The policy also highlights a flexible curriculum in which schools: owe a responsibility to teach all children, exhibit no discrimination, utilize early intervention practices, ensure childrens participation, involve NGOs, agencies, parents, and government, develop positive attitudes, conduct monitoring and evaluation, have a policy on Persons with Disabilities, and develop assessment practices. Beliefs on epilepsy in Northern Ghana. The principle of universal design in the policy offers learners multiple means of representation, expression, engagement, motivation and tapping into learners interest. (2018b). The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. Unstructured questionnaires and Teacher observations were utilised in the process of generating the data. UNESCO organizes the Global Education Meetings in partnership with all global education actors toward achieving SDG 4 (Fontdevila and Grek, 2020). World Conference on Special Needs Education: Access and Quality. 8:1056630. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2023.1056630. true, instead, the Vocationalization of Ghana's education will put money into people's pockets (Anamuah-Mensah, 2004). The National Teacher Education Curriculum Framework, (NTECF): The Essential Elements of Initial Teacher Education. Ministry of Education. doi: 10.1080/09687599.2012.673079. According to the Colleges of Education Act of 2012, Act 847, the process of preparing teachers in Ghana to teach at the basic school level takes place at the College of Education (CoE). Finkelstein, V. (1980). They want to learn and are interested in making a contribution to the world. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. She was also awarded the 2011 Massachusetts Commonwealth Award in Creative Leadership, and in 2007 was named a member of the 2007 USA Today All-Teacher Team. The best way to answer this question is by sharing a few stories of your own. Quality education for all? In my view, it is good the government has assured Ghanaians that the CSE will not be. (2021). Ethn. It could be an ice breaker or other warming up exercises that could exclude learners with disabilities. 1. However, in our nations current climate, saying the word teacher is like Forrest Gump opening a box of chocolates: you never know what youre going to get, as teachers too often are seen as a convenient scapegoat for the perceived problems that are plaguing public education. They contend that the GCM at best, is an ecosystem that consists of all global education actors that participates in the Global Education Meeting and have agreed to work cooperatively in support of SDG 4. "The one misconception I would like to clarify is around the phrase, 'Those who can cannot do, teach.' The inclusive education policy acknowledges that: all children can learn irrespective of differences in age, gender, ethnicity, language, and disability. Previously, the University of Cape Coast and University of Education, Winneba, had the traditional mandate to prepare teachers to teach at various educational levels including the basic school level (Buabeng et al., 2019). Yin emphasized that a single-case design could be selected because of its criticalness, extremeness, typicalness, revelatory power, or longitudinal possibility (Yin, 1994). The Supplementary material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2023.1056630/full#supplementary-material, Adams, R., Martin, S., and Boom, K. (2018). Beyond models: understanding the complexity of disabled peoples lives in New Directions in the Sociology of Chronic and Disabling Conditions. Presently, there are 48 Colleges of Education (CoE) in Ghana, up from 38 in 2014 (Buabeng et al., 2019) and in the 2018/2019 academic year, all Colleges of Education in Ghana were upgraded to University Colleges status to offer a four-year Bachelor of Education degree (Kokutse, 2018). A large number of pupils struggle to meet the proficiency cut-off point for English and Mathematics between grades four and six. Fundamental Principles of Disability. Figure 1. He noted that: For example, go to the new schools, yes, we are building nice laboratories, but they are not accessible for learners and student teachers with disabilities. From our observation, the entire school environment was not accessible. The student teacher in the first week of the supported teacher school placement are required to reflect on the school environment. Examples of the disabling environment are societal structures, values, culture, environmental constructs (Geffen, 2013), inadequate access to healthcare, transportation, physical and institutional barriers (Barnes and Mercer, 2005; Naami, 2014). Every child has a right to access quality education and acquire skills UNICEF/UN362021/ACQUAH J. Curr. Teacher education training for basic and secondary schools are undertaken by initial teacher education institutions. The author concluded that concept-changing texts were efficient in comprehension of photosynthesis and I explained that teachers must advocate for students and how that can often get them in trouble with