The Learning Systems Institute at Florida State University is entering its fifth year working in Zambia on the Transforming Teacher Education Activity. The USAID-funded project, led by LSI, aims to strengthen the capacity of Zambia’s pre-service teacher training institutions to improve student learning outcomes.
During year three of the activity, LSI staff and its partners finalized new instructional modules for language and literacy for use in pre-service teacher training programs in colleges of education (COE), trained lecturers from 12 colleges and universities on the new materials, developed and rolled out of a revised school experience approach along with accompanying guidelines and observation tools, and provided support to two Zambian lecturers to participate in FSU residencies and two Zambian lecturers to participate in master’s degree programs.
“I’m proud of the work that the TTE team has accomplished through year four,” said Stephanie Simmons Zuilkowski, LSI’s Associate Director for Research and the TTE Project Director. “We’re looking forward to building on the knowledge foundations the lecturers now have and furthering the development of their pedagogical skills.”
In 2024-25, TTE will continue to move towards improved knowledge and pedagogy in early grade reading instruction among lecturers and student teachers, greater capacity among lecturers to conduct research relevant to early grade reading and pre-service teacher education, professional learning networks among lecturers and increased knowledge of teacher professional ethics. These results are expected to positively impact student learning outcomes, particularly in literacy, as newly trained teachers enter classrooms in the coming years.
