TaRL Africa French Language Consultant

Teaching at the Right Level Africa (TaRL Africa) seeks a language consultant to help explore how to adjust the TaRL approach to French in Côte d’Ivoire. 

Country: Côte d’Ivoire
Education: Master’s
Language Requirement: English, French
Length of Commitment: 3 months
Start Date: 15 January 2020

About TaRL Africa

TaRL Africa is a new initiative jointly led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) and the Indian Education NGO Pratham.

TaRL is an evidence-based approach that helps children develop basic reading and mathematics skills, opening doors to a brighter future. Pioneered by Pratham, TaRL is based on several key elements at the classroom level: Using a simple tool, children are assessed on their ability to read and do arithmetic. Children are then grouped for instruction by ability, rather than by grade. For a dedicated time each day, the focus is on building foundational skills through activities and materials appropriate for each group. As children progress, they move to the next learning group and continue to grow.

TaRL in Côte d’Ivoire

The Teaching at the Right Level approach (locally known as Programme d’Enseignement Ciblé (PEC) was piloted in 50 schools in the regions of Méagui and Gabiadji from November 2018 to May 2019. This was one of a number of pilots funded by the Jacob’s Foundation’s Transforming Education in Ivory Coast (TRECC) Program in collaboration with the Ministry of Education. This was the first time TaRL has been tried in French. The results were positive, with large shifts in learning outcomes.  

Responsibilities

  • Learn about the TaRL approach through engagement with the TaRL Africa central teams, especially the Content leads, engagement with the CIV country team, and by visiting schools conducting PEC in Côte d’Ivoire. Work with the teams to understand how TaRL works in mother tongue, including possibly visiting India to see TaRL in action in the classroom. 
  • Conduct research on how TaRL is being taught in French in CIV
    • Critically evaluate the TaRL approach against the backdrop of an ‘alphabetic nature of French written language.’ For example, what should teachers do when many of the words in the paragraphs cannot be decomposed using the syllable chart?
    • Observe how TaRL is being taught in the classroom. Conduct interviews with teachers and mentors about how they approach teaching TaRL in French. Compare this with the TaRL approach in mother tongue.
    • Study how children are obtaining new information. For example, study how well the children are learning to decode vs memorizing words. 
  • Draft ideas of how to strengthen the TaRL approach in French for CIV and possibly for use in other countries, in conjunction with the TaRL Africa Content team
  • Write a report on findings, to be shared with TaRL Africa team and other stakeholders

Requirements

  • Advanced degree in language acquisition, especially focused on French as a second language
  • Demonstrated work experience in Francophone Africa
  • Strong research background with publications in related fields within last 5 years
  • Expertise in French language acquisition 
  • Excellent communication in oral and written French and English 
  • Interest in learning about Teaching at the Right Level and openness to integrating ideas from a diverse team 

Preferred

  • Experience working as a teacher, especially in primary schools
  • Experience in Côte d’Ivoire
  • Prior engagement with Pratham and Teaching at the Right Level

How to Apply

Interested candidates should fill in the application form: tarl.info/apply-flc by 15 January 2020. If you have any questions, please direct them to info@teachingattherightlevel.org (note: applications received by email will not be considered). Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.