Director of Teacher Professional Management at TSC Dr Reuben Nthambuli addresses teachers during 2024 CEMASTEA symposium. Looking on are CEMASTEA CEO Jacinta Akatsa and acting Deputy Director Training Patrick Kogolla. Photo by Obegi Malack
Junior and Secondary schools teachers of Science and Mathematics and other education stakeholders have benefited from 2024 CEMASTEA Teachers Symposium on innovative classroom practices.
The teachers are from Nairobi, Machakos, Kiambu, and Kajiado counties.
CEMASTEA Chief Executive Officer Jacinta Akatsa said that said the symposium aimed to promote learning Mathematics and Science through innovative classroom practices.
She said the symposium formed a platform through which teachers will share their best practices acquired in the classroom over time. “This will enhance Communities Of Practice (COP) among teachers. This is particularly important as Kenya transitions to the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), which emphasizes competencies such as corroboration and communication skills,” she said.
Akatsa said the teachers shared among themselves what they are doing to realize the gap that they have to move from one level to another.
She said through the symposium teachers learn from each other knowledge and skills for implementing innovative approaches effectively.
CEMASTEA will also seek to extend the innovative practice to other counties.
The CEO urged the teachers to put more effort on online teaching practices, she noted that this will add value to their profession.
In a speech read by Director Teacher Professional Management Dr Reuben Nthambuli Teachers Service Commission (TSC) Director Dr Nancy Macharia said TSC has defined Teacher Professional Development (TPD) as “life-long teacher learning and comprises the full range of educational experiences designed to enrich teachers’ professional knowledge, understanding and capabilities throughout the teachers’ career”.
Thus the symposium constituted an important form of TPD. It allowed participating teachers and stakeholders to exchange ideas and collaborate on best classroom practices to improve the quality of education provided to students.
The teachers enhanced their teaching skills and learned about innovative pedagogical approaches in Science and Mathematics education.
The symposium is in line with the Commission’s TPD policy that acknowledges that teachers, like other professional practitioners, deepen their content knowledge and improve their delivery skills in the course of their career.
The TPD Policy further recognizes that enhanced capacity of teachers as action researchers and reflective practitioners as well as enhanced knowledge, skills and attitudes in their subject and pedagogy is also another outcome.
Enoomatasian Girls teacher in Kajiado County Jemima Wangoi said she benefited from learner centered lessons and will be implementing integrating ICT to teach and incorporating student.