Teachers' Stories of Agency and Innovation: Visual Stories for Reflection and Discussion. A Resource Pack.

The visual story cards in this resource pack Teachers’ Stories of Agency and Innovation: Visual Stories for Reflection and Discussion are part of the Teacher Agency and Innovation in Tanzania (TAIT) research project. The six short comics are based on the real words and stories that Tanzanian secondary teachers shared with the TAIT research team in 2025–2026. There are versions of the comics in English and Kiswahili. They are intended for use in: workshops or small group conversations; CPD sessions; staff or department meetings; school leadership discussions. 

The concept of teacher agency is increasingly used in education research, policy and practice to understand teachers’ central role in providing quality education. The term teacher agency is not commonly used in Tanzanian education. It doesn’t have a simple translation, and it cannot be simply defined. However, it offers a useful way to understand how teachers make decisions, take action - or not - and respond to the situations they face at work. These stories aim to capture some of the everyday experiences and challenges of teaching, and the ways teachers navigate them. We hope they spark curiosity, reflection, and meaningful discussion about what agency and innovation might look like in different education contexts. 

TAIT research project (2024 – 2026) was conducted in partnership between the University of Glasgow and University of Dar es Salaam, and was funded by the Aga Khan Foundation, as part of the Schools2030 initiative.