Creativity and Critical Thinking in Teacher Education in Kenya

In Kenya, a competence-based curriculum was officially adopted at primary level as early as 2017. This means that instead of traditional lecturing and exams, education focuses on deeper learning and skills development for students.

Magdalene Dimba, Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences at Strathmore University in Kenya, explains that the bottleneck, however, was teacher training.

“We had done some pilot experiments, but it was clear that more teachers needed training.”

This is where the TOTEMK project came in at the perfect time. Strathmore University, the University of Nairobi, Pwani University, the University of Helsinki and Laurea University of Applied Sciences developed the project to advance teacher education in Kenya, particularly at primary level, from 2020 to 2024.

21st Century Skills

The project created training packages on competence-based learning, 21st-century skills, technology-enhanced teaching and socio-cultural skills.

“The first training, focusing on 21st-century skills, provided a lot of the methods Kenyans needed,” says project coordinator Seija Karppinen, a university lecturer at the University of Helsinki.

Magdalene Dimba also highlights this course as a highly impactful example.

“It delved into critical thinking, creativity, collaboration skills and communication.”

The 21st century skills also required technological literacy and information literacy, as well as a considerable amount of flexibility and adaptability to new things.

The courses were very popular: for instance, at Strathmore University, around 200 lecturers were trained, and the knowledge was spread to 22 universities across Kenya.

“The model is scalable, meaning participants will carry the knowledge forward within their respective universities,” Karppinen says. “They have also formed steering groups where they plan courses and ensure that the training continues.”

Massive Open Online Courses

The project’s course modules were adapted into lighter versions as open online courses, also known as MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses). 

“We had some online courses at Strathmore, but in Kenya, this is generally a new concept,” Dimba says.

“Gamification and masterclass lectures were also integrated into the online courses, which are very popular.”

According to Karppinen, the online courses have spread new ideas to much wider audiences.

“The COVID-19 pandemic was actually a gift to us. It didn’t stop us, even though some of our Kenyan partners initially thought: ‘How on earth can we move teaching online?’” Karppinen laughs.

Although the project ended in August 2024, the online courses will continue at least until 2026, and possibly beyond if funding is secured, he says.

Public Recognition

The TOTEMK project was also recognised at the highest level in Kenya.

In 2023, a report by the Presidential Working Party on the reform of Kenya’s education system was published, and it mentioned the collaboration between Finnish and Kenyan higher education institutions as a good example of advancing competence-based education.

“It’s a great achievement for us to be included in such a prestigious publication,” Seija 

Karppinen says.

The report recommends that all teachers at all universities receive training in competence-based education.

Warm Relationships

Magdalene Dimba takes special pride in the exceptionally warm cooperation between the five institutions.

“We have different cultures within Kenya itself and, of course, between Finns and Kenyans,” she says.

“We are all different, but everyone wanted to put their best foot forward in this project.”

Trust among the partners deepened into friendship, and the meetings were enjoyable, she says. The project created a community of learners, who have also launched new projects and applications together. For example, the collaborative research project REFORD is now in progress, with many of the same members as in the TOTEMK project.

“We built trust, friendship and cooperation, and now we are developing new ways to collaborate. It would be wonderful to create an even bigger and more impactful project in the future.”

Text: Esa Salminen