The founding Dean of the University of Ghana’s School of Education and Leadership, Professor Jonathan Fletcher, has urged educators to embrace continuous learning, collaboration and innovation.
This, he said, would improve teaching in the country and prepare learners for leadership.
“Educators need to embrace lifelong learning and collaboration.
This will enable us to enhance teaching and prepare learners to lead,” he said.
He made the call at the 10th TIME Educators’ Conference organised by the Ghana International School (GIS) in Accra last Saturday.
The TIME Educators’ Conference was established in October 2016 to create a platform for teachers to share knowledge, learn from one another and improve classroom practice.
The conference provides opportunities to exchange practical teaching methods, discuss challenges and explore approaches that can be adapted to different school environments.
TIME stands for Transform, Inspire, Motivate and Educate. Over the past decade, the conference has grown from an initiative involving about 30 presenters from GIS to an event attracting more than 1,000 participants and nearly 100 presenters.
The 10th edition was held on the theme, “10 Years of Impact: Transforming Education, One Teacher at a TIME.”
Prof. Fletcher said Ghana had made progress in improving teaching practices over the past decade, citing the growing number of teachers able to meet the National Teachers’ Standards.
“In 2017, when we developed National Teachers’ Standards, at that time I could not say that more than 10 per cent of teachers could actually teach to those standards. At least 68 per cent of our teachers can do that,” he said.
He credited the TIME conference with helping to spread improved teaching practices from GIS to other schools across the country.
Prof. Fletcher said education had moved beyond the traditional approach of teachers transmitting knowledge to learners, requiring educators to adopt methods that encouraged students to develop their own understanding.
Having taught for 51 years and trained teachers for 46 years, he said the teaching profession had undergone significant changes, particularly in how educators approached learning.
He urged educators to continue updating their skills and working with colleagues to develop teaching methods that responded to the changing needs of learners.
He said learners needed more than subject knowledge to thrive in a changing world, identifying critical thinking, creativity, resilience and empathy as important qualities educators should help develop.
He urged teachers to consider how their methods could equip students to take responsibility, solve problems and lead in their communities.
On artificial intelligence (AI) in education, Prof. Fletcher said the technology could support teaching and learning but had to be used ethically.
He said educators needed to protect academic integrity by ensuring that students understood work they submitted, particularly when AI had been used to prepare assignments.
“While AI can be useful in supporting learning and formative assessment, educators need to exercise caution when using it in summative assessment,” he stated.
Prof. Fletcher said teachers could use face-to-face interviews to establish whether students understood the content of assignments they submitted with AI assistance.
Changing educational needs
The Principal and Head of School at GIS, Nadia O. Bruce-Müller, said the changing needs of students and developments in education required teachers to keep learning and adapting their approaches.
“Our students are changing; the educational landscape ecosystem is changing.
We can’t do it the same way we used to do it,” she said.
She said the conference’s growth reflected the importance of creating opportunities for educators to share ideas and take practical lessons back to their classrooms.
The programme also featured two senior student presenters, broadening opportunities for students to contribute to discussions about education.
GIS provides about 100 to 200 free registrations or sponsored places for teachers from public and private schools to participate in the annual conference, helping extend its professional development opportunities beyond the school.
