Effectiveness of In-Service Education Training Program for Mathematics and Science Secondary School Teachers in Rwanda

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Effecfiveness of IIトServiceEducation Training Program for Mathematics and Science

Secondary School Teachers in Rwanda Education for Specialized Subject Matter& Field Intemational Education Course Antoine MUTSINZI 百legovemment of Rwanda recognizes the important role science and mathematics should play in the realization of vision 2020; to become a middle-income country by the year 2020

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This has been reflected in the amount of recourses both human and otherwise that are channeled towards enhancing the teaching and leaming of science and mathematics at all levels of the education system. At secondary level， there have been a number of strategies that govemment has put in pJace to ensure effectiveness in teaching and leaming those subjects， including; In-Service Education Training (INSET) for mathematics and science teachers trough SMASSE (Strengthening Mathematics and Science Secondary Education) project. SMASSE Project was implemented since 2008 with aim to improve the ability of teachers. The project provided a series of cascaded training and 10，973 teachers in total benefited; the curriculum was focused on pedagogical paradigm of ASEI (Activityラ Studentラ Experiment and Improvisation) movement by application of PDSI (Plan

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Do

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See and Improve) Supervisor: Hiroaki OZAWA approach. Significant success was observed at the end of the project as江is shown by the impact survey conducted by the MINEDUC despite the challenge rest behind. Apart from those impact survey conducted by MINEDUC there is no detailed study， which conducted regarding the effectiveness of the SMASSE INSET program. Thusラthereason why this study has been conducted with purpose to examine the perception of trained teachers towards the training they attendedラtofind what knowledge and ski1ls they acquired from training and how they use to improve classroom practiceラtoscrutinize the impact of training on school as an organization as well as on the students. The questionnaire survey and class observation with video shooting method were used to collect data from 49 teachers who have been participated in SM1生SSE training either as trainees or trainers

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12 school principals and 168 mathematics and science students. The result shows that the respondents positively reacted to the SMASSE training

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program. Howeverラ thestudy found that

SMASSE INSET program was negatively atfected by its settingラincludingnumber of days of training and facilities (meal

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accommodation， transportation fees) as shown by negative rating given by almost all the teachers who participated in this study. Trained teachers felt that they learnt di百erent skil1s and knowledge from training attendedラ includinghow to plan and present a lesson based on the ASE1 / PDS1 approach. Yet， the analysis of 12 lessons observed shows that implementation in classroom teaching is still low. The results indicate that all the lessons have implemented in different way and none of the lessons meet all the aspects/viewpoints used in this study.It was observed that trained teachers try to use group work

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but its management and the activities句 studentsare engaged in as well as the questions asked by teachers to enhance the understanding are still implemented at a low leveJ.The viewpoint related to the use of teaching material and to link the actual lesson with daily life were evaluated at a low level of implementation in most of the lessons. They're some classroom challenges identified in this study， including the use of English as medium of instruction and time management.Inmost of the lesson 10% of total time ofthe lesson is not used. According to the school principal， the SMASSE INSET program has a positive impact to improve the ability of teachers as well as the student involvement in the teaching and learning process. As a result， some school includes lesson study as professional development for teacher in the school timetable. The study also identified some challenge which atfects effectiveness of SMASSE INESTprograms such as low involvement of school principal in the planning and organization of training

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support given to the trainedteachers as well as their motivation. 1n this studyラwealso find that some school principal behavior was problematic for.the teachers which prevent them to implement what they gained from training， but in the other handヲ thereare some principal who supports the implementation of ASE1/PDS1 as the new approach introduced by SMASSE. 1t is reasonable to conclude that a commendable effort has been rhade

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this being the first group INSET Program which targeted specific subject teachers in Rwanda. However

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the research findings suggest that the training program setting highlights too low and th剖 areview of the INSET is now necessary. The aim of this review could be to remedy some of the weaknesses identified in this research.