Implementing institution: National Nursery Teacher Training Center (NNTTC)
Country: Ghana
Source: IPA
Execution period: 2015 - 2017
Plataforma de Prácticas Efectivas:
Create a positive classroom environment and help kindergarten teachers deliver age-appropriate, play-based instruction for their students.
Teacher training program including parents and the community.
Teachers have increased the number of pedagogical activities based on play, which has enabled a positive atmosphere to be created in the classroom. It has also made it possible to reduce the rate of teachers deserting to the private sector, with rates of 43.5% to 12%.
The Teacher Training and Parental Education on Kindergarten Quality in Ghana program was developed and implemented by the National Nursery Teacher Training Center (NNTTC) and is based on the International Development and Learning Assessment (DELA) methodology developed by the Save the Children Foundation.
The protocol includes a set of instruments to assist teachers in the design of play-based classes for children from 3 to 6 years of age. Key elements are found in children’s physical development, language and reading skills, mathematical problem solving, and cognitive skills. The NNTTC initiative starts with a 5-day training for teachers in play-based and experimental pedagogy; then followed by individual sessions for 4 months; and supplemented by a day of reinforcement 4 months later.
Throughout the process, a monitoring and advisory protocol ensures the good implementation of the methodology in the classes. The second component of innovation is the inclusion of families in the teaching process. To this end, the purpose is to empower parents through three sessions focused on play-based pedagogical techniques.
Ghana made significant progress with respect to pre-elementary schooling, increasing children’s net participation from 49% in 2006 to 95% today. This was achieved thanks to a constant government effort to improve the quality of its education system, through a continuous improvement of its investment in the sector (from 5.3% of GDP in 2006 to 6.1% in 2015). In 2006, the challenges related to the extension of infrastructure, but above all, to teacher training, as only 22% of teachers were trained (UNESCO, 2006).
Comparison of the learning outcomes of the three groups has shown a positive effect of teacher training in play-based pedagogy. This has improved teacher-student interaction, creating a favourable environment for learning. It has also made it possible to reduce teacher desertion to the private sector from 43.5% to 12%.
On the contrary, the incorporation of sessions with parents (group A) has not had a clear effect on the effectiveness of the program. In fact, the component has reduced children’s abilities in terms of reading and mathematical problem solving.
The innovation of the NTTC program is that it presents effective results through its component one: teacher training in play-based pedagogy.
Link: https://www.poverty-action.org/study/improving-kindergarten-quality-ghana
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