Teacher education training for basic and secondary schools are undertaken by initial teacher education institutions. Geffen, R. (2013). Akyeampong, K. (2009). (2006) observed that most of pre-service teachers had misconceptions about photosynthesis and respiration in plants. Stressful school atmosphere, teachers' lack of knowledge and bad attitude towards work can equally hinder the reading process at this level. Teachers Standards for Ghana: Guidelines. 27, 689701. Although the 2021 Ghana Population and Housing Census reports, that persons with disabilities in Ghana constitute about 8% (2,098,138) of the countrys population of 30,832,019 (Ghana Statistical Service, 2012), other reports show otherwise. Front. (2018b). However, in our nations current climate, saying the word teacher is like Forrest Gump opening a box of chocolates: you never know what youre going to get, as teachers too often are seen as a convenient scapegoat for the perceived problems that are plaguing public education. (2018). One common belief about teachers is that we never work during the summer. (2021). Coast, Ghana E-mail of the corresponding author: [email protected] Abstract The general objective of the study was to evaluate the perspectives, conceptions and misconceptions of students on Industrial Attachment. We employed a single-case exploratory study design to deepen our understanding of the preparedness of Ghanaian student teachers to implement inclusive education in one of the Colleges of Education in Ghana. The Jophus Anamuah-Mensah Educational Reform report (2007) presented the structure of education in Ghana to consist of two to threeyears of nursery school, six compulsory years of primary school, three compulsory years of junior high school and another threeyears of senior high school. It further states that all children have the right to access basic education and that the education system should be dynamic to adapt to the needs of children. Avoiding anthropomorphism helps young people to open the closed box of AI applications. GhanaS free senior high school policy: evidence and insight from data. Post-2015 Education MDGs. In Ghana, a considerable milestone has been the integration of the SDGs into the medium-term development of Ghana. Available at: http://www.who.int/disabilities/world_report/2011/report.pdf (Accessed June 17, 2017). Ministry of Education. For example, in some schools at the kindergarten level televisions are used to aid teaching. Kokutse, F. (2018). If your Aunt Sally really wants to help, she can vote for legislation that ensures teachers are paid fairly. Case Study Research: Design and Methods, Vol 5. Tertiary institutions such as universities, Colleges of Education and nursing training institutions have been recognized as drivers toward achieving the SDGs particularly, SDG 4, considering the formative roles they play in molding the future of young people in countries (Machado and Davim, 2022). *Correspondence: Augustina Naami, [email protected], Transforming Teacher Education in Sub-Saharan African Countries Towards the Achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 4 by 2030: New Opportunities, Challenges, Problems and Prospects, View all 9711 Washingtonian Boulevard, Suite 550, Gaithersburg, MD 20878 | 1-301-913-0115, By submitting your information, you agree to our, DEIA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Access), Video of the Week: Dealing with digital distraction in the classroom, Secrets from the library lines: 5 ways schools can boost digital engagement, Follow the Money Insights from K-12 Experts, Creating a winning K12 esports infrastructure, Charter Communications (Spectrum Enterprise). To be effective, a science teacher should not underestimate the importance and the persistence of these barriers to true understanding. One College of Education in the southern sector of Ghana was the site for the study. Int. Sometimes I just give these folks a little rundown of my week. These questions, as far as I can tell, partly state some of the misconceptions about the teaching of CSE. on the eve of Ghana's independence and charged with the "dissemination of truthful unbiased news". For years, governments and other national and international stakeholders have focused their attention on making sure that all children can attend school, and they have backed up that commitment with funding. The inclusive policy of Ghana envisions the curriculum to be functional and consider the childs cultural background, family/community resources, values, interests, aspirations, future goals, and opportunities. 5. Educ. UNESCOs formulation of the Global Education Cooperation Mechanism (GCM) is at the heart of the interconnectedness and intersectional efforts on SDG 4. Dev. Revisiting free compulsory universal basic education (FCUBE) in Ghana. As someone who has supported many people into work, both as a recruiter and an employment specialist, I am here to tell you that you absolutely can teach! Comp. Disabil. South and South-West Asia Development Papers, 2101. Disabil. World 6:81. (2021). Edu. Examples of how anthropomorphism is misleading. Both researchers independently coded the data to enhance the credibility of the study. There is nothing like hearing a former student tell you about the positive change you've made in their life. As the quality assurance officer of this particular institution, these are some of the questions I ask my coordinators. "Kids Today Are Entitled, Dangerous Brats", I can assure you that most of today's students are hardworking, fun-loving, eager-to-learn