Assessment of Support Systems for Effective Teaching and Learning of Creative Arts in Northern Region Basic Schools in Ghana

The teaching and learning of subjects at the basic schools need the use of teaching and learning tools in order to effectively achieve the objectives of the school curriculum. The type and quality of training received by teacher-trainees during training and the period for this training are among factors that could impact on the teaching and learning of the subjects. Other significant factors are the amount of time allocated to the subjects on the teaching syllabus at the College for the subject and the mode of lesson delivery employed by the classroom teacher in the teaching and learning situations. This study sought to find out the general conditions of teaching and learning of Creative Arts, including the teaching strategies that are employed by teachers of the subject in Basic Schools in selected districts of the Northern Region of Ghana. The study also assessed the art knowledge and skills content training that student-teachers receive in the Colleges of Education and sought to identify the support systems that would promote effective teaching of Creative Arts in the Basic schools in the region. The aim was to find out whether the curriculum which prepares teachers for Basic schools in Ghana and the Creative Arts syllabus for schools in Ghana are aligned or not. The study adopted the qualitative and quantitative inquiry with descriptive and survey research methods. The population of the study was 65 Basic Schools in 1 Metropolitan, 2 Municipalities and 2 Districts in the region. These districts were selected by the purposive sampling on the basis of proximity and to give the research findings a balance of urban, peri-urban and rural outlook. The instruments used for data collection were questionnaire, observation, questionnaire and interview. The findings revealed that lesson delivery are mostly theoretical with limited hands-on practice and a bias on Visual Arts to the neglect of the other art disciplines. This was blamed on the lack of teaching and learning materials and other facilities for teaching and the limited teaching and learning time allocated on the syllabus for the teaching of Creative Arts at the basic schools. An assessment of the training for teacher-trainees was perceived to have no link between the College Pre-Vocational Skills course at teacher training institutions and the Basic School Creative Arts Curriculum. The study recommends collaboration between the teacher training curriculum developers, National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE) and National Teaching Council (NTC) and the CRDD of Ghana Education Service to develop a curriculum that links teacher training in Creative Arts to the subject in the basic school syllabus. In-Service training of teachers in basic schools could be organised for teachers to improve upon their teaching strategies and knowledge in the subject to enable them effectively teach especially practical lessons in the Creative Arts. The provision of support systems in schools by school authorities and teachers could also improve the conditions in the teaching and learning of the creative arts. The implementation of these recommendations would guarantee effective Arts education and advancement in Creative Arts training in the Northern Region.

Source: KNUST