For education reform to move beyond policy rhetoric and find a place in teachers' practice, the critical role of teachers must be acknowledged. Moving beyond a focus on the "what" of educational reform to the "how", this study explores the enabling conditions for implementing learner-centred education in the Maldives. Using design-based research, an interventionist methodology, the key role of teachers and their professional development needs was investigated. A pedagogical intervention was developed and studied in a Maldivian island school. Data were collected through questionnaires, interviews and fieldnotes to document the processes and circumstances that influenced teachers' enactment of innovative practices. The findings highlighted the importance of professional development focused on teachers' access to new knowledge and ideas, the school-based conditions necessary for transferring knowledge into practice, and the need for ongoing refinement in working towards the desired pedagogical goal. The paper concludes with three overarching design principles, a theoretical output of design-based research, intended to inform similar innovations in other relevant settings.