The Diary Game: 12/10/2020 - Taking Part In Ashanti Development Workshop

Yesterday was Sunday, so I couldn't do much activities. I was chatting on my WhatsApp page with many friends, introducing them to Steem to get them on board for this week. I have been working very hard with my Co - Rep, @njaywan to get many people well engaged as possible. Later in the afternoon, I had information on our school WhatsApp platform that we would have a very important workshop with our Circuit Supervisor (CS) for our Circuit- Nsuta North District. This meet up would be geared toward "Refresher course on Ashanti Development," the use of child centered, pacing and engagement. This wasn't a new course, since we had ever been introduced to, this is just a review of had been done already.

taking part in workshop for our school

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The 8:30 am scheduled for the workshop past when the CS hasn't come. We waited for him for a while. He came when it was around 9:20 am. We commenced the workshop on Ashanti Development Program, that's is effective use of promo, child centered, pacing and engagement which are the Golden rule in the his program. The CS, Owusu Ansah Benjamin was once a teacher in this School - Anansu Presby JHS. So, here is his former school. He made a brief intro of what the workshop is about. The benefit we would have have in the upcoming introduction of the New Curriculum structuring in January 2021. This has really delayed, as he reported if not the Covid 19 pandemic we would have started that program this academic year.

He quickly shared the sample of prompt sheets to be used for the workshop. This would be a practical illustration of what would happen in the course of teaching our students in class. He told us to do some simple activities testing our knowledge in timing pacing and engagement. The time allotted for us to finish the task was only 3mins. This means that in class with the students, we should do the same thing, allow the students to think and come out with possible answers to a question/questions within a specific time. This first one we did was called "Ice Breakers."

answering the "Ice Breakers" questions on the sheet

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After the "Ice Breakers," we were asked to do "pair activities," to list all the countries in West Africa. This one too was to test our knowledge on working in teams or groups. How helpful is this is we test or allow our students to work in groups, teams or pairing them. One, it will help the weaker ones to build on from the most talented ones, since in pairing students, we normally pair the weak ones with the talented ones or average ones. Through sharing of ideas, each students involved in the pair activity contribute or take part in the task given. This greatly bring engagement in the class with each student doing at least little activity.

engagement in pair activities

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We were asked to study what makes a good quality lesson delivery. This sheet contained about ten typed guidelines for what makes a good quality lesson delivery. Among these are : class greetings, engagement, smart objectives related to the relevant previous knowledge, good timing, good questioning, reward, good explanation of points and many others.

After this, the workshop was coming to an end where we were given some snack, that was biscuits and Can Malt. This was just to compensate our time spent for this workshop. While in some other sectors, cash might be giving to them. This makes we teachers here think that the teaching job is a sacrificial job. No one motivates us here, but we the teachers motivate ourselves, after all, teaching our students with great passion is good moral lessons that God Almighty cherishes so our reward is in Heaven but not on Earth. Yeah, this might seems debatable to most of my colleagues here. But for my eleven years in my teaching experience in Ghana that is to my opinion I see things. If you would ask individual teachers here, no teacher has lived and met with his or her expectations from the teaching job, unless the teaching job is supplemented with some other incentives or jobs. The remuneration coming into the individual employee teachers are very meagre to write home about. They aren't able to meet their demands and live with financial freedoms here in Ghana, but this might differ from other countries.

the display of my snack; 1 biscuit & 1 malt for each teacher

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After the close from the workshop, we had some rich food called "Tubanni." This food is made from beans flour that has been missed with water molded to form rectangular shaped and them missed with bitter salt. The food is boiled through steaming with little water. It only need the vapour to boil it. It is eaten with powdered pepper, chopped onion and small oil sprinkled on top. I really love this food since it contain animal protein which is good for the body. One thing I like it much is the use of our local broad leaves to package it. The leaves serve as herbal medicine to prevent so many diseases. I enjoyed the food with few teachers around here, not all teachers know how to eat.

enjoying tubanni with teachers

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I spent little time to observe my painters in the house right from school. They are almost done with the main house and now painting the wall. I think the wine colour matches with the white of the main house. When I was leaving the house in the morning, they were on the main house, but when I came they had almost completed 1/3 of the wall. They worked very hard. I said "Ayikoo to them!"

monitoring the painting of my wall

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I still needed to enjoy my better life of the day. It was 3:05 pm, I almost missed out some vital program ongoing in Nsuta town today. The New Patriotic Party Rally, the Vice President Dr. Mahmud Bawumia visit to Sekyere Central District. I learnt he came to Nsuta town and went to Beposo when I was in School. I had to rush to Beposo junction to see what was going on in case he is coming. There was a lot of crowd here. Others jubilating. The police were guiding the road so that people wouldn't disturb. Shortly I saw their convoys coming, so many cars. They didn't even stop again. I learnt they were going to Kwamang where the last durbar would be help before he leaves for Accra. I had one shot of this scene.

the crowds at the Vice President's visit

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I finally came to house to enjoy the rest of activities. Supporting my wife in the cooking . Enjoying my supper - "fufu" with palm nut soup. I then had my bath, be with my phone for more updates on Steem.

This is how I enjoyed my daily life today. Thanks very much for sharing with me.