Transformational Teacher Training in partnership with the University of Winneba

  • P Project/Program

A Active

Key Information

In December 2020, Sabre Education signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), the leading early childhood education (ECE) academic institution in Ghana, to work collaboratively to promote best practice and thought leadership in ECE in Ghana.

The key objective of this partnership is to transform the teaching practice of kindergarten teachers in two districts (Efutu and Agona West) surrounding the UEW in Ghana’s Central Region. The project will achieve this by delivering Sabre’s districtwide in-service Transformational Teacher Training to all government kindergarten teachers, as well as head teachers and Ghana Education Service officers, across these two districts. Through the experiential training teachers will move away from didactic rote methods, where learning is conducted through repetition and memorisation, to the government endorsed play-based pedagogy.

The training will also ensure that schools in these districts are able to provide high quality practical placements for student teachers studying for their Bachelor of Education at the UEW. The placements give student teachers the confidence and capability to enact the play-based pedagogy independently as Newly Qualified Teachers.

The partnership between Sabre and UEW also presents the opportunity to disseminate research and best practice methods to influence government ECE policy. We also aim to co-host with UEW an ECE conference that will create a platform for advocacy and knowledge sharing.

This project will reach the following beneficiaries:

  • 10 Ghana Education Service (GES) officers will be trained to deliver the Transformational Teacher Training.
  • 301 teachers and 98 head teachers will be trained, across 182 classrooms. They will develop and consolidate their understanding of the play based pedagogy and curriculum for kindergarten, transforming their classroom practice.
  • 30 GES District officers will fully understand the training, enabling them to monitor the standard of the classrooms through coaching and assessment.
  • 7,280 four and five-year-old children will receive a quality education by being taught in a more engaging way in year one of the project, equipping them with the foundation skills to succeed in primary school. The trained teachers will continue to benefit successive cohorts of children, reaching 21,840 children within five years of their training.


Lead Implementing Organization(s)

Location(s)

Sub-Saharan Africa

Ghana

Activity URL

Not applicable or unknown

Government Affiliation

Non-governmental program

Years

2021 - 2023

Partner(s)

The University of Education, Winneba

Ministry Affiliation

Unknown

Funder(s)

Shanley Charitable Trust, The Allan & Nesta Ferguson Charitable Trust

COVID-19 Response

Not changed

Geographic Scope

National

Areas of Work Back to Top

Education areas

Other

  • Early childhood development

Quality

  • Teacher training

Skills

  • Literacy
  • Numeracy

Cross-cutting areas

  • Social and gender norms and beliefs

Program participants

Target Audience(s)

Boys in school, Girls in school, Other, Teachers - female, Teachers - male, Youth

Age

4 - 6

School Enrolment Status

All in school

School Level

  • Pre-school

Other populations reached

  • Fathers
  • Mothers
  • Other caregivers
  • Parent-teacher associations/school management committees

Participants include

  • N/A

Program Approaches Back to Top

Community engagement/advocacy/sensitization

  • General awareness-raising/community engagement
  • Parent Teacher Associations (PTA)

Curriculum/learning

  • Increased availability of learning materials

Mentoring/psychosocial support

  • Teachers as mentors

Policy/legal environment

  • Advocating changes to existing laws/policies

School-related gender-based violence

  • Training of school personnel (including teachers)

Social/gender norms change

  • Engaging parents/caregivers of students or school-age children/adolescents

Teaching

  • In-service teacher training – pedagogy general
  • Pre-service teacher training – pedagogy general
  • Teaching materials (e.g. lesson plans, curricula)

Tutoring/strengthening academic skills

  • Literacy - in the classroom
  • Numeracy - in the classroom
  • STEM - in the classroom

Women's empowerment programs

  • Advocacy/action

Show More

Program Goals Back to Top

Education goals

  • Improved academic skills (literacy and numeracy)
  • Improved critical thinking
  • Increased enrolment in primary school
  • Increased grade attainment
  • Increased literacy
  • Increased numeracy
  • Increased school completion (general)
  • Increased school enrolment (general)
  • Increased years of schooling
  • Reduced absenteeism

Cross-cutting goals

  • Changed social norms
  • More equitable gender attitudes and norms
  • Reduced poverty/increase household well-being

Additional Information Back to Top

Primary Contact

Sabre Education