T-TEL programme enhances teaching and learning in training colleges

By Rashid Mbugri, GNA,

Tamale, Nov 20, GNA - Some tutors of the Tamale College of Education (TACE) have lauded the Transforming Teacher Education and Learning (T-TEL) programme for improving on the skills of both tutors and student teachers, and enhancing teaching and learning in the institution.

They said support from the programme had brought about more practical and interactive methods in the teaching and learning environment of the institution through the introduction of the Professional Development (PD) Session as well as establishment of the Quality Assurance Unit.

This was made known on Tuesday at TACE in Tamale during a media tour organized by T-TEL to assess and showcase to members of the public, some of the changes in the colleges of education through the programme, as well as the implementation of the new Bachelor of Education Degree (BE.d) programme, which had replaced the Diploma in Basic Education (DBE).

T-TEL programme is, a six year government programme funded by the UK Aid, and designed to build and support the capacity of teacher education sector to ensure that they are well-equipped and motivated to deliver quality teaching and learning outcomes in schools.

Dr Iddrisu Sulemana, Principal of TACE, said the T-TEL programme had supported as well as provided capacity building training for some tutors in the institution as part of measures to help bring about  some improved changes in the teaching and learning processes.

He said through the introduction of the PD sessions and support from T-TEL for the establishment of the institution’s Quality Assurance Unit, there was improved changes in the approaches used in teaching and learning such as the monitoring and assessment of teachers’ performance in class as compared to previous years. 

He said unlike previous years, PD sessions were now held every week, especially on Mondays, where tutors came together to deliberate and share ideas, based on their subject areas, on how to enhance and practically help students to understand what they were being taught in class as well as review some of the challenges faced by the tutors in class and how to improve on them.

Mr Abukari Sadik Zakaria, a tutor from the Mathematics Department at TACE, said the introduction of the PD session has so far helped to empower teachers as well as inspired students to learn through a more interactive mode of teaching and learning processes.

"This has changed the teaching narrative from the theory-based learning into a more practical-based learning," he said.

Mr Zakaria said mathematics, especially was taught in isolation, however, through the PD sessions, tutors develop better ideas in teaching their subject areas by practically relating topics to everyday activities for better understanding to students.

"It has helped me to manage my talk-time, because more often the students are made to keep journals of what they learn as well as demonstrate what they are learning in class,” he said.

Mr Abdul Latif Alhassan, a tutor in charge of the Quality Assurance Unit in TACE, said the unit was established and equipped to ensure that there was quality and improvement in the teaching and learning outcomes in the institution.

He said the unit appraises tutors on their output in the teaching and learning outcomes in the classroom through the assessments and responses derived from the student teachers, using student appraisal forms.

This, he indicated, helps to determine whether or not tutors were meeting the expected outcomes or not, as well make recommendations on best practices to use to improve on teaching and learning. 

Miss Zakaria Rashida, a level 100 student of the institution, said through the programme, she had seen vast difference comparing the method of teaching and learning used at the senior high school (SHS) level and at the tertiary.

"For instance, introduction to sets in Mathematics, back at SHS, the teacher would just come and write on the board the definition of set without practically explaining it to us, however, in this college, the teacher can use the students in the class as an example or take you around the campus for you to better understand what he is teaching," she said.

GNA

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