Science Teaching and Learning using TESSA Material in Tanzania Simon Shayo Dar es Salaam University College of Education (DUCE), Cell Phone +255 713 339 315, Email: sgsimontz@yahoo.com Francis William The University of Dodoma (UDOM) Cell phone +255755 827 276 Email: kyambo20001@yahoo.com Abstract This paper focused on the use of TESSA 1 materials in Tanzania. These are secondary science materials which have been used after they have versioned. The versioning exercise was done by teachers and lecturers who have been working for long time in schools and colleges of education. The science materials were versioned to suit Tanzanian context in terms of culture and traditional values. During versioning the teachers were orienting themselves on how to use them in the teaching and learning process. The dissemination of the material is done by using cascade model. In this model TESSA Team at Dar es Salaam University College of Education in collaboration with Ministry of Education and Vocational Training In-service facilitators discussed the materials with regional trainers. Then regional trainers went to the regions to train teachers how to access TESSA materials on the identified topics. About five hundred teachers are now accessing the materials in Tanzania. Likewise at the national level, the INSET facilitators comprises of blend team of experts including University lecturers, Tutors, school inspectors and secondary science teachers. Total number of this team is sixty (60) people Introduction 1 Teacher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa
A number of international studies have shown that science education is facing adverse challenges worldwide (e.g. O Zmen, 2008; Stolk, Bulte, de Jong & Pilot 2009). In Tanzania, a number of publications (e.g. Tilya 2003; Mafumiko 2006; O-saki 2007) show that the predominance of talk and chalk instead of learner-centered/active approach dominates science teaching and learning. Theoretical teaching which has been noticed to dominate sciences hardly help students to develop required knowledge, skills and attitude. The claims have been on the overloaded curricula and lack of materials to facilitate the requirements in the curricular (Gilbert, 2006) and lack of materials to facilitate the requirements in the curricular. For instance, Tanzania is implementing competence based curriculum that has been criticized by many research studies as lacking appropriate materials to support its implementation (Tilya and Mafumiko, 2010). This has resulted to the decline in the interest among teacher and students during teaching and learning. Both, Education and Training Policies (ETP) of 1995 2014 put clear that O Level students in Tanzania start to opt for future career in Form III (a third year of junior secondary education). The students who learn sciences at O Level join A Level secondary schools that offer science orientations or colleges such as teachers education. However, it has been noted that only fewer students opt for sciences because of lack of interest due to poor teaching and learning approaches (Kibga, 2013). It is important to recognize that under competency based teaching a learner-centered approach become dominant. It is believed that meaningful learning takes place when a learner is more involved in the teaching and learning process (Kibga, 2013). Teachers perfect effective teaching when they are empowered with proper knowledge and interactive pedagogy. Some of the interactive strategies/techniques are brainstorming, small group discussion, think pair share, students demonstration, experimentation, gallery walk, jigsaw, field trip, question and answers and case study William and Kibga (2015) and Shayo and William (2014) argue that poor implementation of science in secondary schools in Tanzania and teacher colleges is exacerbated by lack of mean to overcome some challenges including the use of computer facilities. They reported that shortage of computer facilities like printers and scanner hinder students and teachers from accessing free materials available in the internet. An example is TESSA materials that are available in the internet for secondary school teachers and students. It must be recognized that TESSA material are among
the innovations that are freely available in the internet. These include Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Although TESSA materials are available and easily accessed from the internet, and they have been confirmed by teachers and student as motivating, ease to use and competence based (Simon & William, 2014) still students and teachers hardly use them because of some challenges including availability of computer and internet services. Implementation of TESSA Material in Tanzania The TESSA materials have been used after they have versioned. The versioning was done in order to make the materials suit Tanzania environment. The versioning exercise was done by ten (10) lecturers from Dar es Salaam University College of Education (DUCE) and ten (10) Science teachers from secondary schools who have been working more than ten years in secondary schools and colleges of education. TESSA materials are versioned to suit Tanzanian context in terms of culture and traditional values. These include names of people and names of objects. Emphasize on participation of all sex (Boys and Girls) done to ensure that both girls and boys benefit from the materials. During versioning of the materials teachers were orienting themselves on how to use the materials in teaching and learning. Orientation was mainly based on how to access the materials through internet and improvisation of the resources found in the materials. The dissemination of the material is done by using cascade model. In this model TESSA team at DUCE which comprises of lecturers and senior secondary school teachers in collaboration with In-service National Facilitators (NF) from Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (MoEVT) discuss the materials on availability and access of the materials. NFs team comprises of sixty (60) of blend of experts including University lecturers, Tutors from College of Teacher Education, School Inspectors and Secondary Science teachers. Then Regional Trainers (RT) usually go to the regions to train teachers for 10 days in fifty centers in the country on how to access TESSA materials in the identified topics. The TESSA materials implementation cascade model is presented in Figure 1.
