Interventions to strengthen teaching and learning in contexts of disadvantage

Abstract This chapter focuses on interventions for equity in under-resourced and under-served contexts of teaching and learning. It begins with an overview of the presence of this topic in SEMT, from its emergence in 2005 in a presentation by Bednarz on supporting weak classes in under-privileged schools in Canada to presentations in subsequent conferences, and ends by summarizing the many presentations on the topic in the last two SEMTs. By analysing the content of these presentations, the scale of disadvantage in national systems is identified as a key distinguishing feature that provided a lens for thinking about intervention methodologies, foci, and approaches. The diverse nature of contributions is discussed—including research and intervention foci and geographical location. The chapter then builds on the authors’ SEMT contributions on this topic in 2017 and 2019 to describe some national expansion of their teaching and learning interventions in contexts of disadvantage in South Africa.