Stop using Exams Results to define quality eduaction

Society sometimes confuses memorization with learning and passing examination with success.

Memorization or Passing Standardized Examinations does not guarantee quality education.
We should not pressurized children to memorize and excel in examinations.
Politicians should not forced teachers to pass through hell to ensure their candidates pass Standardized Tests.

The society should not deceive itself into believing that remarkable performance in a Standardized Tests such as the BECE and WASSCE shows quality tuition and quality education.

Education goes beyond all the above. The quality of Education of any nation can be seen in several facets of our national life. It shows itself in our economy,  agriculture, industry,  religion, development,  and the general standard of living of the citizenry.

Quality education would even decide which people govern us. Are you not surprise governments do not give the needed resources and attentions to education. If they do, why  should schools be under trees? Why should some schools be without teachers? Why should we have schools without computers or electricity and yet are expected to be Digitally Literate? Why should we have schools without the adequate number of texts books? Etc.

This should tell you that no politician sincerely wish to improve and provide quality education. What we have currently is well rehearsed gymnastics, sometimes unrehearsed,  and daily noise making in our schools.

Why are the politicians educating their children in the top International Schools outside the country and yet keep on partying and praising themselves for providing quality education.
The high rate of graduate unemployment in the country currently should tell all of us that there is something wrong with our education.

If you want to destroy any nation, do not use atomic bomb or nuclear weapons just destroy their education system and you can get them.

The problem with most of us is that we concentrate on our children passing examinations. So no wonder we will organise series of 'extra classes' just to make them memorize lots of meaningless facts and figures.

Teacher welfare and motivation have not been tabled in any discussion either in parliament or at Cabinet Meetings. The current situation is even worsening the plight of the Ghanian teacher.  Government have absorbed all the fees and have cancelled any form of money collection in schools. Yet, government have not made any provision to pay these absorption. The meager allowances such as the Capitation Grants that schools used to carry out some of its activities are the same source that government is tasking schools to pay for some of these "absorption".

We should not in an attempt to win political points deny schools of the needed resources and yet come back and punish same schools for not improving education in the country.
The Ghanaian child deserves the best education. Governments should as a matter of urgency increase the Capitation Grants and provide all the needed resources to schools. However, if government cannot do it, then government should create employment avenues for parents and should allow parents carry out their parental responsibility of educating their children.

We cannot continue to pay lip service to the issues surrounding education. We, more than any other person know that increased enrollment is not synonymous with quality education. We cannot guarantee our future generation quality education if we continue handling our schools, children, teachers and the curriculum the way we have done it all these years.

Our educational system needs complete overhaul. We need a reform that would take care of the learner's need, the teacher's need, and a reform which will provide a direction for the future.
Ghana's education is on the verge of collapse.  We need to rescue and give direction to our education policy.

Our educational should not be left in the hands of politicians who will just do something to impress the populace all with the aim of scoring political points.

By:
AminuWrites
(Educational Evangelist and Coach)
Contact: 0244299706

Scrap Aptitude Tests and Promote Staff Automatically

SCRAP APTITUDE TESTS AND PROMOTE STAFF AUTOMATICALLY, GES ADVISED.

Almost every school has a head and a Circuit Supervisor. The Heads are not only charged with administrative duties but also monitoring and evaluation of teachers every day within the academic year. These reports is contained in the Annual Performance Appraisal Form, which is easily accessible in the school.

Circuit Supervisors now Circuit Supporters go round schools to ascertain what is contained in the Log books, Appraisal Form, Managerial Tools, etc. They also take time to scrutinize the Lesson Plans and the Teachers Output of Work. They sometimes give advise and counsel teachers.  In some situations, rare of cause, meet out punitive sanctions or report recalcitrant teachers to the education directorate for the necessary action.

In addition to this, a team from the office also visit schools at least once every term for a Comprehensive Inspection to verify all the data provided by the head or Circuit Supervisor.
All these serves as a check on the teacher. These checks and balances are done every term throughout the academic year.

One sad thing about this is the fact that even teachers who are found to have excel during such visits are not promoted whatsoever.

A teacher is only promoted after he or she has successfully completed four complete years of teaching after the last promotion. This promotion is not even automatic. The teacher has to pass through series of interviews, work inspections and now aptitude test before being promoted.

How can you use half an  hour or even an hour to pass a teacher after complete years of hardwork? We all know the existence of interview fever, examination fever, etc, but why do we keep on using it on our professionals.

