In August 2011, CODE expert volunteers Dr. Pamela Winsor, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Lethbridge, and Dr. Alan Crawford, Professor Emeritus at California State University, travelled to Ghana to hold two week-long workshops for college tutors who prepare preservice teachers to teach English. The workshops, attended by a total of 49 participants, aimed to increase the tutors’ knowledge and understanding of the reading comprehension strategies included in the new national reading program recently introduced by the Ghanaian Education Services for lower primary grades. Capacity building activities such as these workshops are an integral part of Reading Ghana, a comprehensive readership initiative that works with Ghanaian teachers, librarians, writers, and publishers to support and sustain the development of literacy in the country.

The following blog post excerpt recounts the volunteers’ experience during the second workshop, which was held in Kumasi, Ghana.

“I would like the course to be extended for about two weeks,” wrote one workshop participant when asked to complete the sentence that began “I would like.” It is a strong endorsement for the work begun with tutors from the teacher training colleges of Ghana. For a whole week, a second group of twenty-two tutors worked diligently to become conversant with the reading comprehension strategies introduced in the new national reading program (NALAP). They were following twenty-nine of their colleagues from the Western Region who attended the previous week.

Workshop participants focused on readying themselves to introduce their student teachers to interactive reading comprehension strategies such as read-aloud, shared reading, Language Experience Approach and Directed Reading Activity. Following our demonstrations, the tutors put themselves in their students’ position and attempted to teach their peers. Responding as critical friends, peers encouraged with compliments and nudged with suggestions for improved practice.

As we worked together, conversations often turned to the complexities of early literacy in general, and to literacy practices in the multilingual context of Ghana in particular. Recently introduced language policy which mandates initial instruction in mother tongue with gradual introduction of English, has not been easily accepted. Some tutors fear children will be the losers as traditional and new approaches are reconciled in classrooms, most of which include very large classes and many of which are led by untrained teachers.

Tutors thoroughly enjoyed exploring and using the colourful NALAP materials, especially the Big Books and conversation posters. Materials have been supplied to the basic education schools, but the training colleges are without.

As participants prepared to return to their homes and colleges, a note of concern and optimism filled the air: concern for meeting the expectations placed upon the tutors to practice and carry the insights and strategies to their students, and optimism that they will be a part of changing literacy instruction offered to young children. In the Heathrow airport, there is a slogan in reference to international banking that reads, “the future belongs to those who believe.” Reading Ghana, too, might fly such a banner!

Dr. Pamela Winsor, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education, University of Lethbridge

Dr. Alan Crawford, Professor Emeritus, California State University