Schools encouraged to adopt Participatory teaching methods

A scientific survey that was carried out by the National Bureau of Protestant Education (BNEP) has revealed that Participatory and Active Pedagogy (PAP) is capable of enhancing self responsibility amongst students. PAP aims at training teachers to be flexible and create a learner-centered environment which encourages students to air out more of their views during lessons. The survey was conducted among 1, 500 nursery, primary and secondary teachers from protestant schools. The teachers have been trained as specialists in learner-activating educational and participatory pedagogy where they have been able to let students be the center of learning instead of the teachers being the center. Speaking at the unveiling of the survey, Prof Annette Scheunplug from the Friedrich-Alexander University in Germany who carried out the survey said that the programme has an impact on both the teacher and student alike. “Students in schools whose teachers have been trained in PAP feel less afraid in class and understand better the structure of the lesson, which enables them to showcase better participation in class,” she said. She added that PAP training also improves the teacher professionally, and leads to a more positive interaction in class which in the end benefits the student. “PAP teachers succeed in dealing with conflicts constructively better than teachers without the training,” said Scheunplug. The survey further reveals that students in PAP schools experience less violence by teachers than students in non-PAP-schools. Speaking to The New Times, the Inspector General of schools, Narcisse Musabyeyezu, commended the survey, saying that its findings are vital and add value to the government’s plan to rollout the programme in all schools. He revealed that the programme is already running at the Kigali Institute of Education (KIE) and other teacher training colleges. Ends