Values of Teaching Mathematics with Problems
1) Problem solving places the focus of the students attention on ideas and sense making.

When students are solving problems they reflect on the ideas that are inherent in the problems. These ideas are more likely to be integrated with existing ones, and this improves understanding.

2) Problem solving develops “mathematical power” Students are engaged in the five mathematical

processes of “doing mathematics-problem solving
Reasoning
representation.

Conmmunication.

conneclions,

3) Problem solving develops the belief in students that they are capable of doing mathematics and mathematics makes sense.Every problematic task

They are capable of doing mathematics and
mathematics makes sense.Every problematic task

From the teacher indicates his/her beliet in tn
students ability to do it. Every problem solved by students builds their confidence and self-worth.

4) Problem solving provides ongoing assessment data that can be used to make instructional decisions, heip the students succeed, and inform parents. Students discuss ideas, defend their solutions and evaluate others, and write reports or explanations. These
provide valuable information for planning next lesson, helping individuals, evaluating their progress, and communicating with parents.

5) Problem solving is a lot of fun. The excitement of students developing understanding through their own reasoning is worth all the effort. This is fun for the students.

EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTIONS IN
MATHEMATICS
Good teachers frequently make decisions on the most appropriate mathematics task to pose to students, based on students’ past experiences. They have to make good decisions as to when to intervene when students are
struggling with the task so that students do not get frustrated and discouraged to work on.

Constructivist teachers often consider the following in teaching mathematics.

1) Students construct their knowledge and understanding. Ideas cannot and should not be
transmitted to passive learners as if they were a tabula rasa. Every student is unique and rich with ideas that should be used to construct new concepts and procedures appropriate mathematical tasks, allowed to conjecture, discuss and explain their solutions. They should be challenged with

2) Knowledge and understánding are unique for each student. Students have a different network of ideas that the individual integrates with the new knowledge when faced with a task. Teachers should not treat all students as the same.

3) Reflective thinking is the simple most important ingredient for effective leaming. Students must be mentally engaged, encouraged to find the relevant previous ideas and use them to develop new ideas and solutions to new problems. This promotes relational learning.

4) Effective teaching is a student-centered activity. The emphasis is on learning rather than teaching. The students’ task is to leam and the teacher’s task. is to pose worthwhile mathematics tasks and create an enabling environment for exploration and sense-making. The source of mathematical truth is formed in
the reasoning carried out by the class https://rusbank.net/offers/microloans/zaym-na-kartu/.

A teacher trainee from Berekum College of Education has surprised colleagues in his College for knowing too much about TTAG even before getting admission.

According to the report, Mr. Owusu Agyiri knew on campus as obvious rushed to get himself the TTAG cloth even before it will be advertised to them.

Sources say even though his college is yet to be sensitized about what the Teacher Trainees Association of Ghana is all about this level 100, he knows a lot about the association including its aims and what it seeks to achieve.

Schooling some of his colleagues on TTAG, he said, TTAG is an association that servers as the mouthpiece for all teacher trainees.

He also encouraged his colleague’s first-year students to get themselves the TTAG cloth. To him, this will signify unity building.

A brief history of TTAG

Teacher Trainees Association of Ghana is a non-governmental organization that serves as a mouthpiece of all trained from the 46 colleges of Education in Ghana.

The TTAG update trainees through the Colleges of Education Weekly Journal.

The Colleges of Education Weekly Journal is an online news journal that educates, inform and entertain trainee teachers and all other relevant stakeholders associated with teacher education in Ghana and beyond.

TWJ is registered under the National Media Commission of Ghana (NMC) to address trainee teachers, Tutors, and otheconcernedrn stakeholders to air their views about happenings in the teacher education sector.

ACCE Celebrates Gender week empowers Trainees on Gender equity and equality.

The Office of the WOCOM for Accra College of Education(ACCE) held a program within the dubbed, Gender Week Celebration.

The theme for the program was: Empowering the 21st-century Teacher in ensuring Gender equity and equality was held on Friday 26th, March 2021, at the ACCE auditorium.

In an interview with the WOCOM, She told our news team that Gender week was an initiative to celebrate women on the International Women’s Day celebration but unfortunately it was postponed due to the College of Education quizzes.

According to her, the program should have been for women only but since they want Both genders to participate, they gave the program the theme ‘Gender Summit for the participation of all.

The Gender Summit was not the only program held within the women’s Week Celebration.
The week came along with activities such as sensitization on stereotypes, skill training, and an exhibition.

