Many attend mandatory professional development, and some work to get their master's degree. The Teaching Profession In Ghana: What Can Be Done To Improve It? The Policy further requires a multi-disciplinary assessment procedure at all levels of education to meet the needs of all pupils/students. (2011). The student teacher is required to reflect on seven questions listed under this theme but none of them captures disability. (2013). Ghana: Ministry of Education. UNESCOs formulation of the Global Education Cooperation Mechanism (GCM) is at the heart of the interconnectedness and intersectional efforts on SDG 4. (2018a). Hopefully, the ones listed here will help you respond in the right way and shed some light on the truths of the teaching profession. My students work extremely hard to overcome obstacles and achieve. They are supposed to identify school facilities (e.g., football field, toilet, office space, tennis court, buildings etc. Our analytical tools, social model of disability and the SDGs goal 4 were synergistic, which allowed for comparative analysis. (2021). Prod. Fontdevila, C., and Grek, S. (2020). 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). She graduated from Kenyon College in 2006 with a BA in English, and enjoys spending way too much time either reading or cooking. UNESCO organizes the Global Education Meetings in partnership with all global education actors toward achieving SDG 4 (Fontdevila and Grek, 2020). THE TECHNICAL, VOCATIONAL AND SKILL TRAINING - Ministry of Education Ghana doi: 10.36251/josi.149, Nakua, E., Yarfi, C., and Ashigbi, E. (2017). The proponents of the Social Model of Disability acknowledge that impairment could pose a limit to the functioning of persons with disabilities. The ICF and social model of disability, on the other hand, helped us identify barriers that could inhibit access of persons with disabilities to inclusive education in Ghana at the systemic (teaching training colleges) and unit (classrooms) levels and to identify what could be done to address issues at these levels. The former Editorial Director for both eSchool News and eCampus News, and was formerly the Managing Editor of eCampus News. Most teachers I know work other jobs during the summer months. London: Macmillan. J. Disabil. But here's what teachers do make: a difference in the world. Education has long been recognized as a global priority. In 2015, Ghana developed an inclusive education policy with an overarching goal of fostering equitable access to education for all children. Geffen, R. (2013). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. If you're in the same boat, here's a handy cheat sheet to help set your lunatic cousin Larry straight when he claims to know more than you do about your own vocation. Stay up-to-date with the latest edtech tools, trends, and best practices for classroom, school and district success. Disabil. Ministry of Education National (2017). "Teachers Have a Cushy Schedule", "Teachers have an easy schedule" is a frequently heard misconception, often followed by, "you're home by 3 p.m., and you've got weekends off." 29, 316321. And since the student teachers are required to Recognize how the teacher is a key influence on a learners self-esteem and, as a consequence, their learning potential, there is the need for student teachers to be grounded in disability awareness to understand persons with disabilities, their issues and needs and how best they could be helped. Misconceptions about GMOs in Ghana due to weak education, study reveals Teaching is the profession that makes all others possible, and what it lacks in salary, it makes up for in job satisfaction. Koomson et al (2000) also cites many activities which are involved in teaching. doi: 10.1080/1034912X.2019.1651833, Buabeng, I., Ntow, F. D., and Otami, C. D. (2019). curriculum is used by Colleges of Education and other Universities offering education programs, as it was collaboratively produced by four teacher education universities with senior members of Colleges of Education (Ministry of Education National, 2017). The Curriculum College of Education in Ghana also recognizes effective class management as sine qua non for classroom participation. Goal four of the SDGs calls for inclusive and equitable quality education for all (Johnstone et al., 2020). Certification helps to build a skilled workforce that meets the needs of local employers and government tech initiatives. 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 ]. ), can be reviewed. Unstructured questionnaires and Teacher observations were utilised in the process of generating the data. 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. They contend that the GCM at best, is an ecosystem that consists of all global education actors that participates in the Global Education Meeting and have agreed to work cooperatively in support of SDG 4. Social Policy and Disabled People: From Exclusion to Inclusion. The school environment, the classroom, lessons, class management and assessment are all limited regarding inclusivity of learners with disabilities. Common misconceptions of Africa are explored in the second lesson, through a range of activities which again highlight the wide diversity of opportunities, challenges and life styles. 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). 