youngsters. Daily Monday-Friday. Adjei, P., Akpalu, A., Laryea, R., Nkromah, K., Sottie, C., Ohene, S., et al. 29, 316321. These questions, as far as I can tell, partly state some of the misconceptions about the teaching of CSE. It was the first news agency . But now, the University for Development Studies (UDS) and the University of Ghana, and other private universities have programs in teacher education (Newman, 2013; Ministry of Education, 2018a). The observation checklist and reflective journals do not make enough room for student teachers to self-reflect on disability, which could be a barrier to the education of persons with various forms of disabilities. London: Macmillan. The GCM is built on the back of the 2015 Incheon Declaration and Education 2030 Framework for Action, which envisages a cooperation, monitoring and evaluation mechanism which has the Global Education Meeting (GEM) as the pivot of action (Mundial, Grupo Banco, and UNICEF, 2016). Kassah, A. K., Kassah, L. L., and Agbota, T. K. (2012). In Ghana, there is one common educational curriculum run by the Colleges of Education. University surroundings and infrastructures that are accessible and inclusive for all: listening to students with disabilities. Until recently, only the University of Cape Coast and University of Education, Winneba, offered university-level training but now the University for Development Studies (UDS) and the University of Ghana, as well as other private universities have programs in teacher education. The barriers also do not allow of first-hand experiences of inclusive education. Nancy was a Top 50 Finalist for the Varkey Global Teacher Prize 2015. The principle of universal design in the policy offers learners multiple means of representation, expression, engagement, motivation and tapping into learners interest. It could be an ice breaker or other warming up exercises that could exclude learners with disabilities. Wheelchair accessibility to public buildings in the Kumasi metropolis, Ghana. (2018a). Initially, myths were largely on causes and vulnerability. Cc: Ellis Ferdinand The policy is novel to the teaching profession in Ghana and those already in the service are given the privilege to just register on the teachers portal for the License to be issued to them. doi: 10.5430/jct.v9n1p86. As our own founding fathers knew, we need checks and balances in our schools. Disability should clearly be mentioned in the curriculum and the learning outcomes of the equity and inclusivity cross-cutting pillar and their targets as well as auxiliary materials of Colleges of Educations in Ghana. It is the very special practitioner [who] makes a good educator; however, good educators need to have enough knowledge of their areas of expertise to cultivate excitement, curiosity, and spark the passion to commit to a vocation or avocation. The policy defines inclusion in its broadest sense as ensuring access and learning for all children: especially those disadvantaged from linguistic, ethnic, gender, geographic or religious minority, from an economically impoverished background as well as children with special needs including those with disabilities. Politicians especially are noted for living luxurious lives at the expense of their country folks. Knowledge about genetically modified (GM) food and biotechnology is low among the Ghanaian public due to low levels of . The SDGs Goal 4.5 explicitly mentions persons with disabilities. eSchool News recently asked readers: If you could clear up one misconception about teachers and/or teaching, what would it be? Our goal was not only to help others understand these misconceptions, but also to learn how teachers feel they are perceived by others. 2nd Edn. Misconception:Some materials are intrinsically cold.22 Concept: Light propagates and interacts with matter, and it is passively detected. doi: 10.1080/09687599.2012.673079. In this paper, we use the social model of disability and anchored on the Sustainable Development Goals, to examine the preparedness of student teachers in meeting the needs of learners with diverse learning needs. Target 4.a calls for the upgrading of educational facilities so that they are child-and disability-sensitive and to promote inclusive learning environments (United Nations [UN], 2015). doi: 10.4102/ajod.v6i0.341. Teaching should therefore involve the full participation of pupils. My students work extremely hard to overcome obstacles and achieve. Available at: www.t-tel.org/hub.html. J. Furth. The Impact of School Infrastructure on Learning: A Synthesis of the Evidence, Washington, DC: World Bank Publications. 12, 2832. Sustainable Development Goals and sustainability teaching at universities: Falling behind or getting ahead of the pack? 25, 2139. Crit. These points provided below are responses and comments that were duly and diligently gathered through surveys and seminars in an attempt to provide some possible ways of raising teaching standards to an appreciable level in the country. So, the student teacher could identify a television as a resource for learning, but their reflection report does not create room for them to report on whether the resource is beneficial to learners with disabilities. The HLSC therefore engages with the wider United Nations SDG structure at global and regional levels (Chaturvedi, 2021). (2019). Plenty of studies conclude that higher teacher pay leads to better teacher quality, which leads to improved student performance. Therefore, it is very important to assess how student teachers at the