Government and Peer

Support
 Objective:
• to learn about the Government and Peer Support,
• to know about the competency shelter,
• to know the concerns of teacher,
• to learn about peer collaboration and;
• how to organized it
 Professional Development
• It refers to all training, certification and education that a
worker needs to succed in his or her career.
 Competency Shelter

• A Competency and shelter assesment can identify

potential hazards and offer recomendations to help keep
clients and even loved ones, safe in their own home.
 Concerns of Teacher
• Resentment of teachers at being placed in distant schools,
because of the long distances from roads, transport, shops,
clinics, post offices, police stations;
• Children are often less healthy than thier counterparts in the
big schools;
• Lack of communication with educational support systems
and authorities;
• Absence of adequate teaching facilities and support
materials;
• Loneliness of the teacher, which can even become
critical in an unsympathic setting, which can becomes
from a different community/background;
• Negative attitude towards multi-grade teaching by
authorities, as well as the public;
• Lack of a government policy on multi-grade classes;
• Small schools are often located in socio-economically
disadvantaged ares;
• Inadequate out-of-school experiences for the pupils,
e.g. sport, traditional dancing and music, and visits to
places of interest, which can be used by the teacher
starting points for learning.
 Government Support

• It is essential for giving multi-grade classes,

• A greater recognition,
• For multi-grade teaching approach to ge given its due
status,
• Equal to that of the normal schools,
• will do much to prevent small schools from being
marginalized.
National education policy and planning should
also reflect the government’s attitude to, and
planning for, such issues as:
• Improving basic infra-structural arrangements/facilities, such as roads,
telephone services, electricity, water supply and transfortation, with particular
reference to these schools;
• Compulsory attendance and penalties for non-compliance;
• physical and human resources provisions for the mentally and physically
challenged students;
• Gender equity;
• Upgrading and supporting teachers through the use of imformation and
Communication Technology (ICT), and extention programmes from post
secondary institutions.
 The Nature of Support
1. Develop a national policy for single-teacher schools
annd multi-grades classes.
2. Special consideration must be given to such schools in
National Planning.
3. Facilitate adequate recognation and adequate separate
financing.
4. Ensure effective communication with appropriate
institusions, teachers in the field, teacher training
collages and other relevant bodies.
5. Provide control standards through the provision of properly trained personnel,
and through the inclusion of appropriate methodologies in traditional teacher
education programmes.
6. Ensure the staffing of them with people who have the neccesary tschnical
expertise, and are commited to work in multi-grade situation.
7. Include issues and techniques for multi-grade teaching, as part of the regular
pre-service teacher education programmes in the relevant training institutions.
8. Provide special attention for the proffesional development of multi-grade
teachers, within appropriate in-service teacher education programmes.
9. Develop a curriculum, or modify the national curriculum, to make it appropriate
for multi-grade teaching.
10. Develop teaching and learning materials.
11. Provide teacher support for multi-grade teaching through officials well versed in
its issues and problems.
12. Make efforts to strengthen the support of the community near the school.
 Peer Collaboration
Multi-grade teachers do not need to wait for support
from the authorities, they can start by supporting each
other.
Through Peer Colaboration multi-grade teacher can:
• Learn from other’s failures, each other’s problems,
solutions and successes;
• Identify the important areas, where support is needed;
• Develop and share relevant materials;
• Lobby for an improved image.
 Organizing Peer Collaboration
1. Discuss peer support with the head teacher, and other teachers in the
same school.
2. Discuss posibilities for peer support with the education supervisor, if he, or
she, visits the school.
3. Visit nearby schools, and see how classes are organized, and discuss
peer support among teachers.
4. Together with the leadership of the school, organize monthly meetings with
groups of teachers.
5. At these meetings, one may select teachers who will meet at the regional
and national levels. At the national level, one may be able to establish the
Multi-grade Teacher’s Peer Organization.
6. The Multi-grade Teachers’ Peer Organization could be responsible for the
following:
• Representing the multi-grade teachers at Ministry of Education institutions;
• Participating in National Work Groups, to develop materials for multi-grade
teachers;
• Forming cluster groups with teachers in schools that are accessible, and
arranging workshops, meetings, and other oppurtunities for skills
development and exchanges;
• Organizing yearly seminars, where national issues regarding multi-grade
teaching are discussed;
• Supporting in-service workshops with regional and grassroots peer groups;
• Promoting the case for single-teacher schools and multi-grade classes, and
breaking the feeling of isolation of those teachers.
 Possible Support
Purpose: Clarify and list the kinds of support that you
need in your role as a multi-grade teacher on state in what
ways you will be able to help yourself.
Questions: What support would you llike to recieve and
how could you possibly help yourself.
1. To overcome the feeling of loneliness?
2. To get facilities and materials?
3. For professional improvement?
 Establishing Peer Collaboration
Purpose: This activity is the first step towards peer collaboration.
Questios: 1. What can you learn by visiting the class of a colleage
(with his. or her, agreement) in your school?
2. Which multi-grade teachers do you know in nearby
schools?
3. Would you allow another teacher to visit your class?
Provide the reasons of your answer.
4. How can you form a cluster of single-teacher/multi-
grade schools in your area?
 5. Where would be a convenient place to meet
once a month for teachers of that cluster?
6. How could the leader be identified to convene
such a meeting?
7. Write an action plan to illustrate the objectives,
strategies and steps towards obtaining peer group
support.