Designing Alternative Approaches for Teaching of Some Difficult to Learn Topics in the SHS Visual Art Curriculum

The researcher designed alternative methods to fill some gaps in teaching and learning of four topics, dubbed: “Designed alternative teaching approaches for four topics under General Knowledge in Art, Graphic Design and Picture Making in three Senior High Schools in Ashanti Region, Ghana”. This study employed qualitative research method. Using purposive and simple random sampling techniques, sample of three mixed SHS, 77 respondents comprising fourteen teachers and 63 students were selected for study. Questionnaire responses revealed some shortcomings in teaching and learning of layout, composition, design and lettering topics under GKA, GD and PM in the three SHS. During personal observation of teaching and learning of the four topics’ lessons, Visual Art students used improvised tools like bamboo/cane for calligraphy. Some students used 4/5 or six colours for three colour works, a teacher said, black letters can solely be used for citation. Above flaws and others indicate that some students find it difficult to learn aspect of the four. Some teachers also find it difficult to teach some practical aspects of the four, but they do not declare it. Design of  methods for teaching Layout in  fruit package, motif arrangement, career bag and posters, Composition from objects, scenery, memory/imagination, collage, mosaic, human figure, Design in printmaking, logo, flag,  freestyle and calligraphy lettering under GKA, GD and PM are discussed. He lists some demands of practicals, shortcomings in theory and remedies. He thus, mentions how SHS Arts teachers and students must teach and learn the 4 topics, according to faults detected. Keywords: Teaching, Layout, Composition, Lettering, Visual Art

The Instructional Processes for the Teaching of Some Difficult Topics in the Ghanaian SHS Visual Art Curriculum

The researcher investigated four topics’teaching-learning processes or described and analyze strengths and weaknesses in teaching and learning of four difficult topics in Ghanaian Visual Art curriculum.The study employed qualitative research approach with descriptive research and quasi experimental design research methods. Data were gathered via questionnaire administration and observation. Purposive and simple random sampling procedures were used to select 49 respondents. Questionnaire urged teachers and students to describe teaching and learning of layout, composition, design and lettering in two Senior High Schools, whether there are shortcomings in the four topics’ lessons. Responses revealed that there are no standardized textbooks, inadequate tools, equipment and materials for teachers and students to do practicals in the two SHS. During observation of teaching and learning of the four topics’ lessons in General Knowledge in Art, Graphic Design and Picture Making, it was noted that there were few resources available to the two SHS in Ashanti. As a result, Visual Art students were allowed to use bamboo/cane in calligraphy lessons observed. Some students used more colours than required number. Others made spelling, spacing and layout mistakes. Some words were missing in calligraphy/poster works. Some calligraphies were without border designs or initial letters, not decorated. Some objects were out of proportion. A student wrote freestyle letters in boxes. Teachers did not teach topics like optical spacing cartoon, fabric and edition binding practicals. Students produced pictorial posters without letters. A teacher said, citation can be written with black letters only, letters are in some PM3. Keywords: Instructional Processes, Visual Arts, Curriculum, Teaching, Layout

Adopting Successive Approximation Model For The Development Of Locally-Made Interventionary Manipulatives For The Teaching Ang Learning Of Mathematics In Basic Education Context: The Case Of Akrom M/A And Knust Primary Schools

Manipulatives are concrete or virtual objects that enable pupils to visualize abstract mathematical concepts in concrete terms for easy comprehension. They play an important role in the success of effective mathematics education. Preliminary studies in the selected schools revealed that manipulatives were lacking in these schools and that made teaching and learning of some mathematics topics very challenging. This research sought to find out how mathematics is taught in the selected schools to establish the brunt on how the teaching and learning of mathematics is done with or without manipulatives. The two selected schools are public schools or government owned schools. The study is qualitative in nature employing the descriptive and quasi-experimental methods of research. The research instruments employed for the study were interview and observation. The accessible population for the study was 339. This was made up of 6 teachers, 199 teachers and 1 head teacher. The non-probability sampling techniques were employed specifically; convenient sampling was used to hand pick schools that were not too far from the researcher whiles the purposive sampling was used to judgmentally select the school that are been studied. Results from observation in both schools showed that, manipulatives were available for only addition and subtraction. Data from interviews showed that some topics in mathematics are challenging to teach without manipulatives. Successive Approximation Model (SAM) was used to design and develop mathematics manipulatives for five of the challenging topics to teach and learn which were tested in the selected schools to measure their effectiveness. The test scores revealed that pupil’s academic experiences in those challenging mathematics topics improved with the use of manipulatives; pupils’ participation in the classroom also improved drastically. It was recommended that, manipulatives should be available for all topics in mathematics to make teaching and learning easier and fun to improve academic performance of pupils in mathematics

