Kigali, Rwanda – The Learning Systems Institute at Florida State University is piloting the Primary Teaching Residency Program (PTRP) at two Teaching Training Institutions in Rwanda. Funded by the U.S.-based Rainwater Charitable Foundation, the PTRP is designed to raise the standards for primary school instruction in Rwanda.

The focus of the project is to strengthen pre-service teachers' (residents') evidence-based pedagogical skills, provide them with extensive teaching practice and develop their English and information and communication technology (ICT) skills.

Dr. Ana H. Marty, a research faculty, ECE and literacy specialist at LSI, serves as the project's Principal Investigator. LSI’s Dr. Marion Fesmire and Kate Schell are also working on the project. The PTRP is a consortium initiated by the Minister of Education in Rwanda and formed by LSI, Bridge2Rwanda and Inspire, Educate, and Empower Rwanda.

The project is showing encouraging results after just two terms. During term two, more than 80 teacher residents (TRs) in the program used targeted instructional strategies and received a performance rating of "meets" or "exceeds" expectations in all three observed lessons in the term. The TRs' knowledge, skills and attitudes in literacy, math and science continued to grow and the TRs continued increasing their engagement with online Canvas and in-person academic programming.

“This is a unique opportunity given by the Rwanda Ministry of Education to design and implement a fourth-year program to address some of the current gaps in the preservice education system,” said Dr. Marty. “We are in awe of the commitment of our fellow in-country partners, B2R and IEE, and how well we are working together. The residents are demonstrating pedagogy-related growth, and we are eager to see them ace their final assessment exercises.”

Among the additional achievements reported were TRs being more confident in teaching, continuing to demonstrate growth in their ability to teach in different subjects, integrating the targeted pedagogical strategies in their lesson plans and teaching, reporting increased confidence and ability in English literacy and demonstrating increased speed and ease with ICT. The TRs expressed how having extended opportunities to practice instruction in the reality of the primary classroom impacted their confidence and agency as beginning teachers. There was also a 0% attrition rate during the term.

"I have gained the confidence to be a teacher compared to how I was before," said one of the residents. "Before this program, I was able to teach, but I was unable to vary strategies for catering to all learners in my lessons. Not only in terms of methodology but also in English professionalism. I mean, using English as the medium of instruction has been improved. This is what I have gained in the PTRP program since it started. I am excited to extend this experience."

“I have gained much confidence as well as experience,” reported another resident. “Before this program, I used to hesitate while I was teaching, especially how to follow the steps of teaching effectively. Not only the hesitation but I also used to have challenges about how to apply games or learning through play…but right now, I am full of confidence to do that effectively. In addition to that, I also developed the ability to apply evidence-based pedagogy with much confidence and optimism.”

The PTRP is one of the significant milestones in the country's commitment to advancing education. It exemplifies Rwanda’s dedication to excellence in education by taking a bold step toward improving teacher competence, skills and qualifications and creating a conducive environment for both teachers and students in the pursuit of quality education in the country.

For 55 years, LSI has delivered systems that measurably improve the learning and performance of organizations and individuals in Florida and globally. Our experts' advanced research provides state-of-the-art methods and a clear path for implementation. To learn more about the PTRP Activity or LSI, please visit LSI.FSU.edu for information.