaching approaches. But taken together, they add up. In this blog, Lea Simpson and Amy Jo Dowd break down what we're tweaking, why it matters, and how these small shifts can help move the dial on foundational learning across Sub-Saharan Africa.

Across our portfolio, teams are experimenting with specific bits like materials, teacher training, and ongoing support to refine their programmes. We’re capturing the tweaks and sharing what works and how. In their first learning loop, Impact Network(PEAS) is hoping to learn from, not just one, but two important tweaks. Their Read Smart program is an explicit phonics initiative designed to teach sound-spelling relationships systematically, particularly benefiting students in rural settings with limited exposure to print. As Impact Network(PEAS) scales Read Smart into new government schools, they're investigating how to adapt the program for successful implementation in these contexts. This involves exploring various training and coaching methodologies to identify the most effective strategies for promoting teacher uptake and buy-in. We spoke with Promise Makala, Head of Academics at Impact Network(PEAS), as he shares the details behind the tweaks the team have made to materials and on-going teacher support: Adding a visual checklist of core ReadSmart habits to the materials box and increasing deliberate practice during coaching conversations. Stay tuned for more conversations as we continue to explore the critical components of implementation research.? #uBoraBora #BetterBetter #FoundationalLearning #ContinuousImprovement #SubSaharanAfrica

Every programme has components that could be improved, and small changes can lead to significant results. Small tweaks can lead to big impact.? We’ll be showcasing the work of uBoraBora grantees through a series of videos, so listen in to hear more on the ???????? ???????? ?????? ????????????????, ??????, and ???????? improvements they hope to make. Today, we feature a conversation with Mulondo Henry, Quality Education Assistant Manager at Building Tomorrow . Henry discusses how implementation research is helping them to improve their flagship program, Roots to Rise, which adapts the Teaching at the Right level(TaRL) methodology to the Ugandan context. In their first learning loop, Building Tomorrow provided a sample of teachers and Community Education Volunteers (CEVs) with five new paragraph and story booklets paired with additional training. Henry and the team including Whitney Warren & Nuwamanya Dasan have used all the insights from their first loop, to inform the next iteration of the paragraph booklet, which they will combine with a comprehension assessment to get a more forensic understanding of what P4/P5 learners can do. Check out the video below for a more ?? ?? #uBoraBora #BetterBetter #FoundationalLearning #ContinuousImprovement #SubSaharanAfrica

?? Deadline Extended! ?? Are you a visual storyteller based in Namibia, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Sierra Leone, DRC and Ghana? This is your sign to apply! uBoraBora is still on the lookout for talented videographers, filmmakers, designers, podcasters and creative talent across Africa who can turn research into compelling, high-quality storytelling. The uBoraBora Evidence Studio is pushing the boundaries of impact storytelling, and we need someone who can bring learning to life through video shorts, podcasts, infographics, and more. Right now we are looking for: ? Data visualisers, with a knack for infographics and telling stories in numbers ? Filmmakers and podcasters, who can breathe life into research with compelling video and audio storytelling, and possess strong storytelling and documentary-style filming skills, excellent interviewing capabilities, the ability to work independently on location, and a creative approach to visual storytelling. ?Other kinds of creative talent, like designers, who excel at transforming complex ideas into intuitive, beautiful visuals and writers, who craft clear, engaging narratives that cut through the noise We would love to hear from you! Don’t miss this chance—apply now! ?? New Deadline: Thursday, 20th February, 9 AM UK time ?? Apply here ????https://lnkd.in/enpSUGcZ Know someone perfect for this role? Tag them or share this post! ??? #Storytelling #Filmmaking #Impact

?????? ?????? ?? ???????????? ?????????????????????? ?????????? ???? ??????????????? uBoraBora is looking for a talented videographer who not only has technical excellence but also possesses the curiosity, values, and perspective needed to make evidence-based stories resonate globally. The uBoraBora Evidence Studio has been set up to amplify the stories of implementers in brilliant ways. Our goal is to go beyond the traditional way of capturing impact and instead, package up learnings? in video shorts, podcasts, infographics and the other ways we know people enjoy using to learn. We need someone who will go beyond and breathe life who can breathe life into research with compelling video and audio storytelling. ? ???????????? ???????????????????????? ???????????? – Ability to translate technical or academic insights into compelling visual narratives. ? ???????????????????? ???? ??????????????????????-?????????? ?????????????? – Skilled in capturing real-world settings and authentic human interactions. ? ???????????? ???????????????????????? ???????????????????????? – Comfortable guiding subjects through structured but natural conversations. ? ?????????????? ???? ???????? ?????????????????????????? ???? ???????????????? – A self-sufficient professional who can operate efficiently with minimal supervision. ? ???????????????? ?????????????????????? ?????? ???????????????????? ?????????????????? – Understanding of the region and the nuances of working with local communities. ? ????????-?????????????? ???????????????????? ?????????????????? – Ability to deliver crisp visuals, clear audio, and smooth editing. ? ???????????????? ???????????????? ???? ???????????? ???????????????????????? – Bringing fresh, engaging, and visually appealing ways to present information. Do you know someone who would be perfect for this opportunity? Share it with them! Apply here ?? ?? https://lnkd.in/enpSUGcZ Deadline for applications is ???????????? ???????? ????????????????, ?????? ???? ????????

??????????????????, ???????? ?????? ????????????????????, ??????????????????, ???????????????????? ?????? ?????????? ???????????????? ???????????? ???????????? ???????????? uBoraBora is part of a movement dedicated to continuously improving foundational literacy and numeracy in sub-Saharan Africa. We work with seven incredible school networks who are at the frontier of implementation research.These teams work with teachers, coaches, school leaders and district staff to solve gnarly challenges and they are using methods to tweak their implementation to get better teaching and learning outcomes. We’re here to put this learning on a global platform so others can use? what we learn to understand the ‘how’ and ‘why’ something works at scale. We know that these important insights on how to learn and adapt can often be buried in reports that sit behind a paywall or gather digital dust. Yet many school networks and teams like ours? are doing important work to significantly improve learning outcomes that can transform the work of others. The uBoraBora Evidence Studio has been set up to amplify the stories of implementers in brilliant ways. Our goal is to go beyond the traditional way of capturing impact and instead, package up learnings? in video shorts, podcasts, infographics and the other ways we know people enjoy using to learn. Now we need talent that’s close to the action and local to some amazing foundational literacy and numeracy implementers, such as Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Namibia, Sierra Leone and Ghana, to turn their insights into stories, so that we can turn those stories into impact. Right now we are looking for: ? ???????? ??????????????????????, with a knack for infographics and telling stories in numbers ?????????????????????? ?????? ????????????????????, who can breathe life into research with compelling video and audio storytelling ??????????? ?????????? ???? ???????????????? ????????????, ???????? ??????????????????, who excel at transforming complex ideas into intuitive, beautiful visuals and writers, who craft clear, engaging narratives that cut through the noise Apply here ?????? https://lnkd.in/enpSUGcZ Deadline for applications is????????????? ???????? ????????????????, ?????? ???? ????????

We are delighted to be able to share news of our co-investment from USAID for our work on uBoraBora which we began with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation earlier this year. We care deeply about the power of implementation research to find answers to the tricky and gnarly implementation challenges we so often see in global education. This funding will help us to: ?? Make existing IR evidence easier to find and more user-friendly. ?? Capture evidence-based ways to learn and adapt ?? Support funders to make even more IR possible We’re excited about what lies ahead!