Instructional Strategies for Effective Teaching and Learning of Creative Arts: The Dilemma of Generalist Teachers in Ghana

Creative Art was introduced into Ghana s primary school curriculum in 2007 Comprising Performing Literary and Visual Arts Creative Art was intended to foster creativity development among primary pupils However Creative Art is taught by generalist classroom teachers who lack the specialized training knowledge skill and experience to identify efficient teaching-learning strategies that allow pupils to actively participate in art making experiences This study adopted action research to guide 20 Lower Primary teachers in two schools to design and teach activity-based lessons in drawing colourwork weaving printmaking composition and assemblage to 95 pupils using clay crayons drums cardboard glue among other resources The intervention workshops proved that in-service education and training could build the professional capacity of generalist teachers in Ghana to effectively implement the Creative Arts curriculum for primary schools Ghana Education Service should train primary teachers if the objective of developing creative thinkers through Creative Arts could be achieve

Teaching and Learning of Drawing for Book Design and Illustration: A Study of Higher Education in Publishing, Ghana

The Publishing Studies department of Faculty of Art Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology KNUST Ghana offers graduate training in three career paths Book Design and Illustration BDI Publishing Administration and Printing Technology and Management and Publishing Administration A survey of 555 students in Years 1-4 revealed a skewed distribution of 47 in BDI 285 in Printing and 223 in Administration manual drawing which is required for specialisation in BDI is a major threat to patronage in this Publishing Studies programme option To understand this phenomenon required observation of drawing lessons and interviewing a convenience sample of 34 BDI students over two semesters This qualitative study found that ability to draw significantly affects students decision for BDI 12 reported good manual drawing skills for careers in illustration 19 had limited drawing skills and preferred designing with computers 3 had developed interest in drawing from Year 1 but preferred both aspect

Perceptions, Attitudes and Institutional Factors that Influence Academic Performance of Visual Arts Students in Ghana’s Senior High School Core Curriculum Subjects

Senior High School (SHS) students in Ghana are required to pass all core and elective curricula subjects in the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) to qualify for higher education. Unfortunately, many Visual Arts students perform poorly or fail in English, Mathematics, Integrated Science and Social Studies, which constitute the SHS core curriculum subjects. To ascertain the factors that account for low performance of Visual Arts students in the WASSCE core subjects, this study employed interview, questionnaire and observation to gather qualitative and quantitative data from 20 core subject and 15 Visual Arts teachers, 5 heads of schools, 5 Heads of Visual Arts department and 50 Visual Arts students in five Senior High Schools (SHSs) in Ashanti Region. The findings revealed that some core subject teachers denigrate Visual Arts students as ‘unintelligent’, ‘not serious’ and ‘difficult to teach’ as compared to their peers in the Science, Business and allied elective SHS programmes; with some refusing responsibility in Visual Arts departments. Perceiving core subjects as ‘theoretical’ and ‘difficult to learn’, many Visual Arts students neglect the learning of core subjects and concentrate time and effort on elective Textiles, Ceramics and allied Visual Arts subjects. Invariably, many Visual Arts students make poor WASSCE grades in core subjects and miss participation in higher education. Active monitoring of teaching, attitudinal change and motivation could build the capacity of Visual Arts students to participate fully in the economic development of Ghana. Keywords: Academic performance; Visual Arts; core curriculum; Senior High School; Ghana

COGNISANCE, ACCESS, AND UTILIZATION OF ELECTRONIC SCHOLARLY RESOURCES IN KNUSTSpace: THE CASE OF STAFF AND STUDENTS AT KWAME NKRUMAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

The Institutional Repository (KNUSTSpace) of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) plays an essential role in meeting the information needs of scholars by providing free, instant, and endless online access to the full content of scholarly resources. The study investigated users’ cognisance, access and usage effectiveness of electronic academic resources in KNUSTSpace to determine how it has satisfied the information needs of users. Thirty-five lecturers and 113 students responded to the survey. The study discovered that the majority of users are aware of the existence of KNUSTSpace; the results show a growing interest in the usage of electronic scholarly resources among staff and students at KNUST. The respondents identified KNUSTSpace as a useful tool in preserving, accessing and disseminating electronic scholarly resources. The study also identified some significant challenges concerning users’ access and practical usage of academic resources in KNUSTSpace

The Influence of Kindergarten Teachers’ Knowledge and Instructional Activities on Academic Related Skills of Children in the Talensi District