The former Member of Parliament for the Cape Coast North and Educationist, Hon. Barbara Asher Ayisib, Mrs. Dinah Adiko and Mrs.Millicent Narh Kert(Lecture University of Ghana, Legon) were all present to grace the occasion

A BRIEF ON MENSTRUAL HYGIENE

Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) is about making sure women and girls can privately, safely, and hygienically manage their monthly discharge (period) with confidence and dignity.

Due to this, I see menstrual hygiene as a necessity that needs a humanitarian response.

Women and girls need menstrual hygiene from day one of their monthly discharge throughout their period.

Considering its sensitive nature, a holistic approach is needed to address the three core components of MHM that are; Access to materials, private and safe facilities, and essential information.

Women and girls face several challenges which include but not limited to:
🩸 Lack of information on how to take care of themselves, how to use their pad, which pad type to use etc.
🩸Taboos, cultural norms, and misconceptions. In most Sub-Saharan African countries, there is a huge misconception about the stain of blood released during menstruation which needs to be addressed and Ghana is of no exemptions.
🩸Embarrassment and anxiety; Due to lack of Sanitary facilities in our schools (e.g. toilets) and how to handle it ( menstruation) brings about stigma and embarrassment. Fur to this, some girls of school-going age drop out.
🩸 Lack of Sanitary wares; Most of these pupils don’t have the necessary things to handle the discharge such as pads, cotton, tissues, etc. during menstruation.

Due to the above challenges, most of our girls in their school-going ages left schools and increase the number of school dropouts in our country, Ghana.

It is, therefore, my humble suggestion that, since periods don’t wait for pandemics, I recommend that the government practice the following to support our girls in schools;
🏷️ Periodic supply of Sanitary wares to schools for onward distribution to the vulnerable
🏷️ When building schools make provisions for safe and private facilities for our girls for handling their periods.
🏷️Make available resources including human resources to help them understand their plights and books on menstrual hygiene management.

✍🏾To conclude this piece, menstruation is a very personal thing but needs government intervention and these core actions(access to materials, private and safe facilities, and essential information) are the essential management tips which when approached holistically, we can achieve Menstrual Hygiene.

Thank you.

Kusedzi Emmanuel Kwesi Writes, CEO KEK-SERIES

• 

StopTheStigma

PeriodsNotSpiritual

GIRLSTAND

GRAYNetwok

DaysForGirls

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Myths about Mathematics
There is common belief that only a few gifted
individuals have what it takes to learn mathematics, and that hard work cannot compensate for this.

There are also studies showing that when asked to explain why some children do better in mathematics than others, Asian children indicated their teachers, and their parents point to hard work, while American counterparts point to ability.

The following are the three most prevalent myths people have about mathematics.

1. Aptitude for mathematics is inborn.

This myth states that people are born with a mathematics gene. Either you get this gone or you don’t. It is hopeless and much too hard for average people. Mathematics is a cultural thing, some cultures never got it!

lt is natural that some people just are more talented at some things like music, athletics, and mathematics and to some degree it seems that these talents must be inborn.

Karl Gauss is claimed to have helped hís father with bookkeeping as a Small child, and the Indian mathematician, Ramanujan discovered deep results in mathematics with little formal training.

It is easy for students to believe that doing mathematics requires a mathematics brain, one in particular which they have not got. Mathematics is indeed inborn, but it is inborn in all of the US.

Mathematics is a human trait, shared by the entire race .Reasoning with abstract ideas is the province of every child, every woman, every man, and every culture Everybody can therefore do some mathematics.

To be good at mathematics you have to be good at calculating their

Some people feel somewhat ashamed about counting their fingers.

Modern mathematics is a science of
ideas not an exercise in the calculation.

An honest mathematics teacher often admonishes his students to check his calculations on the chalkboard because he is sure to get them wrong if they don’t.

Note that being a wiz at figures is not the mark of success in mathematics. A pocket calculator has no knowledge, no insight, no understanding yet it good at addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division then
a human will ever be.

But we are human beings, not
calculators. This myth is largely due to the methods of teaching which emphasize finding solutions by rote.

3. Mathcmaties require logic, not creativity.

This myth states that If the logical side of your brain is not your strength, you’ll never do well in mathematics. It is
true mathematics does require logic because We want things to make sense.

We don’t want our equations to
assert that 1 is equal to 2. But this is not different from any other field of human endeavor, in which we want our results and propositions to be meaningful.

Mathematics is Somewhat unique but this is because logic itself is a kind of structure – an idea- and mathematics is concerned with
precisely that sort of thing. It is a mistake to suppose that logic is what mathematics is about. or that being a mathematician means being uncreative or unintuitive.

