The acting U.S. Consulate General in Lagos, Stephen Ibelli has said the Consulate supported professional development workshops for 100 primary and secondary school teachers drawn from local communities in Oyo State.
The Information Specialist Public Affairs Section (PAS) U.S. Consulate General, Temitayo Famutimi, disclosed this in a statement.
The capacity development project tagged “Ibadandun” he said, seeks to introduce the participating teachers to fun, creative and interactive teaching methods that enhance educational outcomes such as improved numeracy, literacy and school attendance.
Famutimi said Five Cowries Arts Education Initiative, One Million Teachers Incorporated and the American Corner Ibadan are collaborating to implement “Ibadandun” with generous support from alumni of the U.S. government exchange programmes.
He noted that the series of workshops will integrate a variety of hands-on activities that provide the teachers a deeper understanding of new approaches of using arts to improve classroom instruction and students’ learning.
Delivering remarks on Friday during a workshop for a cohort of the teachers in Ibadan, Ibelli, explained that integrating a variety of hands-on activities, including arts, in classroom instruction will engender critical thinking, creativity and collaborative learning.
“The U.S. Mission is fully committed to supporting a more educated population by increasing and strengthening the capacity of Nigerian teachers. Teachers who use innovative pedagogy and interactive assessment techniques enliven the teaching-learning process for their students. Students who have effective and engaged teachers tend to perform far better than their peers,” Ibelli said.
Ibelli also lauded the efforts of alumni of U.S. government exchange programmes for supporting the project by serving as mentors and trainers during the 12 month-long project.
“U.S. Government exchange alumni are at the forefront of promoting access to qualitative education, good governance and civic engagement throughout Nigeria. They have strong ties to their communities and with the support of the U.S. Mission, create and execute projects to address specific needs, including basic education,” he stated.
Famutimi stressed that through teacher training workshops and exchange programmes like the Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement Programme and the Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant Programme, the U.S. Mission provides teachers the opportunity to develop expertise in their subject areas and enhance their teaching skills.
