New publication by RTI Press explores the many ways in which teachers around the world are supported throughout their professional careers to improve teaching and learning

By: Flavia Ramos-Mattoussi

New publication by RTI Press explores the many ways in which teachers around the world are supported throughout their professional careers to improve teaching and learning.  Thanks to David Evans, Silvia Montoya, Sharath Jeevan for reviews and to all co-authors including Tifa Asrianti, Adrienne Barnes, Guy Bostock, Nancy Clark-Chiarelli, Stephen Backman, Marion Fesmire, Jarret Guajardo, Karon H. Molly Hamm-Rodríguez, Simon King, Scott Kipp, Lee Nordstrum, Dawit Mekonnen, Alison Pflepsen, Mitchell Rakusin, Flavia Ramos-Mattoussi, Emily Richardson, Timothy Slade. You can download the book “Cultivating Dynamic Educators: Case Studies in Teacher Behavior Change in Africa and Asia” by Sarah Remington Pouezevara from the RTO Press website. https://www.rti.org/rti-press-publication/cultivating-dynamic-educators

In Chapter 2: “Changing Teacher Educators’ Conceptions and Practices Around Literacy Instruction: Lessons from Teacher Educators’ Professional Development Experiences in Ethiopia” the Florida State University team examined the contribution of the pre-service interventions within the Reading for Ethiopia’s Achievement Developed Technical Assistance (READ-TA) program, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) from October 2012 through December 2017. The Learning Systems Institute at FSU was a partner to RTI International on the RAD TA project from 2012 to 2017.  The FSU team worked in five regions of the country, targeting seven national languages. Ethiopia has two chartered cities (Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa) plus nine national region states: Afar; Amhara; Benishangul-Gumuz; Gambela; Harari; Oromia; Somali; Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region (SNNPR); and Tigray. As of early 2018, more than 20 local languages were being used as languages of instruction in Ethiopia. READ-TA targeted seven of the most widely spoken languages of instruction.

The professional development activities implemented by the FSU/LSI team of researchers and teacher educators included engagement of Ethiopian educators in module development, adaptation of the modules and related materials into seven mother tongues, and training on the module contents. The pre-service teacher education program prepares student teachers to teach in the mother tongue used as the language of instruction in grades 1–8 in each of the nine regions of the country. Of particular interest were revisions of the mother tongue pre-service teacher education program and the related professional development for teacher educators and student teachers (we use the term teacher educators to refer to the lecturers and instructors at the colleges of teacher education and the term student teachers to refer to the students at colleges of teacher education, also referred to in Ethiopia as “teacher-trainees” and “wouldbe-teachers”).

The chapter describes the extent to which teacher educators’ involvement across multiple initiatives promoted changes in conceptions of literacy instruction; depth of understanding of literacy content; and student-centered, participatory teaching and learning pedagogy.

Suggested citation: Mekonnen, D., Fesmire, M., Barnes, A., Backman, S., Ramos-Mattoussi, F. (2018). Changing Teacher Educators’ Conceptions and Practices on Literacy Instruction: Lessons from Teacher Educators’ Professional Development Experiences in Ethiopia.  In Pouezevara, S. R. (Ed.) (2018). Cultivating dynamic educators: Case studies in teacher behavior change in Africa and Asia. (RTI Press Publication No. BK-0022-1809). Research Triangle Park, NC: RTI Press. DOI: 10.3768/rtipress. 2018.bk.0022.1809. https://www.rti.org/rti-press-publication/cultivating-dynamic-educators