Rather, impairment should be considered to enable provision of suitable accommodation for learners with disabilities. The critical question is what to teach? Your source for IT solutions and innovations to support school-wide success. We conclude that the student teacher has not been given enough opportunity to reflect on their values, beliefs, biases, and attitudes toward learners with disabilities to develop appreciation of learners with disabilities and to be sensitive toward them. Edulearn19 Proc. 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. Curriculum in 2018, was written to reform education and the school curriculum. Politicians especially are noted for living luxurious lives at the expense of their country folks. Weekly on Wednesday. 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. Stressful school atmosphere, teachers' lack of knowledge and bad attitude towards work can equally hinder the reading process at this level. ), can be reviewed. 2nd Edn. I created a meme about the misconception, and almost immediately, a former classmate of mine wrote, "It also makes it almost impossible to get rid of bad teachers.". (2018a). Oliver, M., and Barnes, C. (1998). Hopefully, the ones listed here will help you respond in the right way and shed some light on the truths of the teaching profession. Unpublished thesis submitted to the University of Iceland. The Colleges of Education award diploma qualifications, while the universities awards Bachelor of Education degrees and PGDE/certificates in education. It is worth mentioning that the student observation checklist listed a section on students with special needs. Shakespeare, T., and Watson, N. (2010). Lack of oral competence of both teachers and the children in the target language equally hinder the child's reading progress. London: UPIAS. Dugbartey, A. T., and Barimah, K. B. School of Education, Western Sydney University, Australia, University of South-Eastern Norway (USN), Norway. Although the various studies by Dodor et . The Curriculum Framework provides for teachers at the Universities offering Education and the Colleges of Education. The Curriculum Framework is aimed at preparing competent teachers, and against which all Teacher Education Curricula, including the 4-year Bachelor of Education (B.Ed. The education of students with disabilities is affected by attitudinal, pedagogical, institutional, informational, and environmental accessibility barriers (World Health Organization, 2011; Nakua et al., 2017; Braun and Naami, 2021). Leal Filho, W., Shiel, C., Pao, A., Mifsud, M., vila, L. V., Brandli, L. L., et al. Transforming our world: The 2030 agenda for sustainable development. Disabil. 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). Physiotherapy 74, 650652. The aim of the study is to develop an understanding of the kinds and sources errors and misconceptions that characterise students' learning of school algebra. Adjei, P., Akpalu, A., Laryea, R., Nkromah, K., Sottie, C., Ohene, S., et al. Unlike gender which was given much attention and detailed reflection in the Colleges of Education curriculum. S. Grek, C. Maroy, and A. Verger (Milton Park: Routledge), 4358. 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. We wanted to know more about how the student teacher is taught to reflect on disability. There are few jobs that offer this kind of reward. The components of the learning outcomes we analyzed in the light of the SDGs Goal 4 targets 4.5, 4.6, and 4.8 and the social model of disability (See Supplementary Tables S1S3). Available at: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/21252030%20Agenda%20for%20Sustainable%20Development%20web.pdf (Accessed July 29, 2022). Barrett, P., Treves, A., Shmis, T., and Ambasz, D. (2019). In the 24 years I've worked as a teacher, I've never had a single summer "off.". It was the first news agency . 45, 175195. Corruption - African leaders are generally perceived to be corrupt. But the Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) program was introduced in 1995 as part of efforts to fulfill UNESCOs mission of free universal education for all by 2015 (Akyeampong, 2009). Conclusion We conclude that although knowledge and awareness about Ebola is high among Ghanaians who participated in the study, there are still misconceptions about the disease. This view has gained currency among several scholars (Adams et al., 2018; Leal Filho et al., 2019; Stein et al., 2019). It must be noted that, although the student observation checklist contains some items on disability, the students were not required, in their reflective journals, to reflect on leaners with disabilities, their learning needs, and how they could be addressed to increase participation. doi: 10.54674/ess.v32i2.288. What are some of the misconceptions and prejudices about teaching and how can they be addressed ? My students have gone on to become doctors, nurses, legislators, activists, business owners, musicians, social workers, and yesteachers. Initially, myths were largely on causes and vulnerability. