The Better Environmental Science Teaching Programme in Zimbabwe

The author skillfully traces the history of innovation and agency in institutionalising quality environmental science teaching and learning in the Zimbabwe primary education system. The book provides the story behind the BEST project,the innovation and agency among the actors, and the challenges of institutionalising education change through an evolving training cascade. BEST provided an example of the potency of a cascade model in building capacity for quality teaching and learning in both primary schools and in primary teachers colleges. The history of science and environmental science teaching in primary schools and primary teachers colleges provides a glimpse into ideological tensions and contradictions and the structural changes as they impacted curriculum innovation in an education system emerging from minority rule to achieve democracy and majority rule. It shows the merits of coupling local innovation and agency with external donor partner support to create opportunities for transforming instructional practices. The BEST project narrated here provided rich experiences that should not be lost by educational change managers and project leaders.