6, 18. G. Scambler and S. Scambler (London: Palgrave Macmillan), 5776. *Correspondence: Augustina Naami, anaami@ug.edu.gh, 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 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! (2021). Further reading: 10 Tips and Truths of Living with a Teacher, 2. I can't attend a single event without one or two of these comments popping up. There is nothing like hearing a former student tell you about the positive change you've made in their life. J. 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. Of course, the known architectural barriers are the impediments as postulated by the social model of disabilities. Coast, Ghana E-mail of the corresponding author: kodwo33@gmail.com Abstract The general objective of the study was to evaluate the perspectives, conceptions and misconceptions of students on Industrial Attachment. Teachers in the U.S. do make far less than similarly educated professionals. doi: 10.1080/09687599.2012.673079. Here are 10 misconceptions about teachers and teaching that emerged from readers (responses edited for brevity): The one misconception I would like to clarify is around the phrase, Those who can cannot do, teach. While many educators are active contributors to the particular area in which they have domain expertise (i.e. Royal Geographical Society - Resources for schools Una mirada desde la funcin de investigacin. All Rights Reserved. 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. The first 9years constitute basic education and are free and compulsory. The Curriculum Framework is aimed at preparing competent teachers, and against which all Teacher Education Curricula, including the 4-year Bachelor of Education (B.Ed. The curriculum of Colleges of Education in Ghana rightly states the need to identify barriers to learning and working with stakeholders to address these barriers, which is also listed in the student reflective journals. Thus, there are questions regarding participation on the student teacher checklist which states that: Did the teacher encourage students to actively participate in the lesson? The proponents of the social model of disability contest that a students personal characteristics such as having an impairment is not the major impediment to learning, but barriers created by schools and society (World Health Organization, 2011; Nakua et al., 2017; Braun and Naami, 2021). "Teachers Have a Paid Summer Vacation", Each year, teachers must take an unpaid furlough during July and August. Revisiting free compulsory universal basic education (FCUBE) in Ghana. 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 reforms (Barrett et al., 2019). Beyond Knowledge and Awareness: Addressing Misconceptions in Ghana's curriculum tasks student teachers to Identify school and student characteristics that act as barriers to learning. However, this statement is problematic as it is a wrong premise to understand barriers to learning for learners with disabilities. 1. He further made a remark, which we also observed on a visit to that College of Education. The Colleges of Education award diploma qualifications, while the universities awards Bachelor of Education degrees and PGDE/certificates in education. 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. Assuming there is a learner with a mobility disability who uses a wheelchair in a school, will his/her characteristic of having an impairment be considered the barrier or some known access barriers such as storey building without elevators and staircase without accessible ramps? Ghana: Ghana Assembly Press. Breaking the barriers: Ghanaians perspectives about the social model. Education Ghana - What are some of the misconceptions and - Facebook The Politics of Disablement. "The one misconception I would like to clarify is around the phrase, 'Those who can cannot do, teach.' Although the various studies by Dodor et . The importance of the SDGs. Disabled People in Britain and Discrimination: A Case for Anti-Discrimination Legislation. Clearly, some people will hold onto their mistaken views no matter how much evidence you present them. Access barriers encountered by persons with mobility disabilities in Accra, Ghana. Your source for IT solutions and innovations to support school-wide success. Attitudinal barriers are cited as major barriers to the inclusion of persons with disabilities in all spheres of life in Ghana (Kassah et al., 2012; Adjei et al., 2013; Dugbartey and Barimah, 2013; Naami, 2014). Misconceptions previously reported include the interpretation of warning signs of pre-eclampsia as a normal occurrence during pregnancy. In this paper, we use the social model of disability, anchored on the Sustainable Development Goals, to examine the preparedness of student teachers in meeting the needs of learners with diverse learning needs. We also reviewed the Four-Year Bachelor of Education degree curriculum (Developed by the University of Ghana), student reflective journal and the daily portfolio sheet. Also, emphasis was place more on the classroom environment, which is good. World Health Organization. She was also awarded the 2011 Massachusetts Commonwealth Award in Creative Leadership, and in 2007 was named a member of the 2007 USA Today All-Teacher Team. (2015). The Curriculum Framework consistent with the National Teachers Standards, NTC (2018), envisages to prepare new teachers to become effective, engaging, and inspirational in order to improve learning outcomes particularly at the basic school level. 