We have officially started our Transformational Teacher Training in the Eastern Region with a seven day Training of Trainers workshop. The training was for selected personnel from the Ghana Education Service, including officers and experienced teachers in the four education directorates we are working with in the Eastern region of Ghana namely: Akwapim North, Akwapim South, Nsawam Adoagyiri and New Juabeng education directorates.

The training was aimed at helping trainers to understand the play based approach and how to deliver it to learners in kindergarten and to introduce them to techniques of modelling the play based approach to teachers in their districts. The training exposed participants to the various ways of facilitating play in the classroom, adapting to how children learn and strategies for managing behaviour by rewarding good behaviours and frowning on bad behaviours by applying consequences.

Participants were very enthused about how the training had enlightened them and given them more insight into facilitation and also strategies to use in managing their learners as well as modelling this approach to other teachers when they meet them for training in  the coming weeks.

Devine Tetteh Daitey, a Circuit Supervisor from the New Juabeng Municipal education directorate was thrilled about the behaviour management strategies they learnt. He said
“The greatest lesson I have learnt today is behaviour management, and it’s very revealing to know that there are alternative ways in managing behaviour in our classrooms. I know, from time in-memorial, we have been telling teachers and asking, no canning, no canning; without providing alternative ways of managing behaviour in our classrooms. But with this training, it is very clear that good behaviour has rewards we can give and misbehaviour has consequences. The pyramid or the hierarchy of rewards and consequences make it clear and give the teachers alternative ways of managing behaviour in their classrooms, and I think that is one thing I am taking away to them.”

Angela Amankwa, a teacher at Riis Presby Model  School also in the New Juabeng Municipal assembly, who was not understanding aspects of the new curriculum rolled out earlier at the start of the academic term said that
“The training we are having now has helped us a lot, especially me, in the sense that, I was not understanding how the daily plan in the new curriculum should be used. But now I understand that there should be different activities. about four of them, so that children can have a variety of activities within the one-hour period allocated on the daily plan. Now that we understand how to go by activities in the classrooms, we will be able to make our colleague teachers understand it better so they can also carry on for the children to benefit more from the period allocated for activities.”

By the end of the seven days, 21 trainers from the selected districts received training in various forms and will deliver this to teachers, head teachers and Ghana Education Service officers across the four districts we are working with. All trainers felt motivated and very confident and cannot wait to deliver this training to their colleagues.

This project is funded with UK aid from the British people and Echidna Giving.