I recently met a trained teacher with over 30 years experience, but living comfortably, with a rank below Senior Superintendent II.

I know you will be surprise just like I was. He said he could not progress because he does not have the courage to stand before a promotion interview again after two attempts which all proved futile.
But, should we blame him? No. I don't think so. Some of the questions one is subjected to at the

Promotional Interview, sometimes need not to be asked at all. The success or failure of a teacher in class has nothing to do with his religion, gender, ethnic group, marital status, number of children, the Supreme Court, the Woyome Case, Menzgold, etc.

Some may argue, a teacher should know everything. Please, I beg to differ.
Subjecting teachers to this Annual Rituals of 30minutes Interview, but now Aptitude Test is not creating and motivating selflessness, innovation, creativity and dedication among teachers,  if anything it is doing the opposite. This I believe is the reasons for the lackadaisical attitudes among most teachers towards work.

Teachers should not be promoted after every four years. Neither should we promote teachers based on passing "some" cumbersome Aptitude Test or Promotional Interview.
Teachers should be promoted throughout the year.

The Ghana Education Service and the Ministry of Education should, if they really want to make the Headteacher, Circuit Supervisor, Work output be relevant, then nothing should stop them from cancelling Promotional Interview and Aptitude Tests for promotion.

Remarkable performance and Improvement should be rewarded to serve as a motivation for others and young teachers.

There are many teachers across the country doing great and wonderful things which needs recommendations and promotion. But, sadly,  such teachers rarely pass the Promotion Interview.

Sometimes, very effective and efficient teachers and other personnel of the service fail at promotional Interviews, not because they don't read or are lazy, but because the workload has made them Stressful. So sometimes, remembering the Code of Ethics, National Issues, etc is sometimes very difficult.

We cannot continue to deny our professionals the benefits of hard work and dedication. There are teachers who cross water bodies before going to school. To some of them it is part of their daily life. I know teachers with a very high population, and they teach these kids alone. There are some who teach in a multi - grade classrooms.

It is now time,  for our policy makers to sit down and design appropriate Promotion Schemes and scrap out this archaic and barbaric Promotional Interview and Aptitude Test.

By AminuWrites,
(Educational Evangelist and Coach)
Contact: 233244299706

5 Things Every Coach Should Avoid During PLC Session

5 Things Every Coach Should Avoid During PLC.
Professional Learning Community Sessions are an integral part of the Standard Based Curriculum for Ghanaian Schools.
However, there are 5 Things, there could be more, practices that every Coach should avoid during PLC Sessions.

1. Know it all attitude.
Nobody is the sole reservoir of knowledge. We all have some idea about topic. Some may be right or wrong. But, we need to be given a chance. This will make every body to be ease and contribute to discussions on the floor.
Coaches should provide the opportunity for all participants to express their views and opinions on all issues. Wrong or Unknown answers should be handled professional to avoid ridiculing the contributor.

2. Ask Closed Ended Questions
Closed Ended Questions are questions which do not encourage others to contribute during PLC Sessions. These questions have obvious answers. However, Coaches should ask Open Ended Questions during PLC Sessions to make all participants active.

3. Choose topics that interest them.
Most Coaches would like to choose topics which interest them, so that they can deliver without any difficulty.  However, such topics may not interest the participants.  Coaches should allow all participants to identify difficult topics or concepts, so that such topics may be discussed during PLC Sessions.  This will encourage all participants to be active.

4. Always take lead during PLC Sessions
Coaches should not always lead discussions in a PLC Sessions.  They should allow other participants to take the lead and bring out their ideas. This will allow all others to contribute and participate in the session. Sometimes,  other participants may do the simulation and demonstration lessons.

5. Lead a PLC Session without preparation and planning
Most Coaches believe a PLC Session is another Staff Meeting. No. PLC Sessions are beyond Staff Meetings.  The Coach, Resource Person and others who may play some roles at PLC Session should prepare adequately before the start of the session. They should gather all information and resources before the session commences.

5 Things Every Coach Should Do During PLC Session

Professional Learning Community (PLC) is a meeting of Professional Facilitators and other educators to share and help one another, to improve teaching and learning and professionalism.
According to the Ghana Education Service, PLC should be organised once a week, preferably Wednesday, an hour before the closing time.

1. Take Records
There should be records of meeting of every PLC Session every week. This record should be kept by the Coach, CEO and the the school. The records should contain Attendance, and summary of all the issues discussed.

