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Southeast Asia Literacy Instruction Fellow Room to Read

Room to Read (RtR) 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 organizations, and governments, we develop literacy skills and the habit of reading among primary school children and support girls to complete secondary school with relevant life skills to succeed in school and beyond. We currently work in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Laos, Nepal, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Vietnam, and Zambia. RtR is a results-driven organization that seeks to intervene early in a child’s life to provide ongoing educational opportunities in their communities. We are non-governmental, non-religious, and work with many local NGOs and community-based organizations to implement our programs. We have developed a successful approach to building educational infrastructure and opportunities which consist of:
  • Partnering with communities to build schools through challenge grants
  • Establishing bi-lingual libraries
  • Publishing local language children's books
  • Establishing computer and language labs
  • Providing long-term scholarships to girls
RtR is making a real impact on the world! With more than 5.1 million children accessing our 1,442 schools, 11,246 bilingual libraries and 10,590 girls in our long-term scholarship program - we are providing opportunities that change lives and communities throughout the developing world. Our long term goal is to reach more than 10 million children by 2015.
Room to Read’s Literacy Strategy
Literacy is part of the right to a basic education and is crucial for economic, social, and political participation and development. In order for children to acquire literacy skills to become lifelong readers and learners, one crucial input is regular access to books and other reading materials, which are scarce in many of the communities where RtR operates. RtR establishes libraries and publishes local language books to fill this gap. Since our inception, however, we have witnessed that children often do not have the grade-appropriate literacy skills needed to take full advantage of the Reading Room and Local Language Publishing resources. To achieve the long-term goal of making all children independent readers at the primary level, RtR has initiated Literacy Instruction pilot programs for reading instruction and reading skills enrichment in primary schools. The pilots focus on providing supplemental teaching materials/aids and teacher professional development to support existing literacy instruction in the schools where we work. Our learning from the pilots in each country context will help us develop a strategy that both capitalizes on our organizational strengths built over the last decade and defines a clear and carefully constructed path to the goal of increased literacy and a habit of reading among the children with whom we work.
Opportunity Overview
The Southeast Asia Literacy Instruction Fellow will have the opportunity to build additional experience in early grades literacy work by supporting our ongoing programs in Cambodia, Laos, and potentially Vietnam. Pilot programs in Laos and Cambodia are entering their second year (in the 2011-2012 school year) with newly revised strategies for Grade 1 and initial strategies for Grade 2. A pilot program in Vietnam is expected to be launched in the near future.
This opportunity aims to optimize learning for both RtR and the Fellow. The Literacy Instruction Fellow will work in collaboration with the Southeast Asia Program Manager for Literacy Instruction to support RtR country teams in Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam with the implementation, revision, and expansion of their pilot programs that fall in line with RtR’s new strategic plan for Literacy. The Literacy Instruction Fellow will be responsible for supporting inputs into key aspects of the literacy program, including materials development, training, monitoring, and reporting. This one-year, fixed-term full-time position will be based in either Laos or Cambodia and will report directly to the Southeast Asia Program Manager for Literacy Instruction.
Primary Duties and Responsibilities:
· Collaborate with the Southeast Asia Program Manager for Literacy Instruction on program support to Literacy Instruction teams in Laos and Cambodia. Main duties will include:
o Working with country teams to develop and revise manuals and modules, such as learning materials, teacher training and practice manuals and field facilitator guidelines, based on feedback and lessons learned from teachers and partners;
o Working with country teams to develop a system for documenting best practices and lessons learned to inform ongoing research, materials development, program revisions, and decision-making;
· Travel periodically to Laos and Cambodia (with possible visits to Vietnam) to review implementation of Literacy Instruction programs in schools and provide hands-on support to country offices, as required. Support could encompass any one of the following areas:
o Ongoing implementation and revision of literacy program materials and training for Grades 1 and 2;
o Capacity building for literacy facilitators in the areas of classroom observations and coaching;
o Producing and fine-tuning guidelines for baseline and endline assessments;
o Developing team skills and understanding of early grades literacy instruction from both a theoretical and practical perspective;
o Compiling and reviewing donor reports in collaboration with the country teams.
· Research educational issues, especially as they relate to literacy programs and RtR programs, as well as stay abreast of global trends and challenges in the field of developing literacy skills among children;
· Liaise with the Global Literacy Team and country teams to develop guidelines for standard practices, policies, and specifications to guide the Literacy Instruction program and research;
· Recommend improvements to the Literacy Instruction program to more efficiently and effectively manage the Literacy Instruction pilots in Southeast Asia;
· Participate in any other activities, which may be required to be undertaken to fulfill the objectives of the literacy instruction program.
Job Requirements
Qualifications
Required
  • A master’s degree in a related field of study;
  • Prior experience living and/or working abroad in a developing country context;
  • A minimum of 3-5 years of relevant professional experience;
  • Experience working with or studying reading/literacy or learning improvement programs;
  • Good understanding of interactive teaching methodologies, lesson planning, and curriculum development;
  • Experience developing educational learning materials for students and/or teachers;
  • Experience facilitating training programs for teachers;
  • General understanding of monitoring and evaluation;
  • Prior success working closely, and building relationships, with diverse groups of people and organizations;
  • Ability to juggle multiple priorities simultaneously and take initiative;
  • Ability and desire to live in Southeast Asia and travel frequently;
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English;
  • Ability to work creatively with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Desired
  • Experience in teaching and/or language education at the primary school level, in particular Grades 1-3;
  • Ability to speak Lao, Khmer, and/or Vietnamese a plus.
To be successful as a member of the RtR team, you will also:
  • Have a passion for our mission and a strong desire to impact a dynamic non-profit organization;
  • Be an innovative and creative thinker – you are not afraid to try something new and inspire 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.
Compensation:
This position will be offered a monthly salary that is commensurate with experience and skill set. The non-monetary compensation includes a unique opportunity to be part of an innovative, meaningful, fun, and rapidly growing organization that is changing the world through education. We have a work environment that promotes lifelong learning, laughter, and professional growth.
Application Procedure:
Please send a cover letter and resume by email, with “Southeast Asia Literacy Instruction Fellow” in the subject line, (no letters, calls, faxes, or drop-ins) to asiahiring@roomtoread.org. We anticipate that this will be a 12-month position with the potential to extend. All applications will be carefully reviewed, but due to high applicant volume, you may not receive a response from RtR. Application deadline: 30 November 2011
Room to Read is an equal opportunity employer committed to identifying and developing
the skills and leadership of people from diverse backgrounds.