Teaching is a challenging profession and we believe that teachers need ongoing training and support once they’re in a classroom. They need to be able to keep up with the latest pedagogical methods to improve learning and to benefit from the experience and support of others in the profession.

We provide empowering and effective teacher materials that enable all of our teachers to teach the best lesson possible. To enable this, fifteen hours of research and design go into every single lesson.

We train teachers on a philosophy of teaching based on four central pedagogical skills packed into a framework called the ‘big four’. This is the core of Bridge’s philosophy on teacher development. These big four teaching skills and associated teaching techniques engage pupils and maximise learning. In addition, teachers are trained to foster a positive classroom environment by eliminating corporal punishment which also enables stronger and more effective pupil teacher relationships to develop.

All of our teachers use electronic teacher guides which provide world-class and grade specific lesson plans grounded in their national curriculum. They’re designed to maximise pupil comprehension and interaction. Teacher guides are an effective method of instruction, especially for teachers in the developing world, who can struggle with literacy and content knowledge.

In addition to removing the burden of lesson planning from teachers; our guides enables transparency in the classroom. It shows how far the teacher is through a lesson; how many children are in the class and lesson comprehension (how they are learning). In looking at this information we know when teachers need help, when and where they’re struggling and when they are excelling.

As in all schools, observation is an important part of our ongoing leadership and development process. Our school leaders do a lesson observation with each teacher—experienced and novice—at least once every one-and-a-half weeks, using tailored tools for assessing teacher performance and providing immediate feedback. This helps our teachers grow in their teaching and ensures they feel supported and encouraged in their work—also, importantly, that their hard work is recognised!

Academic Field Officers observe a lesson with all teachers at least once a month; they are checking that the teacher is delivering the best lesson possible and that they are being supported to do this. This process means that no matter how remote the classroom or, how challenging the environment, all of our teachers are part of a strong, connected and professional network.

Our approach to training, supporting and empowering teachers is yielding extremely positive results and giving teachers pride in their profession.