2. Encourage Active Participation
Most Facilitators would not talk at PLC Sessions based on the following reasons:
1. Fear of making mistakes in grammar or content.
2. Insecurity or the fear of been attack or victimized after a suggestion
3. Topics that Do not affect them directly.

It is the duty of the Coach and the CEO to solve the above problems and more to make PLC Sessions participatory.

3. Encourage participants to give Suggestions.
PLC Coaches should provide the needed environment for Facilitators to make contributions and recommendations. During every sessions, the Coach should review progress made after the last PLC Sessions. The recommendations and contributions made should be implemented to make it easy for facilitators to make more contributions. They can do this with CEOs to monitor the progress made.


4. Time Concious
PLC Sessions should not unduly delay or seem to be a time wasting exercise. Time should be given a priority during PLC Sessions.  This will motivate the facilitators like PLC Sessions.

5. Facilitators Directed Discussions
PLC Coaches should make sure they provide opportunity for facilitators to bring out what affects them directly during their teaching and learning.  Coaches may also select topics in collaboration with the Facilitators to discuss.

Interview Questions for Would be Headteacher

Interview Questions for would be Headteachers in the Ghana Education Service.

1. What are the main functions of a headteacher in a school?

2. How do you deal with a difficult learner or teacher?

3. How would you describe your headteacher?

4. Outline any four activities in the Itinerary of a headteacher for a term.

5. Identify four features of a good lesson plan.

6. Which of these is the most important, a. What to teach? or b. How to teach?

7. What makes you the best choice for the headship?

8. List the various ranks in the Ghana Education Service from the highest to the lowest.

9. Describe the processes in the preparation of a School Performance Improvement Plan  (SPIP)

10. The Capitation Grant cannot be used to carry out some activities in the school. List any four of such activities.

11. How would you solve conflicts among  your teachers as a headteacher?

12. How would you correct a teacher who has taught a concept you think is contains errors.

13. a. List all the executives of a Parent Association.

      b. What are the Guiding Policies on the  formation of Parent Association?

      c. What in your opinion necessitated the removing of teachers in the Parents Association?

14. The Ghana Education Service has banned all forms of money collection or fees in the basic schools. List any four of such fees.

15. Mention any four Conducts expected by a teacher as contained in the Teacher's Code of Professional Conducts.

16. Identify any four managerial tools used by the headteacher.

17. Explain the following:
A. The Head as a Manager.
B. The Head as Leader.
Which of these two do you prefer and why?

17. Why should you be appointed as a Headteacher?

18. Describe any four administrative functions of the Head of a School.

19. Describe how you will help a teacher who always defaults in the preparation and submission of Lesson Notes. 

20. a. What are the Global/Core Competencies?

      b. List any five examples of the Global/Core Competencies.

21. How would you explain the differences between Misappropriation and Misapplication of Funds?

The Structure of the Kindergarten Curriculum

The Introduction of the New Curriculum, in Ghanaian schools have brought new dimension to teaching and learning at the Primary School and the Kindergarten.
In this discussion we will dwell on the New Kindergarten Structure.

Firstly, teaching in the KG has become interesting due to the introduction of this current curriculum.

The problem however, is most KG teachers are not aware of this or they were not adequately trained on the KG Curriculum.

First things first, the KG Curriculum is an integration of all the subjects curriculum in the primary school. A facilitator may have to look for some information in the primary school curriculum if he or she finds the one in the KG Curriculum insufficient.

The Following are the expected Pedagogies to be used in the Primary School.

1. The Thematic Approach
2. Play - based methods
3. Learner Centred Methods
4. Inquiry/Discovery Methods

For more information on the above consult the KG Resource Pack Page 20 - 25.

At the KG, the Time Table is actually a Daily Plan. This Daily Plan composed of

1. Self Registration System
2. Circle Time
3. Group Activity (Indoor/Outdoor)
4. Learning Centers
5. Story Sharing
6. Phonics Time

Self Registration
This is the system of registration where learners are allowed to register themselves in class. This system allows learners to move and participates in the class activity. It is after this that the teacher marks the register without calling names.

Circle Time
This is the time the Facilitator teaches the Lesson as is contained in the Learning Plan. Learners may sit in a circle, or Semi Circle or in a Horse Shoe formation.

Group Activity (Indoor/Outdoor)
During this period learners are put in groups to perform several activities in Numeracy, Language and Literacy,  and Creative Arts. Facilitators can do this both inside and outside the classroom.

