“The Governance Meeting provides an avenue to bring all partners from different countries together to discuss the progress of the project and chart a way forward on remaining part of the project period.”
*Photo: Prof Obaje*
The need to diversify effective and efficient teaching and learning from the conventional teaming to technological means has been stressed.
A cream of researchers made this known at the governance meeting of Connected Learning for Teacher Capacity Building in Stem held at Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Main Campus, Lapai.
In an opening remarks, the Project Leader, Professor Nuhu Obaje, explained that IBBUL is the Lead Consortium Implementing the connected Learning for Science,Technology, Engineering and Mathematics CL4STEM project in African and Asia aimed at developing the capacity, skills and knowledge of secondary school teachers.
Professor Obaje who is also the Coodinating Director of Research in IBBUL, stated that the project is funded by the Global Partnership for Education and managed by the International Development Research Center Ottawa, Canada, noting that the Consortium comprises of IBBUL,Tara Institute of Social Science Mumbai, India as Technical Consultant; Open University of Tanzania and Samtse College of Education, Bhutan as Project Partners.
In her remarks the Principal Technical Consultants Tata Institute of Social Science Mumbai, India (TISS) Professor Padma Sarangapani represented by Professor Mythili Ramchard explained that the project is conceived collaboratively by India, Nigeria,Tanzania and Bhutan to support newly recruited teachers to help them prepare and teach Science, Engineering and Mathematics at secondary schools more effectively.
Professor Sarangapani said the conventional teaching is based on chalk and talk method to explain the important concept that are in the textbooks affirming that sciences provide a lot of opportunities for exploring finding, lamenting that these resources are generally lacking in India and Nigeria.
According to her, students were not able to obtain this kind of experience to explore and develop their skills, stressing that inadequate resources contribute hence the need to use technology to advance knowledge acquired.
Contributing, the Project Partner from Open University Tanzania Dr. Edephonce Nfuka stated that the research teams have developed twelve professional development modules for newly qualified teachers teaching Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Life Science and Mathematics, butstressing that the project has been effective as well as building the capacity of teachers.
Dr. Nfuka added that in schools teachers and teacher educators in each partner country were orientated on the innovation and had since commenced the process of innovation diffusion.
Similarly researches were taken on journey so far in the efforts made in findings by Abdullahi Kawu who is a member of the Disseminating team.
The Governance Meeting provides an avenue to bring all partners from different countries together to discuss the progress of the project and chart a way forward on remaining part of the project period.
