Disaster didacticism: Pedagogical interventions and the ?learning crisis?

This essay offers a critical perspective on the prevailing language of 'learning crisis' and on the solutions widely promoted by international organisations (IOs) active in lower- and middle-income countries. Focusing specifically on pedagogical interventions, it sets out three cases: foundational learning; information technology; and systematic observation of teachers' classroom practice. Five questions frame the subsequent discussion: 1. What are the potential unintended effects of the language of crisis? 2. Do the understandings of pedagogy embedded in these measures reflect how teaching and learning function in different contexts? 3. In the quest for evidence, what evidence is being overlooked? 4. What are the risks of focusing interventions on literacy and numeracy, and their measurement? 5. What legitimacy do international actors have in defining and measuring quality pedagogy and prescribing interventions?