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. eds. 12, 2832. Available at: www.t-tel.org/hub.html (Accessed June 30, 2022). curriculum tasks student teachers to Identify school and student characteristics that act as barriers to learning. However, this statement is problematic as it is a wrong premise to understand barriers to learning for learners with disabilities. However, it is equally important to find out whether what the teacher does promotes participation or alienates others. The GCM is built on the back of the 2015 Incheon Declaration and Education 2030 Framework for Action, which envisages a cooperation, monitoring and evaluation mechanism which has the Global Education Meeting (GEM) as the pivot of action (Mundial, Grupo Banco, and UNICEF, 2016). Interaction between the Components of ICF (World Health Organization, 2007). 60, 281301. Umm.Not.So.Much. 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. Many attend mandatory professional development, and some work to get their master's degree. J. Soc. World Health Organization. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). 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. Teacher Education in Ghana: Policies and Practices. For most parts of the country, life is better than the outside world is made to believe. Available at: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs352/en/ (Accessed May 15, 2022). Social Policy and Disabled People: From Exclusion to Inclusion. The upgrading of teacher training institutions to colleges of education: Issues and prospects. 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). 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. 2.2 Misconceptions about TVET education The misconceptions surrounding TVET Education are more negative than positive (Fusheini et al., 2021, Fusheini, . Students' ages can range from 12 to 23 years old. We also reviewed the Four-Year Bachelor of Education degree curriculum (Developed by the University of Ghana), student reflective journal and the daily portfolio sheet. (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. by Nancy Barile, Award-Winning Teacher, M.A.Ed. eSchool News recently asked readers: If you could clear up one misconception about teachers and/or teaching, what would it be? Our goal was not only to help others understand these misconceptions, but also to learn how teachers feel they are perceived by others. Global pressing problems and the sustainable development goals. Access of the surroundings of the classroom and school facilities should be target for reflection given that inaccessible school environment affects learning outcomes (Moria and Morgado, 2018; Braun and Naami, 2021). Machado, C., and Davim, J. P. (2022). 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 sample was made up of one hundred and fifty-five students (155) from Aggrey Memorial . Awareness of oneself is vital to bracketing biases and prejudices against vulnerable populations, including persons with disabilities. In this paper, we have examined the preparedness of student teachers in Colleges of Education in Ghana in respect of the curriculum being delivered toward achieving inclusive education. Ministry of Education. See response below: Whatever course that they take, we have components of misconceptions. So, its good that you are bringing some of these things out. 6. The study employed the descriptive research design. A. Wulff (Leiden: Brill), 96115. Common misconceptions of Africa are explored in the second lesson, through a range of activities which again highlight the wide diversity of opportunities, challenges and life styles. We use a case study design when the researcher seeks to answer the how and why Questions and could be exploratory, descriptive, or explanatory (Yin, 1994). The Inclusive Policy also sets out to facilitate and enable education structures, systems, and methodologies to meet the needs of all children; and it is a good attempt to promote an inclusive society. Teacher education training for basic and secondary schools are undertaken by initial teacher education institutions. 6, 18. Agyire-Tettey, E. E., Naami, A., Wissenbach, L., and Schdler, J. (2019). 9, 8695. Teachers in the U.S. do make far less than similarly educated professionals. One of the key roles of the HLSC is to ensure the systematic alignment of approaches for education-related targets within the wider United Nations SDG structure. Afr. Ironically, the final question suggests the above reflections would have been helpful to increase disability sensitivity and inclusion. Newman, E. K. (2013). - Equip teachers with good communication skills. Avoiding anthropomorphism helps young people to open the closed box of AI applications. Clean. Abuse of disabled children in Ghana. The data sources were a face-to-face in-depth interview with the Quality Assurance Officer of the case and one site observation by the researchers. The B.Ed. Challenges and opportunities for inclusive education in Ghana. Naami, A. 3. doi: 10.21083/ajote.v3i2.2728. They also observe some of the qualities of the classroom teacher. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, Keywords: Ghana, inclusive education, persons with disabilities, student teacher, teacher preparedness, Citation: Naami A and Mort KS-T (2023) Inclusive education in Ghana: How prepared are the teachers? They want to learn and are interested in making a contribution to the world. To deny or not to deny disability. She graduated from Kenyon College in 2006 with a BA in English, and enjoys spending way too much time either reading or cooking. 5. 10, 7086. Front. 2010 Population and Housing Census: Summary Report of Final Results . The student teacher is required to reflect on seven questions listed under this theme but none of them captures disability. Int. Target 4.a calls for the upgrading of educational facilities so that they are child-and disability-sensitive and to promote inclusive learning environments (United Nations [UN], 2015). The social model stresses the removal of barriers to foster the inclusion of persons with disabilities in mainstream society (Shakespeare and Watson, 2010; Naami, 2014). The sample comprised 37 Junior High School (JHS) pupils and one science teacher in Abelemkpe Junior High School in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. A Togo slippery frog rests in grass. The school and its environment must be safe and accessible for all learners. If your Aunt Sally really wants to help, she can vote for legislation that ensures teachers are paid fairly. Here, Jo discusses common misconceptions that may prevent career changers from entering the teaching profession. 29, 316321. Copyright 2023 Naami and Mort. Attitudes towards inclusive education in africa scale (ATIAS): an instrument to measure teachers' attitudes towards inclusive education for students with disabilities. 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 reforms (Barrett et al., 2019). In year one, student teachers are required to do classroom observations to enhance their learning. 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. As our own founding fathers knew, we need checks and balances in our schools. (2018b). Educ. To achieve inclusive education, it is imperative that conscientious efforts are made to ensure that disability is mainstream, alongside other vulnerability/diversity variables, such as gender. 8:1056630. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2023.1056630. Of course, the known architectural barriers are the impediments as postulated by the social model of disabilities. Most teachers I know work other jobs during the summer months. Challenges of Inclusion: Local Support Systems and Social Service Arrangements for Persons with Disabilities in Suhum, Ghana: Baseline Study Report. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. Socioeconomic factors hindering access to healthcare by persons with disabilities in the Ahanta west municipality, Ghana. If your head doesn't explode upon hearing this comment, take the time to explain the endless lesson planning and grading teachers do after school, at home, and on the weekends. To achieve inclusive education, a curriculum reform is fundamental to achieve the necessary improvements in the quality of new teachers. (2012). Yin, R. K. (1981). Cc: Ellis Ferdinand Ethn. The observation checklist and reflective journals do not make enough room for student teachers to self-reflect on disability, which could be a barrier to the education of persons with various forms of disabilities. But unless they live with, or are close friends with, a teacher, it might be challenging to change their minds. Teachers need much pedagogical preparation on topics including educational psychology, classroom management, assessment, curriculum instruction, communication skills, and budgeting. By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations. World Conference on Special Needs Education: Access and Quality. Also, the condition was perceived to cause severe disease. Evolving Indian strategy on SDGs and scope for regional cooperation. J. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version. Received: 29 September 2022; Accepted: 16 January 2023; Published: 23 February 2023. They are supposed to identify school facilities (e.g., football field, toilet, office space, tennis court, buildings etc. 27, 689701. Revisiting free compulsory universal basic education (FCUBE) in Ghana. - Improve education and training needs of teachers. (2021). Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher. That the student teacher reflection is aimed at increasing their disability sensitivity and inclusion is fallacious. 23, 15. Also, the B.Ed. In in view of the above, there has been a rising awareness and activism for the inclusion of students with disabilities in regular mainstream classrooms, but the reality in many underdeveloped nations including Ghana is still a gloomy picture (Adera and Asimeng-Boahene, 2011). Yin emphasized that a single-case design could be selected because of its criticalness, extremeness, typicalness, revelatory power, or longitudinal possibility (Yin, 1994). 