Teacher training in Ghana

TEACHER TRAINING IN GHANA

ANNOUNCEMENT: 30 September 2013

BEST PRACTICE IN TEACHING READING AND WRITING TO ALL STUDENTS                 

                                                                                           

This October 2013, from Monday 7^th to Saturday 12^th, Professor Linda Siegel, a leading expert in reading and writing disabilities from the University of British Columbia Canada and member of the Dyslexia International (DI) Scientific Advisory Panel, will visit Ghana.

UNESCO National Commission staff in collaboration with Dyslexia International Honorary Regional ambassador, Dr Daniel Ofori of the University of Ghana, Legon, have put in place a plan whereby training will take place in the University of Education, Winneba, thanks to the kind welcome and collaboration of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Asabere Ameyaw, Dr Samuel Hayford and his colleagues, and also to the Director General of the Ghana Education Service, Ms Naana Biney.

Professor Siegel will focus on latest research into teaching literacy to all students, including students who have specific difficulties with reading and writing. She will supply materials for teaching literacy, and a print-out copy of the Dyslexia International online teacher training for each participant for their review and discussion.

Professor Siegel looks forward to working closely with those concerned at the University of Education Winneba, and also the Director General of the Ghana Education Service, about the relevance and long-term benefits of introducing Dyslexia International’s free online teacher training materials into Ghanaian national and regional teacher training programmes and future liaison.

Professor Siegel’s visit is co-funded by UNESCO Participation Programme, and supported by the UNESCO National Commission Ghana, and the Australian High Commission Ghana’s Direct Aid Programme. 

Highest commendations are due to Dr Daniel Ofori, DI Honorary Regional ambassador for his generous commitment and exemplary project management.

As early as 23 March 2011, H.E. Yaw Konadu Yiadom, Ghanaian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium in Brussels, acknowledged the significant benefits of the DI’s Open Educational Resources.  It was agreed that DI would be responsible for both training and providing materials in teaching literacy.  Writing in September 2011 he said ‘I am pleased to inform you that the Government of Ghana and the Ghana Education Service have accepted to collaborate with Dyslexia International for Ghana to be used as a model for language and study skills for the dyslexic in Africa.’    

                                   

Dyslexia International (DI), an NGO in consultative status partnership with UNESCO, is currently responding to requests for educational training and materials supplied free of charge in many countries.   Working with policy makers and practitioners, 10% of the population with specific learning difficulties with reading and writing are now being taught to read effectively by teachers trained in how to address specific learning needs.   Our short YouTube at  http://tinyurl.com/p8umjjt

Contact: Amy at Dyslexia International UK +44 208 947 1147 office@dyslexia-international.org

The e-Campus. Why it's needed and what we need.

Literacy is a basic right and an essential motor for human development.

Message from Ms Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of the International Literacy Day, 8 September 2013

Literacy is a basic right and an essential motor for human development. It paves the way to autonomy, the acquisition of skills, cultural expression and full participation in society.

Illiteracy in the world has fallen over the two decades, thanks to international efforts and work towards the Millennium Development Goals. Today, 84% of the world’s population can read and write, compared to 76% in 1990. In 20 years, the illiterate population has been reduced by more than 100 million people.

This is still not enough. Behind these figures there are still serious inequalities. Two thirds of the 774 million illiterate adults in the world are women. Most of the children and young people who do not go to school are girls. Fifty-seven million primary school-age children and 69 million secondary school-age children do not have the opportunity to attend. Children lucky enough to go to school do not always leave being able to read and write. Even in economically developed countries, the proportion of the population lacking basic reading and writing skills is too high. This is a serious obstacle to individual fulfillment, to the development of societies and to mutual understanding between peoples.

This situation is exacerbated by the rise of new technologies and modern knowledge societies that make the ability to read and write all the more essential. Literacy is the first condition for dialogue, communication and integration into new connected societies. Young people need new skills to enter and succeed in the job market: knowledge of several languages, understanding of cultural diversity, lifelong learning. Literacy is the key for acquiring knowledge, interpersonal skills, expertise and the ability to live together in community – all skills that are the foundations of modern society. In the twenty-first century, more than ever before, literacy is the cornerstone of peace and development.

Literacy is much more than an educational priority – it is the ultimate investment in the future and the first step towards all the new forms of literacy required in the twenty-first century. We wish to see a century where every child is able to read and to use this skill to gain autonomy. On this International Literacy Day, we call on governments to work together to achieve this dream. This requires new funding, policies drawn up with the populations concerned, new and more innovative forms of action, taking full advantage of new technologies. The progress made in recent years shows that this is possible, and UNESCO is committed to doing all that it can to make it happen.

Dyslexia and Creativity

Over the next year, Dyslexia International will be assembling interviews, studies and articles on the links between dyslexia and creativity.

Here are two excerpts from some of the footage gathered so far. Ab Rogers and Professor John Stein give their views below:

The way we think about charities is dead wrong

This is a must-see for anyone / any organisation involved in fundraising.

Dan Pallotta walks us through the five areas of discrimination:

1. Pay – The two rule books for compensation, one for the for-profit sector, one for the not-for-profit sector.

2. Advertising and marketing dollars – Why it's fine to spend lots of money on advertising and marketing if you're in the for-profit sector but not if you're in the non-for-profit sector.

3. Taking risk on new revenue ideas – Again, fine for the profit-driven enterprises, but frowned upon for charities.

4. Time – Commercial ventures aren't always expected to turn money over immediately and that's fine, not so with not-for-profits.

5. Profit – The very idea of making profit is taboo if you run a charity whilst widely applauded in the for-profit sector.

Pallotta wraps up his talk with this line: "Our generation does not want its epitaph to read, "We kept charity overhead low." We want it to read that we changed the world, and that part of the way we did that was by changing the way we think about these things."

Breaking the "one size fits all" education model

In this fascinating talk, Daphne Koller from Stamford talks about the future of on-line learning.

Bill's story

This is Bill's story, told by his adoptive mother Sarah. Bill was born and raised in Bamako Mali and suffered terribly in the education system there. In 2008 Sarah reached out to Dyslexia International.

Bill was diagnosed with dyslexia and dyscalculia. This was a huge relief in itself because it allowed Sarah and Bill to understand the issues that needed to be addressed.

Bill and Sarah now live in London and Bill is enjoying school.