University of Cape Coast Basic School Teachers have received training in new and effective teaching techniques and strategies.
The beneficiary teachers, including some head teachers and assistants, were from the University kindergarten, lower and upper primary, and Junior High School.
Participants were taken through topics such as classroom inclusion strategies, as well as Inclusivity in Education and Management Diverse Needs.
The objective of the training was to equip teachers with inclusive teaching and classroom management skills to meet the needs of learners.
The workshop was organised by the Directorate of Consular and General Services in collaboration with the Training and Development Section under the Directorate of Human Resource.
A Senior Assistant Registrar at the Directorate of Consular and General Services, UCC, Mr. John Linscell Yen who performed the opening ceremony, said that regular training for teachers helped them to be abreast of new teaching strategies and practices.
Mr. Yen said it had also motivated teachers to give off their best in the achievement of the objectives and goals of the teaching profession.
He assured the teachers that the Directorate would continue to empower them with adequate and useful information relating to their work schedules through regular in-service training.
He urged the teachers to replicate the knowledge acquired from the training in their classrooms for improved outcomes.
The Director of the Centre for Teaching Support at UCC, Prof. Forster Danso Ntow, who covered the topic: "Classroom Inclusion Strategies," called on the teachers to promote values of inclusiveness in their classrooms.
He said the traditional model of education, which often separated students based on their abilities or backgrounds, was no longer sufficient in addressing modern educational needs.
Prof. Ntow explained that the role of educators had evolved significantly in recent times and that teachers were no longer only dispensers of knowledge, but also act as facilitators, guides and advocates of inclusiveness in education.
Prof. Ntow further explained that inclusiveness extended not only to children with disabilities but also to those from marginalized communities and the poor.
He indicated that lack of resources for some schools was one of the common barriers to inclusiveness in schools.
He mentioned group work, role play, storytelling, practical activities and educational games as some of the strategies for promoting inclusiveness in schools.
For her part, a lecturer at the Department of Education and Psychology, UCC, Dr. Martha-Pearl Okai, who spoke on the topic: " Inclusivity in Education and Managing Diverse Needs," called on teachers to embark on task analysis which involves breaking the lesson into small bits and allowing the learner to complete each skill or task at the same time.
Dr. Okai tasked teachers to engage learners in field trips, use of technology, role play, small group teaching, scenarios, among others.
She said there was the need to ensure that children with special needs were not denied education due to their conditions.
" Teachers must be guided on how to take care of children with special needs,” she stated.
A teacher from University Junior High School, Mr. Henry Nana Sam, lauded the training, saying, “This training will help me to teach very well.
“It will help to promote my career,” he added.
Another participant, Mrs. Joana Agyei Frimpong, from University Primary School, said the training was a refreshing experience and added that it would positively impact teaching in the classrooms.