TESSA TEAM AT DUCE National facilitators Regional Trainers Secondary Teachers Fig. 1: A cascade model used in the implementation of TESSA materials Outcomes About five hundred Five (500) teachers from secondary schools and twon hundred (200) tutors are now accessing the materials in Tanzania. Focusing on the philosophy of the TESSA materials, they have shown to have features that capacitate teachers in developing knowledge and skills of implementing Tanzania education curriculum effectively under learner-centered approach of science teaching and learning. The materials have shown to consist of the content and pedagogy that could effectively support science teaching and learning and thus raising provision of quality education to students. They have shown to contain self instructions that can assist students in secondary schools to learn individually and in groups. Pre-service teacher from the colleges that are still using the materials as curriculum material showed to be interested in the materials as they believed they could reduce teacher instructions and therefore encourage transformative learning. For instance, a pre-service teacher from Dar es Salaam University college who used TESSA materials in Biology during preparation for single lesson teaching practice explained that she liked to use the materials as they contain enough and comprehensive classroom activities that were mostly reflecting of the objective stated in the syllabus. It was explained by most of the interviewed secondary school teachers who used the materials that TESSA materials seem to reduce a task of creating and constructing student s activities as the teacher could easily select the activities from the materials and adapt then in the classroom. Although pre-service teacher were novice and had limited time to use the materials they showed to have ability to plan lessons focusing on the
students needs in classroom by selecting appropriate activities from TESSA materials that could engage students actively in the lesson. They were also able to assist students develop critical thinking through self interaction with the materials. However, observations showed that they mentoring by their tutors was an important aspect required for them to be able to be assisted to become more better in adapting the methodologies presented by the materials including improvisation of the suggested resources. The materials showed to have ability to transformed traditional teacher culture of lecturing, and questions and answers to the culture of student self learning with limited guidance by the teacher. Girls in the visited schools such as Turiani and Kibasila secondary schools were seemed to participate actively in the learning using TESSA materials. Observed Challenges Various challenges have been encountered during the use of TESSA materials in both, secondary schools and teacher colleges. It is important to realize that still the challenge of availability of enough computer and internet facilities persists in Tanzania secondary schools including those implementing TESSA materials (Shayo and William, 2014). They argued ICT in education as inevitable in facilitating the implementation of new education innovations in developing countries. Although, students and pre-service teacher show to have interest in using TESSA materials but inadequate knowledge and skills of using computers by teachers and tutors and lack of apparatus and other resources during self learning by students and pre-service teachers have impended constant use of the materials as means of implementing learner centered approach in competence curriculum implementation in Tanzania. Furthermore, lack of regular monitoring and evaluation of the implementation process is a challenge. Ways Forward It is significant to realize that TESSA materials remain the important innovation in assisting the implementation of learner centered in competence based curriculum implementation in Tanzania. TESSA management should ensure that the observed challenges are addressed so as to ensure that the process of its material implementation is sustainable. The saying of the presenters of this report may hold, that: the best root among those who walk on foot is the one that can assist both longand shortsighted to manage the walking challenges It means that the challenges elsewhere in
Africa are not necessarily the challenges of Tanzanians. However, the challenges are there to be addresses. Conclusion This paper concludes that TESSA materials still continues to provide support to secondary schools teachers and student as well as tutors and pre-service teachers in the implementing the competency based curriculum in Tanzanian context. The designed activities in the materials are still assisting the development of knowledge, skills and attitude in students of both individual and groups of students and pre-service teachers. This paper still emphasizes that TESSA materials are means of contributing to the availability of reference materials in science to schools and teacher colleges in Tanzania. Recommendation Although the government of Tanzania and other development agencies have tried to support schools with computer and internet services, only few schools have receives enough services of the like. This paper recommends that for TESSA materials implementation process to be sustainable there must be a supply of enough computers and internet services to the schools and colleges that are using the materials In order for the impact of the materials to spread at a considerable pace to teacher at colleges/universities and schools, the TESSA management should consider re-build of more strong team that could ensure that the dissemination of the materials is at fast rate throughout the country including monitoring and evaluation processes. Few selected universities, like UDOM and DUCE, which contain personnel who are expertise in the use and assessment of TESSA materials, could be considered the crucial centers for in-service training, monitoring, and evaluation of the implementation of TESSA materials. It is recognized that ICT facilities have taken bold advancement in the communication arena. The process of TESSA material design, implementation and evaluation could serve as professional development strategies to those practitioners involved in the process as they could engage into various research activities that earn them awards in Diploma, Bachelor Degrees, Master Degrees or PhDs.
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