TEACHERS’ PROBLEMS OF TEACHING OF OXIDATION-REDUCTION REACTIONS IN HIGH SCHOOLS

The study explored how teachers taught redox reactions to senior high school students. Within a case-study research design, six chemistry teachers with a minimum of 7 and a maximum of 12 years teaching experiences from three schools were interviewed. The results revealed four themes; inhibition of instruction, weak instructional strategy, inability to teach concepts, and teachers’ professional development. It was found that teachers employed weak instructional strategies such as expository and out of class group assignments in teaching redox reactions. The study recommends that chemistry educators and researchers should design and develop subject-specific pedagogical content knowledge for teaching redox reactions.  Article visualizations

Promoting Interactive Teaching with ICT: Features of Intervention for the Realities in the Ghanaian Physics Senior High School Classroom

This research reports on the design aspect of a bigger project which sought to design and implement information and communication technology (ICT)-based interventions for the purpose of developing pre-service teachers’ ICT competency for teaching physics in an interactive manner using a three-stage (design stage, implementation and evaluation stage, and documentation and reflection stage) design-based research approach. Using literature as a lens, this research examines the interventions that we designed in the first stage of the project with the intent to determine its features that promote interactive teaching and fit the Ghanaian senior high school physics classroom context. Findings show that the intervention with inherent features comprising of: a readily available, sustainable, context- and content-specific ICT teaching and learning environment; an ICT-oriented knowledge base for teachers’ uptake of ICT; an underlining framework for defining interactive and learner-centred teaching approach with ICT; ICT-driven interactive lesson objectives; an inquiry-driven, activity- and ICT-based learning material; and a collaborative classroom arrangement is appropriate and sensitive to the needs of the Ghanaian physics classroom context and, hence, possess the potential for promoting interactive teaching. The features of the interventions, as situated in the specific context of the research and implications of the findings are discussed.

Preparation of pre-service teachers in Ghana to integrate information and communication technology in teaching mathematics

Based on responses and experiences of the pre-service teachers, the research demonstrated that pre-service teachers developed TPACK and that they felt prepared to effectively use ICT in their classroom. The outcomes of the research showed that collaborative design in design teams in pre-service teacher education is a viable and effective approach to prepare pre-service mathematics teachers for the integration of technology and activity-based learning in mathematics lessons. Because pre-service teachers had to design and enact ICT-enhanced mathematics lessons opportunities were provided to develop their knowledge and skills and make intimate connections between technology (spreadsheets), content (mathematics) and pedagogy (activity-based learning). While pre-service teachers collaborated during design and enactment, knowledge and attitudes about ICT and activity-based learning became explicit, which helped them to reflect on their experiences, and hence fostered learning

The Paradox of Ghanaian High School Mathematics Teachers’ Perspectives on ICT Use

The paper sought to investigate the perceived use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) of high school mathematics teachers in Ghana. A hundred high school mathematics teachers from 20 public schools,10 each located in the rural and urban areas respectively in the Central region of Ghana, were stratified and used in the study. A questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. The result of the study indicated low levels of perceived knowledge/skills of ICT use by high school mathematics teachers, contrary to their reported high usage levels of ICTs. The findings of the study also indicated that the high school mathematics teachers’ ICT use in a professional related context (instructional delivery, assessment, and professional learning network) was minimal compared to use for social networking, although they seemed to be fully aware of the relevance of using ICT in a professional related manner. Similarly, their reported technical knowledge/skills of ICT were low. Thus, the results of the study suggest that, though the teachers reported high ICT usage, actual usage seems to be at the peripheries. Among other things,  this study has implications for curriculum development and training in Ghana and countries of similar context. It may be necessary for the  Curriculum Research Development Division (CRDD) of the Ghana Education Service in collaboration with the related agencies to explicitly define parameters such as what ICT tools must be used, when they must be used, and how they should be used when reviewing and revising their mathematics teaching curriculum

The Paradox of Ghanaian High School Mathematics Teachers’ Perspectives on ICT Use