Colleges of Education in Ghana are integrating inclusive education consistent with SDG 4. Ghana is no exception. Misconceptions previously reported include the interpretation of warning signs of pre-eclampsia as a normal occurrence during pregnancy. Given that persons with disabilities have been marginalized in all spheres of life, including their families and caregivers (Naami, 2019), conscientious efforts must be made to ensure that persons with disabilities/organizations of persons with disabilities or individuals/organizations that have the capacity to represent them are at the decision-making table to ensure that their needs are adequately addressed (Agyire-Tettey et al., 2019). The components of the learning outcomes we analyzed in the light of the SDGs Goal 4 targets 4.5, 4.6, and 4.8 and the social model of disability (See Supplementary Tables S1S3). "Teacher Unions Impede Education Reform". Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, Keywords: Ghana, inclusive education, persons with disabilities, student teacher, teacher preparedness, Citation: Naami A and Mort KS-T (2023) Inclusive education in Ghana: How prepared are the teachers? Stay up to date on all the latest from Hey Teach: Get periodic emails that include exclusive content, special guides, and other great resources you wont find anywhere else! Thus, there should be more exercises to enable the student teachers to strengthen their reflection on disability to improve acceptance of persons with disabilities. Epilepsy Behav. Fundamental Principles of Disability. The lower part of the diagram further illustrates the impact of contextual factors such as environmental (e.g., social, physical, transportation, and information barriers) and personal factors (e.g., education, gender, social background, and profession). The perils and promises of inclusive education in Ghana. - Equip teachers with good communication skills. (2011). Government of Ghana. Accra: Sakoa Press Ltd, Accra, Ghana. Ghanas 2019 SDGs Budget Report. - Improve education and training needs of teachers. Many attend mandatory professional development, and some work to get their master's degree. 1. The metaverse is a tool that blends experiences typically associated with either the virtual or physical worlds. For example, in week five the learning activity for student teachers requires Observation of how socio-economic, cultural and linguistic backgrounds influence the way learners (a boy and a girl) learn. The statement above does not recognize disability as one of the backgrounds that influences learning. By submitting you will receive emails from Hey Teach! The National Teacher Education Curriculum Framework (NTECF) sets out the four pillars and cross-cutting issues for the initial training of all teachers at the pre-tertiary level (Ministry of Education National, 2017). But how prepared are student teachers at Colleges of Education in Ghana. Available at: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/21252030%20Agenda%20for%20Sustainable%20Development%20web.pdf (Accessed July 29, 2022). London: UPIAS. J. Disability and health: Fact sheet. However, we think it's more accurate . My students have gone on to become doctors, nurses, legislators, activists, business owners, musicians, social workers, and yesteachers. The key informant the affirmed that students are required to identify school facilities: When they go to the schools, they have to know the history of the partner schools and the facilities that are in the schools that will support teaching and learning. Traditional beliefs and knowledge base about epilepsy among university students in Ghana. There are two major case study designs: single-case study designs and multiple-case study designs. We wanted to know more about how the student teacher is taught to reflect on disability. They want to learn and are interested in making a contribution to the world. In addition, the curriculum requires student teachers to find out if there are other learning resources apart from computer(s). Is Your Network Prepared to Meet the Demands of a Tech-Rich Environment? Consistent with achieving improvement in the quality of teachers, the B.Ed. (2015). (2019). These misconceptions resulted in perceptions of stigma and discrimination towards people who may get Ebola or work with Ebola patients. "The one misconception I would like to clarify is around the phrase, 'Those who can cannot do, teach.' Why are in-service teachers not writing Exams to acquire the License. In year one, student teachers are required to do classroom observations to enhance their learning. This assertion is also emphasized in Article 24 of the CRPD. (2019). Educ. (2019) explains that while the CoE provides a yearlong school-based teaching practice in addition to a semester-long campus-based peer teaching, their colleagues offering education degrees in the University of Cape Coast (UCC) engage in a semester-long school-based teaching experience. The achievement of one goal leads to achieving another goal (Bentzen, 2015; United Nations Communications Groups [UNCG], 2017; United Nations Development Programme [UNDP], 2021). Systematic random sampling was used. For most parts of the country, life is better than the outside world is made to believe. Politicians often like to say that teacher unions are part of the education problem, but as someone who has been teaching for decades, I can tell you that teacher unions are good for both teachers and students. To achieve inclusive education, it is imperative that conscientious efforts are made to ensure that disability is mainstream, alongside other vulnerability/diversity variables, such as gender. Teacher Education in Ghana: Policies and Practices. CBR Incl. The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/Supplementary material, further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author. Teaching is the profession that makes all others possible, and what it lacks in salary, it makes up for in job satisfaction. (2007). Available at: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs352/en/ (Accessed May 15, 2022). Prod. This has led to misconceptions and poor public image of TVET because many people still hold the view that TVET is good for students who cannot use their brains or students who do not qualify for admission into the universities. 