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This brief summarizes findings from a pilot teacher professional development program supporting KPLAY, IREX’s Kenya Play Project, in low-resource settings.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & 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\nTeaching in  \nKenya  \nNOVEMBER 2025  \nSUPPORTED BY   \nIntroduction  \nMany Kenyan primary students struggle to  \nacquire foundational literacy and numeracy skills. To improve learning outcomes, Kenya instituteda Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) . This transition reflects a broader global effort to improve education by shifting toward more student-centered approaches. However, several years into the reform, teachers face numerous challenges in enacting the CBC in their classrooms.  \nThis brief presents findings from research on a pilot teacher professional development program designed to support the transition to student-centered teaching in Kenyan primary schools. Specifically, the research explored IREX’s Kenya Play Project (KPLAY), part of the global LEGO Foundation-funded Tech & Play initiative. Education Design Unlimited (EDU) served as the local research partner for KPLAY, with support from the Tech & Play research lead, EDC. The study investigated how teachers implemented and adapted the KPLAY intervention in their classrooms, the supports they required to do so, and the contextual factors that influenced implementation. Insights gained from this research can inform future efforts to strengthen teacher training programs by identifying effective strategies, necessary supports, and potential challenges in scaling similar interventions to transition to studentcentered pedagogies in low-resource contexts.  \n1  \nThe Kenya  \nCompetency-Based Curriculum  \nand the Focus on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy  \nKenya’s transition to the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) represents a major shift from content delivery to competency development.(1) Research across multiple countries highlights that transitioning from a traditional, teacher-centered, lecture-based approach to a studentcentered instructional model is a lengthy, challenging process.(2-4) Teachers and Heads of Institute (HOIs) need substantial training not only in the new pedagogical approach but also in assessment strategies and classroom management strategies.  \nImproving children’s foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) skills and knowledge is a priority of the Government of Kenya. Research across Africa finds that only one in five children achieves the minimum level of proficiency by the end of primary school.(5) In Kenya specifically, three out of five Grade 4 learners cannot read a Grade 3-level text and only 50% can solve a Grade 3-level math problem.(6) Language adds another layer of complexity: English is the official language of instruction, yet  \n2  \nmany children speak other languages at home and in their communities and have minimal English proficiency. Particularly in rural Kenya, most  \nstudents encounter English only in school. Given the scale of the changes required,  \nand the complexity of classroom contexts, teachers need more than isolated training sessions. They need ongoing support and opportunities for learning in schools and classrooms as they try out, reflect on, and improve their skills with new instructional practices and resources.(7, 8)  \nThe Kenya Play Model  \nThe Kenya Play Project (KPLAY) was designed to help Kenyan teachers transition to new instructional practices aligned with the CBC and to increase their use of technology to support this transition. Specifically, KPLAY aimed to equip teachers with actionable, student-centered instructional strategies to enhance FLN and, secondarily, to improve teacher digital literacy. The program was implemented by IREX in partnership with Humans Who Play (HWP) and its technology partner, Edutab Africa, a small Kenyan start-up focused on educational technology.  \nThe KPLAY model was implemented in Kwale and Kilifi counties, two of Kenya’s most underserved regions. A cohort of 100 schools was selected each year and six to seven teachers from Grades 3 to 6 joined the initiative from each school. Additionally, each","cbCaib5mrT3CIdE9","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaib5mrT3CIdE9","pdf",830831,14,"English","# Introduction\n## The Kenya Competency-Based Curriculum and the Focus on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy\n## The Kenya Play Model\n## Focus of the Research","[{\"question\":\"What problem does the KPLAY implementation research brief address?\",\"answer\":\"It addresses challenges Kenyan teachers face in implementing the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), particularly in strengthening foundational literacy and numeracy and shifting toward student-centered teaching.\"},{\"question\":\"What is KPLAY and how was it supported?\",\"answer\":\"KPLAY is IREX’s Kenya Play Project, supported through the LEGO Foundation-funded Tech \\u0026 Play initiative, with Education Design Unlimited (EDU) as the local research partner and other partners contributing to delivery and research leadership.\"},{\"question\":\"What components made up the KPLAY training and support model?\",\"answer\":\"The program included weekend academies, school-based Communities of Practice (COPs) connected to a virtual COP, and coaching visits, with peer learning facilitated through tools like WhatsApp.\"}]","KPLAY Implementation Research Brief - Supporting the Transition to Student-Centered Teaching in Kenya - November 2025 | PDF",1792050324,35]