Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) Webinar Series

Are you part of an implementing organization or government that is frustrated by inadequate gains in learning outcomes? Are you interested in learning about an effective strategy to improve basic literacy and numeracy?

Join us for a series of webinars about Pratham's Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL), a methodology that has been shown, through rigorous evaluations, to consistently improve basic reading and numeracy skills. Each webinar will feature presentations by Pratham, J-PAL, and a number of our partner organizations and will give you the opportunity to ask questions. The series will cover the following topics:

  1. What is Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL)?
  2. Assessment
  3. Monitoring and Mentoring
  4. Teacher Training
  5. Adapting the TaRL approach to different contexts
  6. Maintaining Quality at Scale

The next TaRL webinar, Maintaining Quality at Scale, will take place on 27 February 2019 at 8:00 AM ET. Please register to attend and submit your questions. We will share the presentations and webinar recordings on this page after each webinar.

In collaboration with Pratham, J-PAL Africa has developed a website which will includes key implementation details and resources on the Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) approach. When coupled with process support, the TaRL website can assist organizations to design effective TaRL programs. Visit the website to learn more. 

Session 1: What is Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL)?

This webinar took place on Wednesday, August 30 and provided an overview of TaRL and discussed the pros and cons of different implementation and design decisions. Rukmini Banerji (CEO, Pratham), Annie Duflo (Executive Director, IPA), and John Floretta (Director of Policy, J-PAL) presented and answered audience questions.

Links to resources from the first session:

Session 2: Assessment

On Friday, October 27, Wilima Wadhwa (Director, ASER Centre), Hannah-May Wilson (Program Manager, PAL Network), and Rachel Glennerster (Executive Director, J-PAL) presented on Assessment.

Wilima Wadhwa discussed the ASER Tool as a spark for action and the role of assessment in highlighting the lack of basic skills, Hannah-May Wilson shared insights from contextualizing the ASER tool across Africa, and Rachel Glennerster presented on how assessment results can inform what teachers do in the classroom.

Links to resources from the second session:

Session 3: Monitoring and Mentoring

The third webinar on Monitoring and Mentoring took place on Thursday, December 7, at 8:00 AM EST. Devyani Pershad (Head of Program Management, Pratham) discussed the role of monitors and mentors in TaRL programs. Benjamin Piper (Senior Director, RTI International) shared research on teacher coaching and innovative ways of collecting data. Hanno Kemp (Program Director, FUEL) talked about how to ensure monitoring data is used to strengthen systems and inform action.

Links to resources from the third session:

Session 4: Teacher Training

On March 6, J-PAL and Pratham hosted the fourth in a series of webinars about Pratham’s teaching at the right level (TaRL) approach. This session focused on Teacher Training. Presenters shared research on the effectiveness of different training programs and discussed Pratham's approach to teacher training. Radhika Bhula (Senior Policy Associate, J-PAL) shared evidence on the effectiveness of teacher training programs. Usha Rane (Director of Content and Training, Pratham) and Meera Tendolkar (Head of Math Content, Pratham) discussed Pratham’s practice-oriented approach to training teachers to implement TaRL.

Links to resources from the fourth session:

Session 5: Adapting the TaRL Approach to Different Contexts

On 11 December 2018, J-PAL and Pratham hosted the fifth in a series of webinars about Pratham’s Teaching at the Right Level approach. This session focused on adapting the approach to different contexts. Emily Cupito (Associate Director of Policy, J-PAL Africa) presented on applying the generalizability framework using the adoption of TaRL in Zambia as an example. Usha Rane (Director of Content and Training, Pratham) shared her experience adapting teaching and learning materials and activities across India and Africa. Moitshepi Matsheng (Co-founder and Country Coordinator, Young 1ove) and Noam Angrist (Co-founder and Executive Director, Young 1ove) discussed how TaRL is being adapted for the Botswana context.

Links to resources from the fifth session: