The British Council Examination Department and the University of Cambridge International Examination (CIE) have held a workshop aimed at equipping teachers to identify new teaching methods and the resources that engage students in the classrooms for 50 teachers in the country. The teachers were drawn from private institutions teaching the CIE syllabus in Ghana, as well as other teachers from public Senior High Schools. The educational institutions include Alpha Beta Christian College, British International School, East Airport International School, Galaxy International School, Ghana Christian International High School, International Community School, Merton International School, Accra Girls' Senior High School, Keta Senior High School and the Ghana National College. According to Mrs Keely Laycock, a Cambridge International Examination Trainer, the focus of the workshop was on active learning. "We want to get the teachers to be active to promote deeper learning among students so that they can apply their knowledge and become life-long learners. "We also focus on creativity and imagination to equip students with the skills they need to be global citizens, independent and think creatively", she said. Mrs Laycock said teachers were taken through activities they could try with their students to engage them to be more motivated and better learners. The skills imparted, she said, were those of enquiry, reflection, analysis and evaluation so that students did not only pass examinations but also acquired skills for their future use. She said although the training was on the Cambridge examination, it was generic for the teachers as it could be applied in other areas. Mrs Laycock said the programme was a training of trainers workshop, and that the participants were expected to teach others the skills they had learnt, adding that next year it would be cascaded to the other parts of the country. "Education is at the heart of what we do. Ghana is competing with the rest of the world and it is not just good for students to pass their examination but also to make them critical thinkers," she emphasised. A participant from Kumasi, Leonard Adorn, said resourcefulness, innovation, creativity, teamwork spirit, motivation, were some of the concepts they were exposed to. "It was a wonderful experience. The resource person, Keely Laycock, did a fantastic job. It was awesome," he summed up. Source: Daily Graphic