Presentation by Martin Rainsford on how PIXL techniques can be used to raise school performance in Tanzania, given at Britain Tanzania Society Education Seminar on May 15th 2017

2. Methods to improve literacy in
Swahili and English in Tanzania
A focus on outcomes in secondary
education

3. Improvements in literacy
• The focus of our work is on improving outcomes in national exams for
Kiswahili and English
• This is not the only indicator of improvements in literacy but it is a
very important indicator.
• Good qualifications in Kiswahili and English open the doors to higher
education and employment

4. Context
• Kiswahili is the medium for teaching in primary schools.
• It is for many students their second language with their community
language being their first
• English is the medium for teaching in secondary schools
• It is for many students their third language, after Kiswahili and their
community language
• Kiswahili and English are for many secondary schools their strongest
subjects for CSEE results at the end of Form IV
• 78% of Form IV students passed in Kiswahili in 2016 compared with
18% in Maths

5. Leadership of literacy in secondary schools
• We start from the principle that the people best placed to deliver real
improvement in literacy in secondary schools are:
School leaders, and
Teachers of Kiswahili and English
• Support for these school leaders and teachers is available in relation
to
Resources
Data
Opportunities for collaboration

6. All PiXL schools
• Commit to helping their students achieve their best
possible results.
• Find ways to motivate and encourage students to aim
high.
• Celebrate students’ success.
• Encourage, help and celebrate the success of other
schools.

7. What Headteachers do
• Set important goals for exam results at the
school.
• Commit, lead, create enthusiasm.
• Appoint a ‘Raising Standards Leader’ to work
with the teachers.
• Attend local PiXL hub meetings

8. What Raising Standards Leaders do
• Meet subject teachers and look at teachers'
records for every student.
• Ask the teacher to make an exam grade
prediction for each student.
• Plan how to help each student make grade
improvements in important subjects.
• Report to Headteacher before PiXL hub
meetings.

9. What teachers do
• Plan regular assessments to check how each
student is doing on each topic.
• Keep careful records for every student to show
the Raising Standards Leader.
• Agree with Raising Standards Leader any extra
help each student needs.

10. PiXL techniques
making use of data

11. SEX
CANDIDATENAME
AGGT
DIV
CIVICS
HISTORY
GEOGRAPHY
KISWAHILI
ENGLISHLANGUAGE
PHYSICS
CHEMISTRY
BIOLOGY
BASIC
MATHEMATICS
F A 34 FLD F F F F F D F
F B 35 FLD F F F F F F F F F
M C 21 II D C C D C C C C C
M D 27 IV D C D D D D D D F
M E 26 IV C C D D D D D D F
M F 27 IV D B D D D D F
F G 22 III B C D B C F D D D
F H 18 II B C D B B B C D F
Predicting grades

12. Fine grade predictions
• B1 = Certain to achieve B grade
• B2 = Probable to achieve B grade
• B3 = Might achieve B but in danger of only achieving C grade!

13. SEX
CANDIDATENAME
AGGT
DIV
CIVICS
HISTORY
GEOGRAPHY
KISWAHILI
ENGLISH
LANGUAGE
PHYSICS
CHEMISTRY
BIOLOGY
BASIC
MATHEMATICS
F A 34 FLD F3 F3 F2 F1 F3 D2 F3
F B 35 FLD F1 F2 F3 F1 F3 F2 F2 F2 F3
M C 21 II D2 C1 C3 D2 C3 C3 C2 C2 C3
M D 27 IV D1 C2 D1 D2 D2 D3 D1 D3 F2
M E 26 III C3 C3 D1 D3 D1 D2 D2 D3 F2
M F 27 IV D1 B2 D1 D1 D2 D1 F2
F G 22 III B3 C2 D3 B2 C3 F1 D2 D2 D3
F H 18 II B3 C2 D1 B2 B3 B2 C1 D2 F2
Example of fine grades
• A

14. Making predictions
They are NOT
• Present grade: what student would get today
• Potential grade: what student would get on the best of all days!
They ARE
• Professional Predicted grade: what teacher thinks the student
will get on exam day

15. Predicted Grades Sheet

16. Using grade predications
• Predictions alone don’t change anything.
We must:
•Find out what students don’t know.
•Teach students how to do the things they
cannot do.
•Test to check that they have learnt.

17. PiXL calls it..
• DIAGNOSIS
•Find out what students don’t know.
THERAPY
•Teach students how to do the things they
cannot do
TESTING
•Test to check that they have learnt.

18. Resources for Kiswahili and English CSEE
• Syllabus
• Personalised Learning Checklist
• Past papers and mock exam papers
• Examiners’ reports
• Text books
• Scheme of work
• Lesson plans
• Learning materials

20. Personalised learning checklist

21. Past papers and mock exam papers

22. Examiners’ reports

23. Text books – Tanzania Online Virtual Library
http://www.tovl.ac.tz/books

24. Schemes of work, lesson plans, learning materials
• Resources can be best sought from those teachers and schools which
have the best results in Kiswahili and English in the region.

25. Use of data at class, school and region levels
• In the classroom - tracking students’ progress
• At school level - setting goals and planning interventions during the
exam year to ensure that those at risk of failing actually pass
• Comparing results between subjects within schools and sharing best
teaching and learning practice amongst the teachers in the school
• Comparing results in a subject between schools and sharing best
practice within the district and region

26. Top 10 Schools for Kiswahili in the Rukwa
region in 2016
• KAENGESA SEMINARY
• SANTAKAGWA SECONDARY SCHOOL
• NTUMBE SECONDARY SCHOOL
• ST THERESIA GIRLS SECONDARY SCHOOL
• SICHOWE SECONDARY SCHOOL
• NANKANGA SECONDARY SCHOOL
• ST.MAURUS CHEMCHEMI SECONDARY SCHOOL
• NAMEMA SECONDARY SCHOOL
• KORONGWE BEACH SECONDARY SCHOOL
• AGGREY CHANJI SECONDARY SCHOOL

27. Top 10 Schools for English Language in the
Rukwa region 2016
• SANTAKAGWA SECONDARY SCHOOL
• KAENGESA SEMINARY
• AGGREY CHANJI SECONDARY SCHOOL
• ST THERESIA GIRLS SECONDARY SCHOOL
• KANTALAMBA SECONDARY SCHOOL
• NTUMBE SECONDARY SCHOOL
• SICHOWE SECONDARY SCHOOL
• TAWHEED SEMINARY
• ST.MAURUS CHEMCHEMI SECONDARY SCHOOL
• KILIMANI MAWENI SECONDARY SCHOOL

28. Improving exam performance
• Understand the marking and grading scheme
• Lots of practice with mock exams and past papers
• Constant feedback to students on what they need to do to improve –
assessment for learning
Grade marks
A 100 - 75
B 74 - 65
C 64 - 45
D 44 - 30
F 29 - 0

29. Understand the exam. Example – English
Language
3hr exam 180 minutes
Section A 10 marks 10 questions with 1 mark each
Section B 20 marks 5 questions with 4 marks each
Section C 30 marks 2 questions with 5 marks each and 2 questions 10 marks each
Section D 40 marks 2 questions with 20 marks each
Use of time
Section A 10 marks 18 minutes
Section B 20 marks 36 minutes
Section C 30 marks 54 minutes
Section D 40 marks 72 minutes

30. Finally
•Celebrate success wherever you find it.