Developing and producing reading materials: As easy as A, B, C?

Session Submission Type: Group Panel

Description of Session

As more developing countries adopt policies that support the instruction of basic literacy skills in a child’s mother tongue –especially in sub-Saharan Africa–, the demand for reading materials in local languages is beginning to grow. Currently, however, there is not only a dearth of reading materials in local languages, there is also very low local capacity for developing and producing high-quality instructional materials.

For the past five years, RTI International, in conjunction with national governments, has implemented several large-scale programs for improving early grade reading instruction. These programs have been funded primarily by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as part of its 2011 Education Strategy, the first goal of which calls for improving reading for 100 million school children. A crucial objective of the programs has been the development and distribution of early grade reading instructional materials, frequently in languages with little content available in the market. RTI has therefore amassed a wealth of experience in the complex endeavor of developing and printing high-quality reading materials in contexts where there is limited local know-how about the process of “making books.”

In this group panel, RTI will present the lessons learned through its work in developing and producing reading materials in contexts with high linguistic diversity but low publishing capacity. The presentations will be focused on sharing insights about crucial aspects of the publishing process, such as:

• What are the logical steps through which a teaching methodology and a scope and sequence for reading instruction become a book for use in the classroom? What are some lessons learned about the best way of approaching this process, especially in cases in which books for several languages are being developed at once?
• How much time does the process of conceiving a project, developing a methodology, writing, editing, and finalizing materials for print require? How can decisions on the time allocated for each step of the process affect quality and cost-efficiency?
• What are some of the potential pitfalls that need to be avoided when printing materials in several different languages at once? Which control mechanisms need to be in place to ensure print quality and timely delivery of the finished product?

The panel will begin by briefly explaining the key milestones in the publishing process, from conception through printed and bound product. Then, panelists will present several different approaches to this process that have been used in the contexts of Uganda, Ethiopia, and Nigeria. Conclusions of the panel will suggest some of the ways these lessons can be applied to the continuing global efforts to increase the supply of early grade materials in local languages. The presentation will end with a Q&A session with the audience.

Sub Unit

• SIG: Global Literacy

Chair

• R. Drake Warrick, RTI International

Individual Presentations

• The process of “making books” - Ana Robledo, RTI International

• Adapting existing materials: the experience of the Nigeria Reading and Access Research Activity (RARA) - R. Drake Warrick, RTI International; swadchet sankey, RTI

• Developing materials in 12 local languages and English: the experience of the USAID/RTI Uganda School Health and Reading Program - Ana Robledo, RTI International

• Reaching national scale: the experience of the Ethiopia READ/TA program - Dessalegn Garsamo, RTI International