I’m Learning! Research team of Kampuchean Action for Primary Education (KAPE), Cambodia, represented by Mr. Pisseth Hangand Ms. Paola Massa were invited to participate in a 3.5-day workshop on~ 25 and 28 February 2014 in Gulu where research teams from the three “I’m Learning!”~ pilot countries (Cambodia, Uganda, and Zimbabwe), Save the Children members, and the University of Oslo also participate. The workshop considered both the intervention and research components of the project.

The workshop was intended to share and get understanding of the extent of work done so far and work to be done in the near future. Workshop provided participants a clearer view of where “I’m Learning!” stood and concrete plans for next steps, both for the piloting of the programming approach and for the research component. The research teams were also encouraged to identify specific timelines for the development and validation of data collection methods, and for the collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data.

On the third day, the entire team visited different intervention schools with the goal of observing what was taking place on the ground. This visitation helped participants to get a consolidated understanding of how and to what extent interventions are being implemented,and then to identify implications for the research component. To get their views about the project and the challenges they faced daily in their classrooms, some teachers, pupils, senior management teams, and community members were informally interviewed.

Both intervention and research teams had an opportunity to reflect upon the workshop and then identify possible lessons and challenges which were important for further consideration. This will be followed by the development and communication of work plans for the times ahead. The workshop was closed by the closing remarks of Uganda country team at the last minutes of the final day.