The paper sought to investigate the perceived use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) of high school mathematics teachers in Ghana. A hundred high school mathematics teachers from 20 public schools,10 each located in the rural and urban areas respectively in the Central region of Ghana, were stratified and used in the study. A questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. The result of the study indicated low levels of perceived knowledge/skills of ICT use by high school mathematics teachers, contrary to their reported high usage levels of ICTs. The findings of the study also indicated that the high school mathematics teachers’ ICT use in a professional related context (instructional delivery, assessment, and professional learning network) was minimal compared to use for social networking, although they seemed to be fully aware of the relevance of using ICT in a professional related manner. Similarly, their reported technical knowledge/skills of ICT were low. Thus, the results of the study suggest that, though the teachers reported high ICT usage, actual usage seems to be at the peripheries. Among other things,  this study has implications for curriculum development and training in Ghana and countries of similar context. It may be necessary for the  Curriculum Research Development Division (CRDD) of the Ghana Education Service in collaboration with the related agencies to explicitly define parameters such as what ICT tools must be used, when they must be used, and how they should be used when reviewing and revising their mathematics teaching curriculum. &nbsp

Effectiveness of problem-based learning strategy in improving teaching and learning of mathematics for pre-service teachers in Ghana

The study was aimed at investigating the effectiveness of Problem-based Learning (PBL) in improving Mathematics teaching and learning for pre-service teachers in Ghana. It was largely qualitative and employed an exploratory case study that involved 32 first-year pre-service teachers from Akrokerri College of Education, Ghana. The study revealed that the PBL intervention was effective in teaching Mathematics concepts. Consequently, the authors suggested that further studies could be conducted to cover other Colleges of Education to give credence and boost the reliability of the method employed and the study as a whole. The study was not compared to other methods of teaching to determine its significance. The need to conduct further studies that enable fair comparison with other methods is encouraged

Philosophy of teaching, teaching style and ICT use: a qualitative study of the perspectives of high school mathematics teachers

This study is a response to findings that have shown the importance of teachers’ philosophy, teaching styles and ICT use in impacting student learning outcomes. The study adopted an exploratory case design to explore the philosophical foundations, teaching styles and the levels of ICT use of six high school mathematics teachers in Ghana. Data for the study was collected using semi-structured interviews. The study found that the high school teachers used mainly the teacher-centred teaching approaches in which they dominate classroom instruction by disseminating knowledge to their learners. In spite of its perceived potentials, the study also reported low usages of ICT in instructional delivery among the teachers. Interestingly, the philosophy of teaching reported in the study by the teachers resonates with their current teaching style and ICT usage levels; the study found that the high school mathematics teachers hugely subscribed to the absolutist philosophical views of teaching mathematics which takes root in teacher-dominated teaching approaches. Consequently, the study reiterates that if teachers hold philosophical views that support the absolutist school of thought, they are likely to use delivery strategies which do not support ICT use but position the teacher to assume a central role in the instructional processes

Examining teachers’ perceptions of the impact of government of Ghana’s wi-fi technology program on teaching practices: an empirical study from the senior high schools in the cape coast metropolis

AbstractThe study discusses the impact of a nationwide deployment of Wi-Fi technology in some Senior High Technical Vocational Schools (SHTVs) in Ghana, using the first four levels of Guskey’s framework. A stratified sampling approach was used to select 119 teachers as participants in the study. An embedded mixed method research design was employed to collect data using a questionnaire with both close-ended and open-ended items. The findings revealed that the deployment of Wi-Fi technology impacted positively on the teachers’ learning experiences and was positively perceived by the teachers in facilitating teaching and learning practices. However, the study also revealed some deficits in reliability, trust, and connectivity associated with the Wi-Fi technology, highlighting the need to explore factors that maximize the output of technological initiatives. The study identifies the school’s organization and the teachers’ learning experiences as two key predictors in maximizing the use of Wi-Fi technology in educational establishments. The study recommends equipping teachers with the requisite competencies in the use of Wi-Fi technologies through professional development programs, training, and the enactment of ICT curriculum-based policies in schools. These policies and support will promote and enhance the effective utility of Wi-Fi technology among teachers, enabling them to shift from traditional to more technologically inclined student-centred learning