written by – Ayotunde Ayanda

Over the next 1 year, the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos is supporting a series of professional development workshops for 100 primary and secondary school teachers drawn from across local communities in Oyo State.

The capacity development project tagged “Ibadandun” seeks to introduce the participating teachers to fun, creative and interactive teaching methods that enhance educational outcomes such as improved numeracy, literacy and school attendance.

Five Cowries Arts Education Initiative, 1 Million Teachers Incorporated and the American Corner Ibadan are collaborating to implement “Ibadandun” with generous support from alumni of U.S. government exchange programs.

The series of workshops will integrate a variety of hands-on activities that provide the teachers a deeper understanding of new approaches of using arts to improve classroom instruction and students’ learning.

Delivering remarks on Friday during a workshop for a cohort of the teachers in Ibadan, Acting U.S. Consul General Stephen Ibelli, explained that integrating a variety of hands-on activities, including arts, in classroom instruction will engender critical thinking, creativity and collaborative learning.

“The U.S. Mission is fully committed to supporting a more educated population by increasing and strengthening the capacity of Nigerian teachers,” Acting Consul General Ibelli said. “Teachers who use innovative pedagogy and interactive assessment techniques enliven the teaching-learning process for their students. Students who have effective and engaged teachers tend to perform far better than their peers.”

Acting Consul General Ibelli lauded the efforts of alumni of U.S. government exchange programs for supporting the project by serving as mentors and trainers during the 12 month-long project.

“U.S. Government exchange alumni are at the forefront of promoting access to qualitative education, good governance and civic engagement throughout Nigeria. They have strong ties to their communities and with the support of the U.S. Mission, create and execute projects to address specific needs, including basic education,” he added.

Through teacher training workshops and exchange programs like the Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program and the Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant Program, the U.S. Mission provides teachers the opportunity to develop expertise in their subject areas and enhance their teaching skills.