According to her, teachers of Mathematics needed to come out with innovative teaching methodologies that would enable both teachers and learners of the subject to relate mathematical theorems and concepts to real life situations. This, she noted, would enable students and pupils to appreciate the relevance of the subject, understand the basic rules and concepts and apply them to their daily lives. Ms Nkrumah was speaking to volunteer teachers who had completed a five-day refresher training programme in the teaching of Mathematics, English and Phonetics in Tamale. The training was organised by the Child Reach International (CRI), a child-centered development organization, in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service (GES), as part of measures to increase the supply of volunteer teachers to boost teaching and learning in deprived communities. “If the students and pupils cannot appreciate the relevance of the subject, they would not understand why they should learn the subject and this consequently affects their performance in examinations,” she stated. Ms Nkrumah observed that for the teaching of Mathematics to be effective, teachers needed to make the classes very lively and interesting so as not to create boredom among the learners, as that could hamper the learning process. “If you are teaching a subject like Mathematics, you need to stimulate the minds of your learners to guarantee their full participation and readiness to comprehend what you are teaching,” she stressed. She cautioned Mathematics teachers not to use the subject to frighten students or pupils, “because this makes the learners to be apprehensive about learning the subject.” She noted that some teachers of Mathematics mistakenly made the subject look superior and that discouraged students and pupils from developing interest in the subject. The Country Director of CRI, Mr Frederick Ohene Sarfo, was delighted that the volunteer teachers had been properly introduced to effective teaching methodologies that would generate interest and improve the performance of children in those subjects. “One of the most feared subjects, Mathematics, has been broken down like never before and I can only admire the facilitators,” he stated. Mr Safo noted that the CRI had been training and sponsoring volunteer teachers in an effort to improve the number of teachers in deprived schools. “Our ultimate goal is to support the development of children in deprived communities through the provision of quality education delivered by well-trained teachers,” he pointed out. The director said his organization believed fervently that every child had a good potential, but needed the right opportunities and environment to develop those potentials.
|