42, 1323. "Education 2030: Incheon Declaration and Framework for Action: Towards Inclusive and Equitable Quality Education and Lifelong Learning for All, UNICEF. Western Governors University WGU. The outcome of the conference called for students with disabilities to be educated within an inclusive education system. Using the curriculum to promote inclusive education? The first 9years constitute basic education and are free and compulsory. The data sources were a face-to-face in-depth interview with the Quality Assurance Officer of the case and one site observation by the researchers. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. We cannot overemphasize the importance of education in creating sustainable societies. eSchool News uses cookies to improve your experience. All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. 3. doi: 10.21083/ajote.v3i2.2728. The focus on myths and misconceptions is borne out of the fact that they are potential threat to preventive efforts [18-20]. by Nancy Barile, Award-Winning Teacher, M.A.Ed. Spec. The ICF helps our understanding of the functioning of people with different disorders and their level of participation in activities as well as how contextual factors could facilitate or impact negatively on functioning. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Want to share a great resource? He further made a remark, which we also observed on a visit to that College of Education. See Appendix A for details of the interview guide. For example, in Ghana, some women believe that swelling of the face, hands or feet is an indication that the woman is going to have a baby boy [ 13 ]. See response below: Whatever course that they take, we have components of misconceptions. Feel free to quote Diane Ravitch, one of the most respected voices in education, who notes that unions protect teachers' rights, support professionalism, and check administrative power. Colleges of Education are the settings where teachers are trained to develop required skills for effective inclusive education. Certification helps to build a skilled workforce that meets the needs of local employers and government tech initiatives. Soc. 10, 7086. According to the Colleges of Education Act of 2012, Act 847, the process of preparing teachers in Ghana to teach at the basic school level takes place at the College of Education (CoE). Transforming our world: The 2030 agenda for sustainable development. Paris: UNESCO. Ghana Statistical Service. J. Disabil. World report on disability online. The SDG 4 aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all (United Nations [UN], 2015). Similarly, it is common for teachers to use illustrative examples on the board or PowerPoint slides and ask students to see even though they have students with visual impairments. In in view of the above, there has been a rising awareness and activism for the inclusion of students with disabilities in regular mainstream classrooms, but the reality in many underdeveloped nations including Ghana is still a gloomy picture (Adera and Asimeng-Boahene, 2011). But the curriculum does not adequately address other categories of learners with disabilities who may require other forms of support as stated in the inclusive education policy. There is nothing like seeing your students succeed. London: University World News, The Global Window on Higher Education. The policy (Ministry of Education, 2015: p. 6) defines a child with special educational needs [SEN] as: a child with disability, namely, visual, hearing, locomotor, and intellectual impairments. Throughout the curriculum and other auxiliary documents, there are phrases and statements such as How much time was spent helping this student? Did the teacher spend time helping them Did the student(s) with learning needs successfully complete the activities/tasks assigned in the lesson? These questions amply testify that the focus of curriculum and other auxiliary documents are on learners with learning difficulties to the neglect of other categories of disabilities. The importance of the SDGs. Confronting them is difficult for the student and the teacher. The curriculum of the Colleges of Education in Ghana emphasis on the need for student teachers to reflect on their own beliefs and biases to enhance acceptance and conscientious efforts toward accommodating learners with disabilities to increase their inclusion. Findings of the study are expected to make useful contributions to information, education and communication strategies for dispelling myths and misconceptions about TB in Ghana. I explained that teachers must advocate for students and how that can often get them in trouble with administration, but tenure protects them. Naami, A.
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