This study aimed to investigate the impact of teachers' knowledge and instructional activities on the learning abilities of kindergarten children in selected schools in the Talensi District of Ghana. A descriptive survey research design was employed, involving 98 selected teachers, with 76 of them participating in the study. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire and classroom observations. The collected data were analyzed using various descriptive and inferential statistics with the assistance of the SPSS program. The analysis revealed that kindergarten (KG) teachers possessed knowledge in areas such as the organization of the learning environment, child development, curriculum design for children, multiple forms of assessment, family and parent outreach, methods of teaching diverse children, and strategic use of resources and information and communication technology (ICT). Additionally, instructional activities employed by teachers included general exercises, logic, mathematics, and numeracy skills, reading, and writing activities, socio-emotional developmental activities, and creative art activities. Further analysis indicated a strong positive relationship between teachers' knowledge and academic-related skills. Similarly, a significant strong relationship was found between various instructional activities and academic-related skills. This suggests that both teachers' knowledge and instructional activities play a crucial role in influencing the academic skills development of KG children. The study recommends that the government should establish National Early Childhood Teachers' Training Centers in all regions to address the specific skills needs of teachers. Standardization of the KG curriculum is also advised to ensure consistency in educational content across all schools. Additionally, in-service training and provision of learning materials for KG teachers are recommended to support their work on a regular basis

Understanding informal jewellery apprenticeship in Ghana: Nature, processes and challenges

Context: The processes of acquiring education in jewellery in Ghana has been dominated by the informal apprenticeship system and it forms the backbone of the workforce of the jewellery industry in Ghana. However, the patronage of informal jewellery apprenticeship in Ghana in recent times has been on decline even though it has the potential of training human resources to transform Ghana’s precious mineral resources sector.This is based on the belief that jewellery trade and its training are shrouded in secrecy, in other words, the jewellery trade is considered to be a sacred profession where information on its operating systems are not allowed to be shared easily. It is believed to be associated with cult and magic, hence the reluctant to admit people who are from outside the family of particular jewellery enterprise. This study is sought to bring to fore the understanding nature, processes and challenges of the informal jewellery apprenticeship in Ghana. Approach: The study adopted the descriptive and phenomenology research designs (qualitative research methods). Jewellers who own a jewellery business and who are training other people through apprenticeships as well as people who are trained are observed and interviewed. A sample size was selected through purposive and convenience sampling techniques from four jewellery enterprises in Accra, Ghana. A thematic analysis plan was adopted to generate fndings of the study. Findings: The results show that for a person to train as a jeweller, s/he has to enrol by going through induction, futhremore fees (money and perishable items) are to be paid. The training content is driven by orders received by the master jeweller, thereby making it unstructured and lacking criteria for assessing the performance and progress of apprentice jewellers. Teaching and learning methods are usually on-the-job training that rely on demonstrations and observation.Conclusion: Informal jewellery apprenticeship in Ghana uses a fexible, cost-efective approach for transferring jewellery making skills from masters to apprentice jewellers, and it has substantial potential for improving skills training in the country. Sometimes the reluctant of some jeweller to train others is to keep the trade to family members only.&nbsp

Analytical Study of the Implications of Text Illustrations on Lower Primary Pupils' Construal in the Classroom: The Case of Illustrations in Ghanaian Language and Literacy Textbook

Illustrations used in textbooks for lower primary school teaching form an integral part of pupils’ cognitive abilities. Ghanaian publishers and illustrators give marginal attention to the liaison between textbook illustrations and their corresponding text when illustrating for children in lower primary schools. The incongruities between text and its illustrations in the textbooks pose challenges to lower primary pupils in their quest to understand, interpret and match text with adjoining illustrations. The study adopted qualitative research design to study how the misalliance of text and illustrations in textbooks affects teaching and learning at the lower primary level in selected Ghanaian schools in the Ashanti Region. Illustrations in the Ghanaian language and Literacy textbook (Asante Twi) for the lower primary level was chosen for the study.  Two (2) lower primary schools were sampled for the study based on proximity. One (1) teacher was sampled from each school; and a total of eighty (80) pupils were also censused from the 2 schools with convenience and purposive techniques. Thirty-nine (39) and forty-one (41) pupils were used in school A and B respectively. Prospectively, Seguin’s model evaluates that there are standard illustrations in the Ghanaian language and literacy textbook. Conversely, the study evidenced that misalliances between text and its illustrations in textbook affected teaching and learning thereby resulting in pupils’ abysmal academic performance in terms of their comprehension of the illustrations to the various passages read. The teaching methods adopted by individual teachers also played a contributing factor to pupils’ understanding or misinterpretation of the text and its illustration.  The study advocates that text and illustrations in textbooks should equally match in the passage to enable lower primary pupils make meaning and create appropriate mental models of text and its adjoining text illustrations. Keywords: Illustrations, Textbooks, lower primary schools, Language and Literacy, Asante Twi, Ghana