There is beauty in mathematics, the beauty is in the patterns of numbers, of geometric shapes.

WISHING YOU GOOD LUCK IN YOUR EXAMS.

I wish you well in whatever subject you are entitled to write in this week, asking God’s favor to be bestowed on you in all your papers.

I pray that the God of all things, the Mighty God of the Bible who helped all successful Bible characters, be with you in all things…

The God the set right the lineage of Seth and Noah (Gen 5:1-3; 6:8) position you to lead your future generations using this exams as a testimony of your life; May the God of Abraham that promised him to bless his generations (Gen 12:2; 17:5-6) bless you in all these exams; May the God that sanctified Israel through the red Sea (1 Co 10:1-2) and gave them laws that made them special amongst all nations (Psalm 147:19-20), bless and sanctify you for your exams making you so special amongst all students; May the God of war and good nurturing who faught for Israel and nurtured them through Moses (Josh 12:1-6), Johsua (Josh 12:7-24), Othniel (Judg 3:7-10), Ehud (Judg 3:30), Shamgar (Judg 3:31), Deborah and Barak (Judg 4:12-24), Gideon (Judg 8:28), Tola (Judg 10:1-2), Jair (Judg 10:4-5), Jephthah (Judg 11:32-33, 12:7), Ibzan and Elon and Abdon (Judg 12:11-12), Samson (Judg 15:20, 16:31), Samuel (1 Sam 7:15-17), Saul (1 Sam 14:47-48), David (2 Sam 6:1-15), and Solomon (1 Kings 11:42)…be with you and fight for you for better grades in the papers ahead of you.

May the God who gave the apostles what to speak and then reminded them of how they should speak (Acts 10:19-20), remind you of whatever you have studied and give you the right answers to write in the exams room/hall… Amen.

In all these, remember that…

✓ Exams is to control your fear against life failure and not to create fear for your failure;

✓ It’s a test and not temptation;

✓ You deal with papers in the exams room which can determine your future in education and not gods to blind your eyes and mind;

✓ It’s to structure and restructure you and not to destroy and/or punish you;

✓ You are the controller of the papers and not your conscience;

✓ The answers are not your enemies but are to help you overcome;

✓ You are always to win but not to lose.

May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you and help you to write and pass with excellence in this examination… Amen.

I wish you well in your exams

From Seth Nyarko, CCCM@KPCE.

ST LOUIS WELCOMES NEW STUDENTS.

Congratulations to all level 100 students of St. Louis College of Education!!
Matriculation is a formal process of eligibility for entering a tertiary institution. This is
done after one has been admitted into a school of choice. This academic year’s active-
ties have seen a lot of challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic but yet, life moves
on as we battle this virus. Wc arc hopeful for a change as our dreams to become useful
human resources to the country continues

The introduction of the B.Ed program has caused changes in the lives of trainees. We
adhered to the new arrangement of a four-year Bachelor of Education program.

The first group of the new B.Ed program under the auspices of the University of Cape
Coast prospectively, enters their third year.

The arrangement has caused the alienation of various Colleges to be mapped on any of the public Universities in the country. Under the new directive, the St. Louis College of
Education became an affiliate to the University of Education, Winneba. Thus, the current level 100 and 200 students of the College, depending on the directives of the said
University.

The College after its admission of 600 beautiful ladies matriculated them to become full and eligible students of the College.

The matriculation ceremony commenced on Wednesday 27th January 2020. It started exactly
1:30 pm on Wednesday. The presence of the Principal of St. Louis College of Education, Dame Mrs. Comfot Boukye Mcnsah was reconded with her staff.

The 600 Level 100vstudents together with the SRC executives of the college occupied the well-distanced auditorium of the College. The program was divided into 3 folds; it began with a prayer by the
College’s chaplain. It was followed by the oath of allegiance directed by the Dean of Students. Mrs. Beatrice Armah Tettey. Students offering the Early grade, upper primary, and JHS B.Ed program rose to be matriculated.

The second part of the program was a motivational speech by the Head of Department, Mathematics, and 1CT. He encouraged students to lake up the mantle of a challenge to excel in their years to be spent in the college. Is speech, lastly, was followed by the introduction-
one of the SRC executives of the college led by Miss Rose Boateng. Continually the rest of the teaching and nonteaching staff were introduced to the entire students.

We finally came to a closure with a prayer by the college’s chaplain after which the matriculants were made to sign the matriculation register.

The authorities did very well by adhering to the COVID-19 safety protocols till the end of the program.

