FREE SHORT COURSES FOR TEACHERS OF ENGLISH
UNIVERSITY OF COLOMBO & PIMD COLLABORATION
ELEVATE YOUR TEACHING PRACTICE
Join the University of Colombo and Partners in Micro-development (PIMD) for our free, online professional development courses tailored for English language teachers in Sri Lanka.
These courses are designed to strengthen teachers’ theoretical understanding and classroom practice in teaching English literacy skills, with a strong emphasis on evidence-based approaches, local classroom realities, and practical application.
WHO CAN APPLY?
• Primary & Junior Secondary Teachers: Refine your daily teaching techniques.
• Teacher Educators & In-service Advisors: Gain methods to support your colleagues.
• Pre-service Teachers & Recent Graduates: Prepare for your entry into the classroom.
• Education Professionals: Upskill in research-based English literacy instruction.
Our curriculum consists of four courses, designed to be taken in sequence:
• Course 1: Teaching Phonological Awareness and Phonics (Required Entry Point)
Covers the structure of English (phonology/orthography), sound awareness, and explicit phonics instruction. Includes access to an AI-powered lesson plan generator.
• Course 2: Teaching Language and Reading Comprehension
Focuses on vocabulary depth, syntax awareness, and reading for meaning (inference).
• Course 3: The Lotus Reading Program
Introduces a structured approach to reading lessons using the Lotus eLibrary (featuring localized Sri Lankan themes).
• Course 4: Screening, Monitoring, and Assessment
A capstone course on diagnosing specific reading gaps and designing remedial instruction.
COURSE CURRICULUM
Teaching Phonological Awareness and Phonics for English in Schools
This course provides teachers with a strong foundation in:
• the structure of spoken and written English (phonology and orthography);
• developing students’ phonological (sound) awareness for English (words, syllables, onset-rime, phonemes);
• systematic and explicit phonics instruction – the relationship between sounds and letter/letter combinations in English (alphabetic code) and spelling patterns and rules for fast, accurate word recognition; and
• classroom-ready instructional routines and activities including an AI-powered webapp (https://phonics.microdevpartners.org/ ) for generating ready to use lesson plans
This course is the required entry point for all participants.
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Teaching Language and Reading Comprehension
This course focuses on how to help students develop their language skills for reading comprehension, specifically:
• activating background knowledge before reading;
• developing vocabulary depth through pre-, during, and post-reading activities;
• the importance of syntax awareness in understanding the mean of sentences; and
• how to infer meaning from texts going beyond what is stated explicitly in the text – an essential skill for reading to learn (as distinct from learning to read).
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The Lotus Reading Program
This course introduces a structured approach to conducting reading lessons using a variety of text types. The approach is designed to integrate and strengthen the skills covered in the previous two courses. This structured approach can be applied in small group and whole class teaching. Participants are given free access to the Lotus eLibrary (https://lotuslibrary.kotobee.com/ ) of electronic story books (ebooks) designed specifically for the Sri Lanan context with Sri Lankan themes.
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Screening, Monitoring and Assessment of Literacy Skills
This final capstone course in the curriculum, shows teachers how to use screening and assessment tools to diagnose a student’s specific reading skills gap(s) and design remedial instruction programs.
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KEY INFO
Free of charge
Each course is available for 12 weeks to allow participants to move at their own pace.
Online and self-directed. There are no scheduled or live face-to-face classes. Learners are responsible for following instructions and completing all modules
English
Participants who successfully complete course requirements will receive a certificate issued by the Faculty of Arts – Extension Courses, University of Colombo and Partners In Micro-development.
March 18, 2026
March 30, 2026
1. Review the Requirements: Ensure you are prepared to manage your own learning schedule, as these are self-directed modules.
2. Submit Application: Use the official form here: https://forms.gle/MMsDGSF2iXHMZ2Cx8.
2. Double-check your contact details and information before submitting to ensure there are no delays in your registration.
ONGOING RESOURCES
If you are interested in broader topics regarding literacy instruction, PIMD maintains a library of past seminars. You can explore those recordings here: PIMD Seminars and Events.