Learning Centres
Every facilitator is expected by this curriculum to create  Learning Centres in the Classroom. A Learning Centre is a special placed dedicated in the classroom or in a special room for the purpose of teaching certain concepts or skills. So instance, you can create Home Centre, Reading Centre, Music Centre, Arts Cente, etc.

Phonics Time
This is the time the Facilitator is expected to teach Phonics. The recommended Approach so far is the Jolly Phonics Approach.
You can follow these links for more ....

You can can download resources on the Jolly Phonics by following the links......

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=come Gilberto tjolly.teachphonics.teachers

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rabie_mohamed.jolly

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=come

This means that, we need to set up our classroom to achieve such a target. This therefore means that every teacher should set up his or her classroom, so that children can learn consciously or unconciously. For inspiration on how to to set up your classroom search for  #konnectclassroom on Facebook. You can also Call or Whatsapp: 233278017492 on how to Set Up your Classroom.

Story Sharing
This is the last session of the day. The Facilitator is supposed to give short but interested stories to learners. These stories may be contained in a book, or drawn on Charts and pasted in the Classrooms. Facilitators may wear special costumes during story telling periods. These stories may be in both Ghanaian Language and English Language.

See how Teacher Gena dressed during Story Sharing...https://www.facebook.com/237442986772606/posts/685136285336605/?app=fbl

How to Set Up your Classroom?

Teaching in the 21st Century is entirely different from what we used to do. Today's classroom should be set for effective teaching and learning.
So this may require a teacher to be in a school a week or more before school resumes just to set up his or her classroom.

A well set up classroom would do among other things all the following:

1. Stimulates teaching and learning.
2. Maintains classroom discipline.
3. Encourage learners to always be in school.
4. Reduces teacher fatigue.
5. Reduces the rate at which the teacher talks.
6. Lessons are always learner - centred.

Why should a teacher Set Up His or Her Classroom?
1. Makes teaching and learning easier.
2. Encourage your learners to always be in school.
3. Maintains discipline in the classrooms.
4. Reduce teacher fatigue.
5. It makes learning Child - Centred.
6. Saves the teacher from too much talking.
7. Children learn both consciously and unconsciously.
8. Teaching resources is handy and always available for teaching and learning.
9. It prevents the teacher from abstract teaching.

Things needed to set up your classroom.
1. Old newspaper
2. Old Calendars
3. Cradboards
4. Manila Cards
5. Paper glue
6. Rice
7. Beans
8. Rice sac
9. Scissors
10. Posters
11. Toys
12. Old gadgets like radio, tv, etc
13. Old utensils
14. Poster Colours,  Crayons
15. Starch or Kooko
16. Story books

*Setting Up Your Classroom*

After successfully, getting all the materials you are ready to set up your classroom for effective teaching and learning.

Every term, your classroom setting have to different depending on which topics, skills or Concepts you will be teaching during the term or academic year.

Every Classroom Setting should have at least four Learning Centres.  Learning Centres are special rooms or dedicated places in the classroom for the purpose of teaching special concepts and skills.

Examples of Learning Centres ....

1. Home Centre
This is a Centre for the purpose of teaching home-based skills or Concepts like cooking,  cutting, chopping, peeling, mixing, etc. This place should have things like kitchen stuffs, radio, television, standing fan, etc. The place should look like a typical home. Papers can be used to make some of the materials.

2. Music Centre
This centre contains simple musical instruments like drums, flute,  xylophone, horns,  sticks, sticks, etc. Materials in the Music Centre should be capable of producing sound, rhythms, etc. Facilitators may look for local musical instruments and place them at this Centre.

3. Reading Centre
This is a Centre in the classroom for the purpose of teaching Reading. It is a mini library in the classroom or outside the classroom. This Centre should contain story books, leaflets, Old Newspaper, Calendars, posters,  magazines, story books, etc. Facilitators may also have a Video Player to show documentary or films for children, animals, people,  etc.

4. Arts Centre
This centre is designed purposely to teach Creative Arts.  It should have arts work from teachers, learners, etc. It may keep records of arts work by learners. Arts works in magazines, brochures, books, Calendars, etc may be kept in the Art Centre. Learners crafts madebfeom paper, wood, clay, etc may be placed in the Arts Centre.

5. Numeracy/Mathematics Centre
This is a Centre dedicated for the teaching of mathematics or numeracy. This Centre contain the Geoboard, ludo, Oware, Abacus, Cuisinaire Rod, Multibbased Blocks, Counters, Bundle of sticks, Charts,  etc

For inspiration on how to set up your classroom,  please search #konnectclassroom on Facebook