SHE ESSENCE AWARDS TO BE HELD ON DECEMBER 17

The SHE Essence Awards 20 has been slated to come off on Thursday, December
2021

The Award, which was put on hold after the 25th Delegate’s Congress of the Teacher
Trainee’s Association of Ghana (TTAG) was postponed is set to come off after a dal
has finally been set for the pending Congress.

The SHE Essence Awards 20, is being organized set by the Office of the Women’s Commissioner of the Teacher Trainee’s Association of Ghana to honor and empower distinguished dedicated women and men personalities in all the essential fields of Ghana’s development as far as the trainee teacher is concerned.

Nominations were opened on the 5th of November and lasted till November 9th, 2020, and a list of qualified nominees es further released.

Winners of the various categories are expected to be announced by the close the of day
Monday, December 15, 2020.

SOURCES OF RESEARCH PROBLEMS AND THEIR
STATEMENT

Theory
A very common source for a research problem is a theory that has implications for educational practice. Think about the theories you have been studying in your subject area. What is a theory? McMillan (1996) defines a theory as a set of propositions that explain the relationship among observed phenomena.
Theories are, thus, general explanations of behavior. It contains realizations and hypothesized principles that should be subjected to thorough and exact scientific investigation. One approach to obtaining a
research problem is to take a theory in a related area such as psychology,
sociology, and mathematics and develop a problem that applies to an educational setting. A theory, in this case, would suggest implications that can be further researched in educational settings.
Another way to apply theories is to directly test, revise, or clarify an existing theory. The intention here is to develop and change the theory rather than to test its implications. Can you think of a theory that has been tested, revised, or clarified in your field/subject of study?
State a theory in your subject area, you would like to test, revise or clarify.
Send your response to the FTF discussion.

Experience

Every individual’s everyday experience provides a rich supply of problems for investigation. Some of the best sources of ideas come from oninterestsests in personal and practical experiences. Recall some of the situations you met that you found puzzling or problematic. If you have ever asked such questions as
“Why are things done this way?”, “I wonder what would happen if…” or
“What method would work better?”, you may be well along the way to developing a research idea.
As a teacher, you encounter any problems in the classroom, the school, or community that lend themselves to the investigation. These problems are perhaps more appropriate for the beginning researcher than are problems more remote from his/her own teaching experience. There may be concerns about teaching methods, grouping, classroom management, tests, and continuous assessment, o multiple everyday experiences. What problems do school administrators face in course of their duty? List any three and compare them to the following.

Administrators may face problems in scheduling, communicating to
teachers/workers, providing instructional leadership, generating public/community support, handling serious disciplinary issues. For the beginning researcher, in particular, experience is often the most compelling source for research topics. In addition to personal experience, individuals have interests and knowledge about their profession/work that can also yield good
Literature

Ideas for research projects often come from reading the relevant and related literature. What do we mean by literature? Don’t answer. Read on.

According to Amedahe (2002), by related literature, we mean all written
documents including scholarly textbooks, journals, theses, dissertations related to a general issue of interest. The beginning researcher can profit from regularly reading current books and journals especially those that report the results of studies in their areas of interest. Reading published reports may help the neophyte researcher to find a problem amenable to scientific investigation. It may also help to familiarize the beginning researcher with the wording of the research problems and the actual conduct of research studies. Published reports may suggest problem areas indirectly by stimulating the reader’s interest in a topic and directly by specifying further areas in need of investigation.
2.1.4 Ideas from External Sources
External sources, here, means course lecturers, project work supervisors, and development agencies like DFID, USAID, GTZ, and other NGOs. External sources can sometimes provide the impetus for a research problem. Research topics/problems may be given as a direct suggestion from an external source.
For example, a course tutor/faculty member/project work supervisor may give
students a list of topics from which to choose or may assign a specific topic to be studied or researched into. Entities that sponsor funded research such as NGOs, DFID, UNICEF, USAID, and ODA often identify broad or specific topics on which research proposals are encouraged. For example, in recent years NGO’s and the Government of Ghana have requested a variety of AIDS-related research projects as well as research into cassava and yam at
the Science Faculty and the School of Agriculture at the University of Cape
Coast.

However, even when a research area is suggested, the researcher should identify the aspect of the problem that is of greatest interest to him/her. This is because curiosity is a critical ingredient in successful research.

Expert

An expert here refers to anybody knowledgeable on certain issues and can therefore guide others about those issues. Consulting and or talking to such experts would help identify a research problem. This
important because such experts may know topical and
contemporary issues in their field of specialization