Philomena Abla Osseo-Asare

Bio: Philomena Abla Osseo-Asare is an academic researcher. The author has contributed to research in topics: Foreign language & Language assessment. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 1 publications receiving 2 citations.

Postcolonial Theory and Early Literacy Development for 4-8 year-olds: A Life History Study of Ghanaian Teachers

Abstract: This life history study examines how the changes in language and literacy policy in lower grades impacted on teachers’ classroom practices from independence in 1957 to 2014. As a result of British colonial rule, English is the official language in Ghana and other sub-Saharan African countries; English is also used in many schools, yet most young children enter school with no prior knowledge of the English language. Consequently, the language of instruction in lower grades has always been a contested issue. There are some who prefer the use of local language and see the use of English as inculcating Western values and culture in the African, thus depriving children of the knowledge of African traditional values. On the other hand, those in favour of English, argue that the use of local language was a means of providing inferior education to Africans by colonial governments. These differing views have led to changes in the language policy for lower grades since the country’s independence in 1957. Although there have been a number of studies on the language policy in lower grade, there is a gap in the literature on understanding how colonial rule and Western education influences the language/s used in Ghanaian schools to support children’s literacy development. In addition, there is little or no research to understand how policy changes in language and literacy have affected lower grade teachers’ classroom practices. This study therefore adopts a postcolonial theoretical perspective and has used in-depth interviews to collect data from seven lower grades teachers on the use of different language and literacy policies over the past six decades. The findings suggest that teachers’ personal values, beliefs and teacher training play a significant role in their attitudes towards language and literacy policy and their classroom practices. Though teaching in the local language helped in classroom interaction, making children more active, the study found that teachers’ knowledge of local language was hampered by the fact that local language was an optional subject in Senior High School. The English-only policy was seen as being responsible for children’s inability to understand and communicate freely in class, thereby making teaching difficult for teachers. The findings also show that, though the National Literacy Acceleration Programme (NALAP) was seen as a positive move to make children literate in both local language and English, the question of the use of a particular local language and the place of English in lower grades remains unresolved. This study concludes that young children’s literacy development depends to a large extent on an individual teacher’s language expertise in the local languages and English and their ability in using and teaching both efficiently in the classroom.

Teacher voice and ownership of curriculum change

Abstract: We comment critically on the notion that teachers can experience ownership of curriculum change. The evidence base for this commentary is our work on two curriculum development projects in health and physical education between 1993 and 1998. Applying a theoretical framework adapted from Bernstein's writing on the social construction of pedagogic discourse, we contend that the possibilities for teacher ownership of curriculum change are circumscribed by the anchoring of their authority to speak on curriculum matters in the local context of implementation. We argue that this anchoring of teacher voice provides a key to understanding the perennial problem of the transformation of innovative ideas from conception to implementation. We also provide some insights into the extent to which genuine participation by teachers in education reform might be possible, and we conclude with a discussion of the possibilities that exist for partnerships in reforming health and physical education.

Peer to Peer Deaf Multiliteracies:Towards a Sustainable Approach to Education in Ghana

Abstract: In Ghana as many other countries in the global South, many children and young people are marginalized in education From a pilot project we had learnt from our work in India that an approach based on “real literacies”, in which links are made to authentic literacies in the environment, with teaching and support by deaf peer tutors and deaf research assistants, was fruitful That pilot also included consultations with the deaf community in Ghana The project reported upon here, “Peer to peer deaf multiliteracies: research into a sustainable approach to education of Deaf children and young adults in developing countries “ (P2PDML) extended the principles to include young children as well as adults and was reconceptualised upon the richer foundation of multiliteracies, embracing available semiotic repertoires and means of learning This paper presents three multimodal vignettes which illustrate the dynamic combinations of modes utilized in effective pedagogic activities and gives a flavour of the project’s approaches to peer tutoring and documentation of activities Finally, in line with the conference theme, “The power and possibilities for the public good when researchers and organizational stakeholders collaborate” we also report on our engagement with significant stakeholders