MASTER FELLOWS PROGRAMME

The inaugural Master Fellows Programme was started with a 3-day “Pre-Academy Training”.  The Tier I portion of the programme was designed as a five-day introduction to professional development for secondary school educators in two parts: Teaching Practices for teachers and Instructional Leadership for assistant heads for academic affairs.  The first four training days were each dedicated to one of the four module below, where teachers received specific teaching strategies in the morning lecture format sessions and practiced these strategies in the afternoon. 

The instructional leadership trainees (assistant heads) observed their teachers in the morning, and received their training and practice in the afternoons, on how to create enabling environments in their schools to support teachers.  The fifth day is dedicated to trainees simulating the delivery of portions of the modules.

The new modules designed and covered during the Tier I portion of this activity were:

*  Active Student Engagement

*  Critical Thinking Skills

*  Lesson Design and Factors Affecting Student Learning

*  Using Prior Knowledge

On the same modules as Activity 1, Activity 5 has two particular differences: (1) one fewer module and (2) difference in design.  The Master Fellows Programme has an important difference from the Fellows Programme. In the Master Fellows Programme, the capacities of trainees are built so they can lead training of their second cycle peers in the Fellows Programme. 

*  The modules covered were:

*  Active Student Engagement

*  Critical Thinking Skills

*  Lesson Design and Factors Affecting Student Learning

*  Using Prior Knowledge

Results: 17 Fellows from 8 schools in four regions in Ghana were trained.  Pictures of parts of the training were taken. Mr. Kwame Acheampong, an external monitor of our donor, the Council on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET)’s Skills Development Fund (SDF) was on hand to observe and interview trainees and trainers.  A couple of the pictures taken of the training has been shared below. All participants and trainers received certificates.

The 3-day programme was co-designed with and led by an external consultant (XCEL Education Services, XCEL).  It focused on Teaching Practices for Teachers and Assistant Heads for Academic Affairs, building on the Tier I training modules.   Each training day was dedicated to one module, where teachers received new strategies mixed with practice sessions throughout the day, while assistant heads observed their teachers and received new strategies.  This training is an important precursor to the ‘Tier III, Leadership Practices’ training in Activity 9 (overleaf).

The modules covered were:

*  Assessment for Learning

*  Interactive Teaching and Learning

*  Creative Thinking and Problem Solving Skills

Results: 25 Educators from 12 schools in 4 regions in Ghana were trained.  Videos and pictures of parts of the training were taken, and a promotional video summary is being created; a couple of the pictures taken of the training has been captured overleaf.  Mr. Kwame Acheampong, an external monitor of our donor, the Council on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET)’s Skills Development Fund (SDF) was on hand to observe and interview trainees and trainers.  All participants received certificates.

The 4-day programme was co-designed with and led by an external consultant (EA-Service In Education, EASIE).  It focused on Teaching Practices for mathematics, built on the Tier I & II training modules and the capacity to teach difficult topics in West African Senior Secondary Certificate of Examination (WASSCE).  Each training day was dedicated to one module, where teachers received new strategies mixed with practice sessions throughout the day.

The modules covered were:

*  Assessment for Learning Mathematics

*  Consulting, Reporting, and Yielding

*  Organization for Teaching and Learning Mathematics

*  Effective Questioning and Thinking Skills

Results: 3 Educators from 3 schools in 2 regions in Ghana were trained.  Videos and pictures of parts of the training were taken, and a promotional video summary is being created.  Mr. Kwame Acheampong, an external monitor of our donor, the Council on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET)’s Skills Development Fund (SDF) was on hand to observe and interview trainees and trainers.  A copy of the training manual was submitted on request to the donor’s external monitor. All participants received certificates.

The programme was co-designed with and led by an external consultant (Practical Education Network, PEN).  It focused on Teaching Practices for Science; using a practice-based learning approach to the subject, it also built capacity to teach difficult topics in West African Senior Secondary Certificate of Examination (WASSCE).  Each training day was dedicated to one module, where teachers received brief introductory remarks each morning, and spent the entire day in practice sessions.

The modules covered were:

*  Enquiry-Based Science Learning

*  Design As A Tool for Practical Science

*  Applying Activities to WASSCE Preparation

*  Training Planning and Facilitation

Results: 7 Educators from 6 schools in 3 regions in Ghana were trained.  Videos and pictures of parts of the training were taken, and a promotional video summary is being created; a sample of the pictures taken of the training activities 7 & 8 is shared with this report.  Mr. Kwame Acheampong, an external monitor of our donor, the Council on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET)’s Skills Development Fund (SDF) was on hand to observe and interview trainees and trainers.  All participants received certificates.

The programme was co-designed with and training led by an external consultant (XCEL Education Services, XCEL).  It focused on building the capacity of leaders to support their teachers in schools that have received and are using strategies from the Tier II Teaching Practice modules.  Each training day was dedicated to one module, where leaders received new strategies mixed with practice sessions throughout the day.

*  The modules covered were:

*   Teacher Support and Supervision

*  Heads Leading The Learning School

*  Best Practice Financial Management for Schools

Results: 13 Educators from 8 schools in 4 regions in Ghana were trained.  Videos and pictures of parts of the training were taken, and a promotional video summary is being created; a couple of the pictures taken of the training activity 9 has been shared below.  Mr. Kwame Acheampong, an external monitor of our donor, the Council on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET)’s Skills Development Fund (SDF) was on hand to observe and interview trainees and trainers.  A copy of the training manual was submitted on request to the donor’s external monitor. All participants received certificates.

NOTE: Dr. Douglas D. Agyei, Director of the Centre for Teaching Support at the University of Cape Coast, was invited to observe the training activities 6, 7, 8 and 9 and provide an evening guest talk.