administration, but tenure protects them. Dev. All Rights Reserved. It further does not recognize learners with disabilities as a targeted category for student reflection. One common belief about teachers is that we never work during the summer. Politicians often like to say that teacher unions are part of the education problem, but as someone who has been teaching for decades, I can tell you that teacher unions are good for both teachers and students. I explained that tenure is a right to due process, so a teacher can't be fired without the administration presenting evidence that the teacher was incompetent or unprofessional. London: Macmillan. The Policy further requires a multi-disciplinary assessment procedure at all levels of education to meet the needs of all pupils/students. New York: World Rehabilitation Fund. The Social Model of Disability: Europe and the Majority World. - Improve education and training needs of teachers. The GCM is a global tool for education and a global multi-stakeholder mechanism for education in the 2030 Agenda, with the governance mechanism for the GCM, being the High-Level Steering Committee (HLSC) that is mandated to take strategic decisions and action for education (20222023 members). Adera, B. Attitudes and Disabled People. Evolving Indian strategy on SDGs and scope for regional cooperation. Thus, there are questions regarding participation on the student teacher checklist which states that: Did the teacher encourage students to actively participate in the lesson? Available at: http://www.who.int/disabilities/world_report/2011/report.pdf (Accessed June 17, 2017). Clean. Rather, impairment should be considered to enable provision of suitable accommodation for learners with disabilities. ), but not the accessibility of these facilities. The lower part of the diagram further illustrates the impact of contextual factors such as environmental (e.g., social, physical, transportation, and information barriers) and personal factors (e.g., education, gender, social background, and profession). "Teachers Have a Cushy Schedule", "Teachers have an easy schedule" is a frequently heard misconception, often followed by, "you're home by 3 p.m., and you've got weekends off." In this paper, we use the social model of disability and anchored on the Sustainable Development Goals, to examine the preparedness of student teachers in meeting the needs of learners with diverse learning needs. The key informant the affirmed that students are required to identify school facilities: When they go to the schools, they have to know the history of the partner schools and the facilities that are in the schools that will support teaching and learning. Edulearn19 Proc. doi: 10.1080/03050060902920534. 10, 7086. So, its good that you are bringing some of these things out. ed. For persons with disabilities, self-awareness is even more important given the socio-cultural and religious beliefs and practices that marginalize and discriminate against them and the resultant negative attitudes, stigma, discrimination, and exclusion and of persons with disabilities in all spheres of life (Kassah et al., 2012; Adjei et al., 2013; Dugbartey and Barimah, 2013; Naami, 2019). This has the potential of influencing the learning experience of such students in the classroom. However, it is equally important to find out whether what the teacher does promotes participation or alienates others. Using the curriculum to promote inclusive education? There were storey buildings with no elevators, most of the entrances to the buildings were inhibited with steps and not ramps. Stay up-to-date with the latest edtech tools, trends, and best practices for classroom, school and district success. Plenty of studies conclude that higher teacher pay leads to better teacher quality, which leads to improved student performance. Attitudinal barriers are cited as major barriers to the inclusion of persons with disabilities in all spheres of life in Ghana (Kassah et al., 2012; Adjei et al., 2013; Dugbartey and Barimah, 2013; Naami, 2014). High. doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.05.309. 3. doi: 10.21083/ajote.v3i2.2728. The Curriculum Framework provides for teachers at the Universities offering Education and the Colleges of Education. 9711 Washingtonian Boulevard, Suite 550, Gaithersburg, MD 20878 | 1-301-913-0115, By submitting your information, you agree to our, DEIA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Access), Video of the Week: Dealing with digital distraction in the classroom, Secrets from the library lines: 5 ways schools can boost digital engagement, Follow the Money Insights from K-12 Experts, Creating a winning K12 esports infrastructure, Charter Communications (Spectrum Enterprise). Similarly, it is common for teachers to use illustrative examples on the board or PowerPoint slides and ask students to see even though they have students with visual impairments. The proponents of the Social Model of Disability acknowledge that impairment could pose a limit to the functioning of persons with disabilities. They also observe some of the qualities of the classroom teacher. She graduated from Kenyon College in 2006 with a BA in English, and enjoys spending way too much time either reading or cooking. She is also an Adjunct Professor in the Graduate School of Education at Emmanuel College in Boston, MA. Afr. (2003). Unpublished thesis submitted to the University of Iceland. Inclusion in the policy sets out to create an education system that is responsive to learner diversity and to ensure that all learners have the best possible opportunities to learn. doi: 10.1016/S0031-9406(10)62916-1. Post-2015 Education MDGs. Agbenyega, J. S., Deppeler, J., and Harvey, D. (2005). 