By Azael Masese
Centre for Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education in Africa (CEMASTEA) has developed online training programmes for classroom teachers to enhance their capacities.
With the closure of schools as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, focus has turned to online teaching to ensure that learning continues.
“As part of the capacity building strategies to enable teachers improve on their pedagogical skills, the Centre has developed a programme of online classrooms,” stated CEMASTEA Director Jacinta Akatsa.
In the short term, she said, this will support teachers in their efforts to continue teaching their students even when they are still at home.
In the long-term, a strong foundation is laid for blended learning in our schools which apparently will be the new normal for education post-Covid-19.
Currently, 12 online classrooms have been created to build teacher’s capacities on how to use Google Classrooms, Competency-Based Curriculum, specific subject topics, sensitization of online safety for teachers and students among others.
“The purpose of the online training is specifically to strengthen teacher’s abilities to engage on online learning with a view to enabling them use the same with their learners,” she said.
It is estimated that more than 1,000 teachers who are Key Trainers are already participating in the first phase of the eight-week course.
The second phase will bring on board over 11,000 teachers where the 1,063 Key Trainers will join as online tutors to further strengthen their capacities for online teaching.
As part of the training outcomes, each teacher will be expected to open Google Classrooms and teach their learners in the subjects they have trained in.
Under the theme ‘Developing Innovative Teaching and Learning Activities for Critical Thinking and Problem Solving’ this is expected to take learning in the county to new heights.
“As the world goes through the current daunting challenges, such skills are relevant both to the teacher and the learner,” noted Akatsa.
The training will contribute to the realization of Teachers Service Commission’s (TSC) policy of continuously equipping and improving teachers’ competencies for enhanced learning outcomes.
It will also meet Kenya Professional Teaching Standards (KePTS) requirements for enhancing teachers’ competencies in Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK).
