Teachers Trained to Use Local Materials to Teach Science Practically

The Ghana Education Service has partnered with Practical Education Network (PEN) to train teachers in hands-on science in a bid to eliminate the “chew, pour, pass, and forget” phenomenon in Ghana’s education.

The training workshop took place at the Odorgonno Model Basic School in the Ga Central Municipality and brought together ten (10) science teachers each from Ga Central, Ga North and Weija Gbawe municipalities.

The training forms part of the PEN Teacher Roadmap programme which seeks to fully equip teachers with hands-on pedagogy in the teaching of science and mathematics using locally available materials.

“The latest teacher training techniques place a greater emphasis on classroom practices as another way to improve Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics – STEM Education,” said Madam Winifred Cynthia Aku Gbadago, the Municipal Director of Education for Ga Central.

According to her “effective teachers should use relevant everyday events as a basis for science instructions that foster interest and curiosity. In a way, Kids are by nature curious and need to feed their curiosity and deepen their understanding of scientific concepts. This approach encourages students to take more active roles in figuring out how natural events work instead of being taught those lessons by an instructor.”

She thanked PEN for complementing the good work that GES is doing to make the teaching and learning of science more practical for Ghanaian school children. 

The participating teachers are expected to replicate the activities they have learnt with their learners in the classroom to begin to shift their science lessons from a lecture-based method to a more practical and meaningful learning experience for their learners.