171, 434445. further about the omission of an important aspect of school facilities, which is accessibility, from the student reflective portfolio, he made these remarks: I am very happy you brought this up. (2019) explains that while the CoE provides a yearlong school-based teaching practice in addition to a semester-long campus-based peer teaching, their colleagues offering education degrees in the University of Cape Coast (UCC) engage in a semester-long school-based teaching experience. The student teacher is also expected by the curriculum to recognize what makes him/her an inclusive teacher. The observation checklist requires student teachers to identify traits of professionalism of their mentor teachers compared with theirs. 29, 316321. It is worth mentioning that the student observation checklist listed a section on students with special needs. In other words, Vocational and Technical Education and Training . Republic of Ghana (2019). Herp-Ghana. The number of persons with disabilities is likely to grow as incidences such as chronic ailments, falls, injuries, conflicts, accidents, and aging continue to occur (Howard and Rhule, 2021; World Health Organization, 2021). In this paper, we use the social model of disability, anchored on the Sustainable Development Goals, to examine the preparedness of student teachers in meeting the needs of learners with diverse learning needs. Mundial, Grupo Banco, and UNICEF. According to the Colleges of Education Act of 2012, Act 847, the process of preparing teachers in Ghana to teach at the basic school level takes place at the College of Education (CoE). The policy further envisions professional development of teachers in pedagogical skills that meets the needs of children with special needs using child-centered approaches. Two forms, student reflective journal and daily portfolio sheet comprise of the portfolio, which is usually returned to their tutors for grading. Although the various studies by Dodor et . Many attend mandatory professional development, and some work to get their master's degree. Machado, C., and Davim, J. P. (2022). All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Persons with disabilities continue to lag in education, which affects their employment and income and overall well-being. Disability and health: Fact sheet. Newman, E. K. (2013). To be effective, a science teacher should not underestimate the importance and the persistence of these barriers to true understanding. eSchool News uses cookies to improve your experience. Data analysis was done by first transcribing the audiotaped interview into word format, then both inductive and deductive approaches were used for coding, pattern development, matching and building themes and subthemes. The study explicitly followed a qualitative approach to research specifically a case study design. Incl. 60, 281301. Available at: https://mofep.gov.gh/sites/default/files/news/Ghana-SDGs-Budget-Report-July-2019.pdf. There are so many more misconceptions about teaching that I could easily write a Part II to this article. Available at: https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/204336.pdf (Accessed May 10, 2022). Article 8 of the CRPD outlines measures that states parties could adopt to ensure that persons with disabilities are able to access education, including vocational training and lifelong learning. For example, in week five the learning activity for student teachers requires Observation of how socio-economic, cultural and linguistic backgrounds influence the way learners (a boy and a girl) learn. The statement above does not recognize disability as one of the backgrounds that influences learning. Tertiary institutions such as universities, Colleges of Education and nursing training institutions have been recognized as drivers toward achieving the SDGs particularly, SDG 4, considering the formative roles they play in molding the future of young people in countries (Machado and Davim, 2022). This view has gained currency among several scholars (Adams et al., 2018; Leal Filho et al., 2019; Stein et al., 2019). You can also describe the numerous meetings and committee work you're involved in. doi: 10.1177/107554708100300106. Higher Education for Sustainable Development Goals. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) provides a comprehensive framework to describe health and health-related issues including disability. 