Teaching The Teachers

A consortium of the Education Faculties of Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Paisley, Stirling and Strathclyde University, led by Strathclyde University, has developed and implemented the first BEd (Primary Degree) in Malawi. The project has been funded by the Scottish government with the Education Faculties contributing 50% of the academic staffing costs to the project

The degree, initially aimed at teacher trainers and primary advisers, is taught by University of Malawi staff at Chancellor College in Zomba. Seven staff from Chancellor College were funded by the Malawi Millennium Project to come to Scotland to study for a postgraduate Certificate in Advanced Professional Studies with a focus on primary education. The distinctive feature of the course was that it was designed with the sole purpose of equipping this group with the skills to design and, with initial support, to deliver a BEd top-up degree appropriate for primary teacher trainers in Malawi.

The project is managed at Strathclyde by Sue Ellis - sue.ellis@strath.ac.uk

Since attaining their degree the B.Eds said… "My interaction with my students is better.  I use new ways which were modeled at the TTC.  In the past, we taught students content and then asked questions. I would have said if it was right.  Now there is more space to debate what is right, and what is right in different ways”	Since attaining their degree the B.Eds said… "The lecturers at Chancellor College worked very hard and we learned how to teach from how they worked with us. Now we emulate this.  They were patient and very motivating. My students can talk, ask questions, come closer with me as a lecturer ... because I know now that you do not learn if you do not ask questions."