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. doi: 10.5430/jct.v9n1p86. As noted by Calles (2020) the process of truly integrating the SDGs in tertiary institutions is sine qua non. Ghana is no exception. But the curriculum does not adequately address other categories of learners with disabilities who may require other forms of support as stated in the inclusive education policy. Plenty of studies conclude that higher teacher pay leads to better teacher quality, which leads to improved student performance. Ghana: Ministry of Education. In response to the challenges confronting the education of students with disabilities in Ghana, stakeholders have made concerted efforts in the education sector to embrace the ideals of inclusive education. International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health: Children & Youth Version: ICF-CY. Western Governors University WGU. Moria, A., and Morgado, B. Stay up-to-date with the latest edtech tools, trends, and best practices for classroom, school and district success. doi: 10.1080/09687599.2012.673079. Crit. All Rights Reserved. Teach. In my view, it is good the government has assured Ghanaians that the CSE will not be part of the new basic school curricula, but we may eventually have to come back to the issue. World Health Organization. ODS y educacin superior. To be effective, a science teacher should not underestimate the importance and the persistence of these barriers to true understanding. Without the commitment and involvement of tertiary institutions and in the case of training institutions such as Colleges of Education, perhaps the SDGs 4 may not be sustainably attained. Disability inclusiveness requires care and proper planning, but that is not emphasized in the curriculum of Colleges of Education in Ghana. London: Results for Development Institute en Overseas Development Institute. Traditional beliefs and knowledge base about epilepsy among university students in Ghana. University culture and sustainability: designing and implementing an enabling framework. Epilepsy Behav. doi: 10.1177/107554708100300106. Teaching should therefore involve the full participation of pupils. Assoc. 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. Beliefs on epilepsy in Northern Ghana. Beyond 2015, within the modern/colonial global imaginary? Misconception:Some materials are intrinsically cold.22 Concept: Light propagates and interacts with matter, and it is passively detected. 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. Stud. Beyond models: understanding the complexity of disabled peoples lives in New Directions in the Sociology of Chronic and Disabling Conditions. GhanaS free senior high school policy: evidence and insight from data. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) provides a comprehensive framework to describe health and health-related issues including disability. (2014). The construction of SDG4: reconciling democratic imperatives and technocratic expertise in the making of global education data? in World Yearbook of Education 2021. eds. Coast, Ghana E-mail of the corresponding author: kodwo33@gmail.com Abstract The general objective of the study was to evaluate the perspectives, conceptions and misconceptions of students on Industrial Attachment. The Social Model of Disability: Europe and the Majority World. United Nations Educational, Scientific and cultural organization [UNESCO]. Dis. Also, emphasis was place more on the classroom environment, which is good. It's never wise to centralize power in one person, whether that's a superintendent or a mayor. In fact, the entire Colleges of Education in Ghana curriculum seems to focus on students with learning difficulties. Persons with disabilities constitute about 15% of the world population, with about 80% of them living in countries of the global south, including Ghana (World Health Organization, 2011). Education has long been recognized as a global priority. 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. In 2015, a policy on inclusive education was developed and adopted by the country toward fulfilling the aspirations of the 1992 constitution, which guarantees education as a fundamental human right. The proponents of the Social Model of Disability acknowledge that impairment could pose a limit to the functioning of persons with disabilities. doi: 10.1080/1034912X.2019.1651833, Buabeng, I., Ntow, F. D., and Otami, C. D. (2019). London: Chartered Society of Physiotherapy London. The curriculum of the Colleges of Education in Ghana emphasis on the need for student teachers to reflect on their own beliefs and biases to enhance acceptance and conscientious efforts toward accommodating learners with disabilities to increase their inclusion. "Teacher Unions Impede Education Reform". Instruction has always been the decision of what to teach (curriculum) and how to teach (methods, materials, and activities). Educ. The SDGs target 4.8 outlines the need to build and upgrade educational facilities that are disability sensitive. Maybe a better phrase is, Those who teach create those who do. Michael Jay, One of my favorites is, Those who cant, teach. Teachers must be well educated in their field of study, of course,but that is only the beginning. 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). B. London: University World News, The Global Window on Higher Education. Harlow: Longman. 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). 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.

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