10 Tips and Truths of Living with a Teacher, A Chance to Build Meaningful Relationships with Students, Engaging Students during the Long Winter Months, 5 REALISTIC Ways for Teachers to Get Healthier This Year. See response below: Whatever course that they take, we have components of misconceptions. Further, the student teachers in year three are tasked to identify learners who struggle to overcome barriers. The student reflective journal and the observation checklists identify barriers to learning. Spec. Students' ages can range from 12 to 23 years old. It's never wise to centralize power in one person, whether that's a superintendent or a mayor. The main body of the module focuses on a comparison between two contrasting countries in Africa: Sudan and Ghana. Yin, R. K. (2009). United Nations [UN]. Unlike gender which was given much attention and detailed reflection in the Colleges of Education curriculum. Amandas Ong. United States Department of States. Barrett, P., Treves, A., Shmis, T., and Ambasz, D. (2019). Completed worksheets of pupils on concept cartoons of selected science topics were discussed and analyzed to find . Other building facilities were ramped, but the ramps were not accessible. For years, governments and other national and international stakeholders have focused their attention on making sure that all children can attend school, and they have backed up that commitment with funding. Beyond 2015, within the modern/colonial global imaginary? These outcomes were: Year one: awareness of self and learners as unique individuals, Year two: teachers values and attitudes impacting on pupils learning, how diversity impacts on learning, Year three: being a team member, co-teaching, and co-planning, planning for individualized instruction, Year four: teaching all learners; learners, school, and community. The metaverse is a tool that blends experiences typically associated with either the virtual or physical worlds. Avoiding anthropomorphism helps young people to open the closed box of AI applications. (2018). CBR Incl. For most parts of the country, life is better than the outside world is made to believe. in Behavioral Science, a Masters in Education, and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Education Leadership. and can opt-out at any time. For example, in Ghana, some women believe that swelling of the face, hands or feet is an indication that the woman is going to have a baby boy [ 13 ]. There is nothing like hearing a former student tell you about the positive change you've made in their life. (2021). Inclusive education places emphasis on all aspects of education, including the pedagogy, school culture and environments that promote inclusion. London: UPIAS. The study employed the descriptive research design. What are some of the misconceptions and prejudices about teaching and how can they be addressed ? In fact, the entire Colleges of Education in Ghana curriculum seems to focus on students with learning difficulties. Examples of how anthropomorphism is misleading. Sustainable Development Goals and sustainability teaching at universities: Falling behind or getting ahead of the pack? This study investigated the use of concept cartoons to diagnose and remedy pupils' misconceptions in selected science concepts. The teacher in the observation checklist can indicate that he/she is an inclusive teacher but prejudices and discrimination against persons with disabilities could cloud their self-consciousness about persons with disabilities. Confronting them is difficult for the student and the teacher. Knowledge 3, 97114. 42, 1323. Agyire-Tettey, E. E., Naami, A., Wissenbach, L., and Schdler, J. We employed a single-case exploratory study design to deepen our understanding of the preparedness of Ghanaian student teachers to implement inclusive education in one of the Colleges of Education in Ghana. The 5 million figure collaborates with the World Health Organizations estimates that disability affects 1520% of every countrys population (World Health Organization, 2018). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). 6, 18. The SDGs 4 set out to achieve inclusion and equality in education whilst the social model of disability provides us with the opportunity to identify barriers to inclusion and how to address them. Misconception:Force is always in the direction of an object's motion.21 Transfer of Energy Concept: Objects come to the temperature of their surroundings. Government of Ghana. B. (2014). National Teachers Standards Guidelines for Ghana: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike. 4. There is nothing like seeing your students succeed. Teachers teach on average 24 periods per week. Particularly, the target 4.5 calls for the elimination of gender disparities and inequities in education, specifically highlighting the need to ensure access to education for persons with disabilities. One of the major features of the policy is that it adheres to universal design for learning. Senior High School Education in Ghana, from September 2017 became free (Tamanja and Pajibo, 2019). SDGs in Ghana; why they matter and how we can help. Student teachers