Room to Read is a non-governmental, non-religious nonprofit organisation that works with many local NGOs and community based organisations to implement programmes of the organisation. Room to Read seeks to transform the lives of millions of children in developing countries by focusing on literacy and gender equality in education. Working in collaboration with local communities, partner organisations and governments, we develop literacy skills and a habit of reading among primary school children.
Room to Read seeks to appoint an Instructional Design and Teacher Support Officer, to be based in Pretoria.
Report to: The Programme Manager
This position will involve frequent travel to field offices, as well as regular interaction with education officials, partners, school administrators, teachers and learners.
Responsibilities:
Overall Technical Support and Guidance
- Develop a thorough understanding of RtR’s Literacy programme design
- Contribute to the preparation of conceptual notes, logical framework/results framework, operation manuals/guidance and related tool kits in local language
- Provide technical support and assistance to the Literacy Programme Officers (Technical) LPOT, Literacy Coaches (LC) and Library Management Facilitators (LMF) with respect to all aspects of the Literacy programmes
- Keep track of progress towards the agreed outcomes
- Along with RM&E colleagues, assist in analysing data from reading assessments and library rating indicators to determine trends, if any and identify areas that need more focused attention. Review and revise programme design, materials and training content accordingly
- In consultation with RM&E colleagues, determine topics for research and further analysis, both at the local/field level as well as at the country level
- Regularly communicate with Operations/ Administration/ Finance/ HR teams at the CO and State levels to ensure smooth implementation of programme activities
- Communicate with GO and other external stakeholders as needed
- Contribute to the preparation of various reports, budget reviews, forecasts and documentation of good practices
- Contribute to contextualising the Worldwide Implementation and Professional Development Modules and other documents/guidance are provided by the Global Professional Development and Technical Assistance team
- Undertake any other work assigned from time to time as assigned by the direct supervisor
Monitoring and Staff Capacity Development
- Review the tools and methodologies used for support and monitoring under the Literacy Programme and improve where necessary
- Collect, collate and analyse monthly reports from the field
- Work with RM&E to use findings from monitoring data to inform school-based support and program improvement
- Attend training and review meetings for L Cs and LMFs
- Monitor progress on implementation of the LP by developing indicators and capturing information against those indicators
- Verify data collected from the field as needed
Teacher Training and Support
- Attend training of teachers for both districts and clusters when required
- Assist in facilitation of training for literacy coaches and library facilitators
- Review and revise training content and materials based on the experiences from the field when necessary
Instruction Design and Materials Development
- Collaborate with the QRM unit to identify age/grade appropriate books for libraries
- Assist in a detailed analysis of the national language curriculum, textbooks and instructional approach
- Assist in content development and design of materials for the literacy instruction intervention, including some or all of the following: picture/word/alphabet/sentence cards, workbooks, teacher’s guides
- Assist with necessary revisions in programme design and activities based on feedback from the field and results from reading assessments and library indicators, in consultation with GO
- Assist the RM&E team to design and develop assessment tools
- Assist in translation of training content, manuals and handbooks into local languages where necessary
- In phase out areas, develop plans for sustaining program interventions beyond RtR support; negotiate such plans with the respective government officials
Requirements:
- Bachelor Degree in education / social sciences or equivalent
- Minimum of five years of relevant experience
- Teaching experience at the primary stage
- Experience in materials development and instructional design
- Knowledge of IsiZulu (written and oral)
- Awareness about language and early grade reading practices and approaches
- Prior experience of and expertise in training and/or coaching
- Strong written and oral communication skills
- Knowledge of other South African languages will be an added advantage
- Have a passion for the organisations’ mission and a strong desire to impact a dynamic nonprofit organisation
- Be an innovative and creative thinker that tries new things and inspires others to do so
- Have a very high level of personal and professional integrity and trustworthiness
- Have a strong work ethic and require minimal direction
- Work well independently as well as part of a team
- Thrive in a fast-paced and fun environment
To apply, visit www.roomtoread.org or alternatively submit your CV to [email protected]
For more about Room to Read, refer to www.roomtoread.org