The Ghana Society for Education Technology (GSET) in partnership with the African Science Academy (ASA) have held a day’s workshop to train mathematics teachers on new approaches and skills to teach the subject effectively in their various schools.
The workshop brought over 60 teachers from various Senior High schools in the Central Region.
Speaking to ATL FM News on the essence of the workshop, Head Teacher of African Science Academy (ASA), Ms. Gifty Ghansah loopholes such the lack of practicality in the teaching of mathematics among others in the country is causing students, particularly girls, to lose interest in the subject, hence the need to train teachers to be abreast of new teaching trends.
“We all know that there is a certain manlyimage about the subject and it’s a global thing so as teachers how can we break down those barriers and make the subject more enjoyable and make it something that our students, especially girls would want to pursue,” she said.
She also indicated that ASA’s focus in on the girl child in stem education but to achieve this aim, teachers must be empowered to teach the girls new trends in STEM education.
She said “we are living in times where there is a huge focus on empowering the girl child and specifically also encouraging more girls in STEM and bringing that excitement for them to want to engage in the sciences”.
Ms. Ghansah further expressed the hope that at the end of the workshop, teachers would have acquired the needed skillsets which will enable them to teach the subject better in the classroom.
“we hope that the impact of the training will be that they go back and continue to engage their students thinking carefully about the gender balance trying to progressively break the biases and some of the misconceptions that is being formed around maths and the sciences,” she stated.
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On his part, the Executive Director of GSET, Mr. Ernest Gavor indicated that, his outfit will continue to support teachers so they are able to teach mathematics in a more effective way adding that a follow-up would be done to ascertain whether the teachers are implementing the new teaching techniques acquired.
He added that his outfit organizes virtual events and other professional development sessions for teachers to keep building their skills, acquire new methodologies for teaching the subjects, know new approaches and strategies to deliver mathematics lessons in a manner that makes it fun and enjoyable for the students.
Some teachers who participated in the workshop promised to inculcate the new skills they had acquired when teaching their students, especially female students so that they will be encouraged to pursue courses in mathematics and the sciences.
Source: Emmanuella Ama Gyamfi/ATLFMNEWS