according to the Ministry of Education National (2018b) are individuals admitted to the Colleges of Education professionally trained and prepared to impart knowledge at the basic education levels. And since the student teachers are required to Recognize how the teacher is a key influence on a learners self-esteem and, as a consequence, their learning potential, there is the need for student teachers to be grounded in disability awareness to understand persons with disabilities, their issues and needs and how best they could be helped. doi: 10.21125/edulearn.2019.1906. Oftentimes we incautiously do things that exclude persons with disabilities in group settings. See Appendix A for details of the interview guide. During this period, they are required to keep a portfolio for the documentation of their field experience activities. Neubauer, C., and Calame, M. (2017). For instance, some Ghanaian teachers utilize proverbs and stories to contextualize their messages and some of these are negative toward persons with disabilities and teachers unconsciously make their statements without knowing that they are hurting some learners in the classroom. Policies, targets, and strategies Education Strategic Plan 20032015 May. In Ghana the role and importance of technical and vocational education and training ( TVET) are not clearly understood by the citizenry. A case study design was employed for this study. The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/Supplementary material, further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author. The promises and limitations of the SDG framework for inclusive education and students with disabilities in Grading Goal Four. London: Results for Development Institute en Overseas Development Institute. The policy (2015, p. 6) defines a child with special educational needs [SEN] as: a child with disability, namely, visual, hearing, locomotor, and intellectual impairments. But the policy extends the concept SEN to cover those who are failing in school, for a wide variety of reasons that are known to be barriers to a childs optimal progress in learning and development. Naami, A. KM contributed to the acquisition, analysis and interpretation of the data, wrote the introduction section and assisted with the formulation, and editing of the draft manuscript. The multiple data collection sources allowed data triangulations, increased rigor, and credibility of the study as well as a deeper and holistic understanding of the phenomenon (Yin, 2009). *Correspondence: Augustina Naami, anaami@ug.edu.gh, Transforming Teacher Education in Sub-Saharan African Countries Towards the Achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 4 by 2030: New Opportunities, Challenges, Problems and Prospects, View all Over five millennia, human hunting, fishing and habitat destruction . The policy emphasizes that the curriculum should stress three key principles: Setting suitable learning targets, responding to pupils diverse needs, and overcoming barriers to learning for individuals and groups of pupils. Johnstone, C. J., Schuelka, M. J., and Swadek, G. (2020). (2019). Educ. High. G. Scambler and S. Scambler (London: Palgrave Macmillan), 5776. The school and its environment must be safe and accessible for all learners. It can deliver greater immersive learning for students while also creating some new and exciting teaching opportunities. on the eve of Ghana's independence and charged with the "dissemination of truthful unbiased news". This assertion is also emphasized in Article 24 of the CRPD. (2018). Umm.Not.So.Much. Let us know at submissions@eschoolmedia.com. And that is all before a teacher steps into a classroom. (2007). 4 Articles, This article is part of the Research Topic, https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2023.1056630, United Nations Educational, Scientific and cultural organization [UNESCO], 1994, United Nations Communications Groups [UNCG], 2017, United Nations Development Programme [UNDP], 2021, Union of the Physically Impaired Against Segregation [UPIAS], 1976, https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2023.1056630/full#supplementary-material, https://www.ntu.eu/news-archive/the-importance-of-the-sustainable-development-goals/, http://planipolis.iiep.unesco.org/upload/Ghana/Ghana%20Education%20Strategic%20Plan.pdf, http://www.voiceghana.org/downloads/MoE_IE_Policy_Final_Draft1.pdf, https://mofep.gov.gh/sites/default/files/news/Ghana-SDGs-Budget-Report-July-2019.pdf, https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/21252030%20Agenda%20for%20Sustainable%20Development%20web.pdf, http://UNCT-GH-SDGs-in-Ghana-Avocacy-Messages-2017%20(5).pdf, https://ghana.un.org/en/about/about-the-un, https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/204336.pdf, http://www.who.int/disabilities/world_report/2011/report.pdf, http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs352/en/, Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), Department of Social Work, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.

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