23, 15. But unless they live with, or are close friends with, a teacher, it might be challenging to change their minds. Cc: Ellis Ferdinand Misconceptions about GMOs in Ghana due to weak education, study reveals. (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. (2017). Here, Jo discusses common misconceptions that may prevent career changers from entering the teaching profession. The Equality Act 2010 and the Social Model of Disability. The estimated number of persons with disabilities could be underestimated due the multiple layers of issues surrounding disability data collection, including attitudinal issues, disability definition, access to persons with disabilities, mode of reporting disability, that is, self-reporting (people may not report disability, especially those that are not very visible) some of which are concealed from public view due to stigma. Rather, impairment should be considered to enable provision of suitable accommodation for learners with disabilities. However, we think it's more accurate . Incl. Available at: https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/204336.pdf (Accessed May 10, 2022). The Ghana news Agency (GNA) was established on March 5, 1957, i.e. 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). By submitting you will receive emails from Hey Teach! Howard, H. A., and Rhule, A. Comp. Disabil. Beyond models: understanding the complexity of disabled peoples lives in New Directions in the Sociology of Chronic and Disabling Conditions. For example, ICF combines both the social and the medical models of disability. Misconceptions are often deeply held, largely unexplained, and sometimes strongly defended. Disability inclusiveness requires care and proper planning, but that is not emphasized in the curriculum of Colleges of Education in Ghana. We, therefore, recommend the need for student teachers to be grounded in disability issues in order to understand learners with diverse disabilities, their unique needs and how best they could help them. This has the potential of influencing the learning experience of such students in the classroom. South and South-West Asia Development Papers, 2101. Educ. Nancy Barile is a National Board Certified Teacher, who has been teaching English Language Arts at a low-income, urban high school near Boston, MA for 22 years. 27, 689701. The main body of the module focuses on a comparison between two contrasting countries in Africa: Sudan and Ghana. High. Every child has a right to access quality education and acquire skills UNICEF/UN362021/ACQUAH Here are 10 misconceptions about teachers and teaching that emerged from readers (responses edited for brevity): 1. Thus, there should be more exercises to enable the student teachers to strengthen their reflection on disability to improve acceptance of persons with disabilities. Once you find one, you do your possible best to know the causes of the disability or how the person is being helped throughout his or her stay in the schoolWe specifically ask them to identify a child with the disability and even how the facilities and resources in the school support the child. "Teacher Tenure Means Teachers Can't Be Fired", In 2016, I was outraged when a politician made an untrue statement about teacher tenure, so I turned to Facebook to express my anger. J. Disabil. The critical question is what to teach? 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). Adjei, P., Akpalu, A., Laryea, R., Nkromah, K., Sottie, C., Ohene, S., et al. The sample was made up of one hundred and fifty-five students (155) from Aggrey Memorial . Data analysis was done by first transcribing the audiotaped interview into word format, then both inductive and deductive approaches were used for coding, pattern development, matching and building themes and subthemes. Akyeampong, K. (2009). No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. The B.Ed. Yin, R. K. (1994). ), but not the accessibility of these facilities. For persons with disabilities, self-awareness is even more important given the socio-cultural and religious beliefs and practices that marginalize and discriminate against them and the resultant negative attitudes, stigma, discrimination, and exclusion and of persons with disabilities in all spheres of life (Kassah et al., 2012; Adjei et al., 2013; Dugbartey and Barimah, 2013; Naami, 2019). World report on disability online. Completed worksheets of pupils on concept cartoons of selected science topics were discussed and analyzed to find . Calles, C. (2020). 232, 285294. 5, 115. Socioeconomic factors hindering access to healthcare by persons with disabilities in the Ahanta west municipality, Ghana. by Nancy Barile, Award-Winning Teacher, M.A.Ed. 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. Factors Affecting the Teaching and Learning of - University of Ghana To deny or not to deny disability. Visit our Privacy Policyfor more information. Examples of the disabling environment are societal structures, values, culture, environmental constructs (Geffen, 2013), inadequate access to healthcare, transportation, physical and institutional barriers (Barnes and Mercer, 2005; Naami, 2014). 171, 434445. We conclude that the student teacher has not been given enough opportunity to reflect on their values, beliefs, biases, and attitudes toward learners with disabilities to develop appreciation of learners with disabilities and to be sensitive toward them.
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