Increase use of practical teaching methods— Education experts
Experts in education have called for an increase in the use of teaching and learning methods that are practical and centre on the learner in schools in the country.
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According to them, the performance of students or pupils could improve significantly if teachers engaged them in learning activities that promote interest and understanding in the subjects being taught.
Such learning activities, known as Active Learning Methods, include role play, group work, creative writing, storytelling, simulation, experimentation and demonstration.
Quality Improvement Programme
The experts made the call at a ceremony in Tamale organised to showcase the success of the Basic Education Quality Improvement Programme (BEQUIP), a project under which a number of teachers, college tutors and other education officers were trained to improve their use of Active Learning Methods.
Two international development organisations, IBIS and EDUKANS, and the University of Amsterdam, collaborated with the Ghana Education Service (GES) and selected colleges of education to implement the project in parts of the Northern, Upper East and Volta regions.
Among the key speakers were UNESCO's Head of Office and Representative to Ghana, Mr Tirso Dos Santos, IBIS' Ghana Country Director, Mr Ahmed Hamza Tijani and the acting Deputy Director of the Teacher Education Division of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Mr Gershon Dorfe.
Active learning methods
According to Mr Tijani, the BEQUIP project focussed on increasing the use of Active Learning Methods in schools in order to enhance student's learning outcomes.
"This is simply because research has proven that children learn better when they are engaged in practice, rather than just theory," he said.
Mr Tijani underscored the need to replicate or upscale such interventions in the country, adding that "we are open to partner with other organisations on these interventions and we are positive such partnerships would begin from here."
Meanwhile, principals of the Bagabaga, St John Bosco and Dambai colleges of education, who were present, said though teacher trainees were trained on Active Learning Methods, they failed to practise these methods after graduation.
They, therefore, called for greater emphasis on ensuring that teachers used learner-centred methods in the classrooms.
