Malawi Teacher Professional Development Support Project (MTPDS) Teacher's Training Manual

The project aims to improve the quality of education in Malawi by supporting the MoEST in various endeavors, including the implementation of the New Primary Curriculum, Continuous Professional Development, Information Management Systems, Monitoring and Evaluation, and Policy Implementation. One of the core objectives of MTPDS is to improve early grade literacy and numeracy among learners in primary schools. To achieve this goal, the project is implementing an early grade reading intervention in seven districts, which focuses on the development of basic literacy skills and knowledge. The program provides training to teachers, head teachers, and Primary Education Advisors on how to effectively teach reading in the early grades in Chichewa. The training manual is the first in a series of manuals that will focus on effective practices that teachers use in teaching reading. The manual introduces foundational skills that students must learn in order to be able to read, such as letter knowledge, phonemic awareness, syllable reading, word reading, and oral reading abilities, as well as listening and reading comprehension. These skills and knowledge, along with effective practices, form the contents of a package of training for early grade teachers. The manual is designed to be used by teachers in the early grades to improve their teaching practices and to assist learners in developing basic literacy skills. The examples contained in the manual are based on evidence-based data and are intended to support teachers in effectively teaching reading in the early grades. Although the intervention is focusing on Chichewa, the approaches are suitable for teaching any language, including English. The MTPDS project is implemented in partnership with the Malawi Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, and involves collaboration among government officials, scholars, practitioners, and education development professionals. The project aims to improve learning outcomes for all children in Malawi and to contribute to the Primary Curriculum and Assessment Reform (PCAR) initiative. The training manual is the product of a community of educators and professionals who are dedicated to improving early grade literacy and numeracy in Malawi. The manual uses evidence-based data to address the obstacles to literacy attainment facing students in the primary grades and provides a scientifically valid understanding of the specific challenges that teachers face in teaching reading in the early grades. The MTPDS project extends a special appreciation to senior officials of MoEST, including the Secretary for Education, Science and Technology, and the PS for Basic Education, as well as to the staff of the Department of Inspectorate and Advisory Services (DIAS), the Department of Teacher Education and Development (DTED), the Malawi Institute of Education (MIE), and the Centre for Language Studies. The project also thanks USAID for its support in the production of the manual.