‘Design programmes to prapare teacher trainees’
The Head of the Centre for Teacher and Action Research, University of Education, Winneba (UEW), Dr (Mrs) Sally Essuman, has appealed to the Ghana Education Service (GES) to design programmes to adequately prepare teacher trainees to meet the challenges of the dynamic society.
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She said in order to thrive in the globalised world in the 21st century, it was necessary for prospective teachers to know and understand a wide array of things about teaching and learning in their social and cultural contexts.
Dr Essuman, who was speaking at the 9th Congregation and the 90th anniversary launch of the OLA College of Education in Cape Coast last Saturday, said: “Teacher trainees must be able to enact these understandings in complex classroom situations, serving diverse students.”
More than 260 students graduated at the ceremony, with Miss Mildred Mawusi Agbedor being adjudged the overall best student.
Learning as a cycle
Dr Essuman said learning was a cyclical and not a straight mechanistic activity; and that learners were creative beings with talents and, therefore, urged them to prepare the learning environment in its best state for proper learning to take place.
Additionally, she said quality in teacher education was also said to be determined by the extent of the relevance of the mission and objectives based on national goals, priorities and targets, which was mainly found in an institution’s programmes.
Dr Essuman commended the college for producing quality female teachers to meet the needs of basic schools and to improve female teacher-ratio at the primary and junior high school levels.
She said the college’s position as a science and mathematics college was very important in the present quest to improve the teaching and learning of science and mathematics in schools, and called on the college to team up with the African Institute of Mathematics and Science for that purpose.
New theories
“Teacher’s work has become more complicated and technical in view of the new theories of psychology, philosophy, sociology, modern media and material. But the teacher can be made proficient with well-planned training programmes at both the pre and in-service levels,” she stressed.
The Principal of the College, Rev. Sister Elizabeth Amoako-Arhen, said the college was committed to the use of education to free every individual and nation from any form of poverty and ignorance, stressing that “Education holds the key to the success and development of individuals, communities and nations. That is why when it comes to matters affecting education in our country, we must handle them objectively devoid of partisan politics.”
She said with the commitment of the college to improve the quality of teaching and learning in basic schools, the institution had improved on methodology for teaching and initiated several interventions to promote activity-based learning.
