“If I were staying close to this community there is no way my children would have gone to any other school. As a teacher I have taught in Primary 1 for several years and I can see this cohort of Primary 1 children are different; they are well behaved and able to write well” Kyiase Primary 1 teacher’s testimony to a 17 member team from the University of Education, Winneba who visited our project in the Central Region.
The team comprised one Lecturer of the Department of Early Childhood and 16 students. The visit was aimed at learning about the child centered, play-based approach being implemented by Sabre through the Fast-track Transformational Teacher Training programme. There was a briefing session to explain why and what Sabre is doing. The team visited classrooms that are implementing the programme, giving them an opportunity to see the programme in action and interact with the teachers.
At the feedback session, the team reported how amazed they were with the classrooms with regards to:
- Richness of the learning environment
- Locally made teaching and learning resources
- Engagement of children in the learning process through the use of small groups
- Materials developed by Sabre for effective implementation
- Teachers’ commitment and dedication.
At Kyiase Kindergarten, after the team had observed what goes on there, they were very much impressed, and wanted to see how the Primary 1 children who were on the programme last year were getting on. They were very happy to see how neat and legible this current Primary 1 writing was compared to the Primary 2 pupils.
One of the visitors, who is also a kindergarten teacher at University of Education Practice School, shared, “ When I entered the class earlier, I thought all the decorations and the displays were for beautification, I realized in the course of my time there that all those displays made meaning and were also used and referred to during activities”
We are delighted to have received positive and encouraging feedback from the study tour. Ayekoo (Well done) to all our teachers!
