What can be done to improve it?
The word “profession,” according to Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, is “a calling requiring specialised knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation.”
The Oxford Advance Learner’s Dictionary also defined “profession” as “a type of job that needs special training or skill especially that needs a high level of education.”
One would agree that there are several definitions for “teaching,” but I have chosen to settle on the one by Albert Koomson et al (2000) because it would help me communicate well with my readers. According to Albert Koomson et al (2000), teaching can be defined as an activity performed by a more experienced and knowledgeable person and aimed at helping the less- experienced person to learn. He further explained that teaching also involved assisting the learner to either gain or change some knowledge, skills or attitudes. Teaching should therefore involve the full participation of pupils.
Koomson et al (2000) also cites many activities which are involved in teaching. These include talking, and chalking, marking pupils’ work, listening to pupils and reinforcing their behaviour, arranging classroom materials, encouraging and motivating pupils to carry out their work and helping weak ones, explaining questions and organising pupils in smaller groups. From the definition above, the teaching practice surely requires special training and skills to be able to guide or assist learners, pupils or students perform creditably in examinations and other problem-solving tasks in and outside the classroom.
The question then is “how do we prepare our teachers both in training and in practice to be equipped in rendering those services fixed in the international and modern standard teaching practices?” This comes in the wake of challenges in teaching and the education system as a whole due to social, economical, technological changes and other political forces that have evolved within the 20th and 21st century. In addition, among the most significant changes include shifts in population demographics, cultural diversity of the population, changing patterns of learning and education system, increased consumer expectations and the high cost of education financing. Perhaps it is the solving of these challenges that informed recent policies and decision making to increase the intake of teachers to upgrade the basic teachers training institutions to diploma status and also expanding the degree programmes in the universities. The introduction of diploma and degree programmes has resulted in the expansion of the subjects being taught under these programmes. Courses such as Research Methods, Education, Child Psychology and Development, Guidance and Counselling, Special Education, Methods of Teaching and Religious and Moral Education have been added to equip the teacher with skills to meet the world standard. The decisions specified above were taken to adequately prepare a new qualified teacher to meet the demands of modern trends in teaching as expressed in the vision of many teaching theorists such as Albert Koomson et al (2002). It is imperative from the above analysis that every qualified and registered teacher would be required to use sound methods of teaching, guidance and counselling to deliver quality and effective teaching to their “client” (that is the learners, pupils or students). Anything short of this should be seen as either a personal problem or a systematic (institutional) problem which requires effective monitoring strategy.
However, another question we need to ask is whether the teacher has been adequately supported to meet his or her tasks by providing an environment conducive for effective teaching practices to the expectation of our learners? If not, what can society do to nullify or erase some misconceptions about the teaching profession in Ghana and also equip ourselves in readiness for the task given to us as a group, that is Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Teaching Educators, Training Institutions, including the Universities and all other teaching affiliate bodies like the National Association of Graduate teachers, (NAGRAT) Ghana Education Serves (GES), National Teaching Council (NTC)?
To find solutions to these logical questions there is the need to adopt an empirical or pragmatic approach. It must be generally flexible and dynamic in our socio-cultural environment not forgetting modernity as a factor. In addition, dynamic changing trends in international standards should be considered to ensure continuous competitive nature of the Ghanaian teacher. To this end attempts have been made to interact with some major stake holders and individuals who are so much concerned about contemporary teaching in Ghana and come out with these suggestions mentioned below. These point provided below are responses and comments that were duly and diligently gathered through surveys and seminars in an attempt to provide some possible ways of raising teaching standards to an appreciable level in the country.
– Equip teachers with good communication skills
– Improve education and training needs of teachers
– Continuous refresher courses for practising teachers
– ICT training of teacher trainees
– Conduct regular researches in teaching
– Ensure adequate and efficient working tools in the classrooms
– Ensure effective supervisory roles by circuit supervisors, inspectorates boards, etc
– Ensure personal discipline in teaching practice
– Ensure sanctions against those who misconduct themselves
– Awards and motivate those who go the extra mile to excel in the teaching practice especially those in the rural areas) in the midst of numerous obstacles confronting teaching practice or profession
– Better the condition of services especially in monetary terms (salary adjustments)
It is in this light that I deem it necessary as a colleague teacher to appeal to all and sundry in this noble profession to strive to brighten the corner one finds him or herself. This I believe can be achieved in a collaborated effort from all teaching groups in the country following approaches which may seem little but will always provide good results if employed.
Always remember to appreciate differences in behaviour among different pupils (learners) considering differencing in social, cultural, economic, psychological and religious backgrounds.Do not indoctrinate learners; consider their religious faiths.Be patient enough to listen attentively to your learners and their relative questions and answers. This normally helps you to make better assessments and decisions of your learners’ performances so as to develop an effective teaching response to the pupil’s problem.Always try to act like you are the one receiving the same services that you are providing to your pupils and evaluate yourself to see if you will score an excellent mark. By doing so you will almost give your best.Last but not least, remember to pay your “tithes”, pray to your Maker towards your work each day, if possible before getting to your working environment. This certainly gives you the inner “can do spirit” and strength that is required to be able to implement the suggestions (opinions) above.
To end this discussion, it is imperative for us to understand that every teaching action one takes either in the classroom or outside the classroom or has implications even on the streets.
Yes, we may be justified to criticise the government and other stakeholders for low salary (remunerations), inadequate teaching materials, extensive workload and other structural and administrative challenges. It will also be equally wrong on our part to expect the government and the agencies to instill professional qualities such as patience, tolerance, empathy, discipline, neatness, intelligence and the like in us that is clearly spelt out in our training. It behooves therefore on each of us to see him or herself as a change agent in an attempt to realising the comprehensive evidence-based teaching practice that is being preached across the globe. We should also not forget the essential need to equip ourselves properly in the area of information technology as part of the changing process.
It is my hope and prayer that all honourable members of the noble profession will come to this realisation in order to push a common agenda of quality teaching delivery in our country Ghana as practiced elsewhere on the globe. This I believe is the sure way of establishing a strong, respectable and indispensable teaching profession in Ghana, our beloved country. Let us do our best and God will do the rest. The world needs a shine in every corner. Make a difference, stay tuned, stay blessed and learn more.
The writer is a professional teacher at Juaso R/C JHS; an old student of Akrokerri College of Education
Credit: Thoughts from Albert Kobina Koomson (UCC) and Mr. Sarfo Antwi Joseph (Editing and Research officer) NHLMC.
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