A Call for Pedagogical Shift: Aligning Teaching Practices with Modern WASSCE Standards

As these candidates write, success depends on their ability to read carefully, think critically, and apply. (Credit:ghanaeducation.org)

A Call for Pedagogical Shift: Aligning Teaching Practices with Modern WASSCE Standards

The persistent mass failure recorded by candidates in the West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) has sparked strong reactions among stakeholders in education, including teachers, parents, and policymakers. People have expressed deep concern over the mass failure of candidates despite the significant efforts and preparations that teachers and learners put in. There is one underlying truth that people rarely discuss: the nature of WASSCE questions has undergone a significant shift, but the way candidates are prepared for the examination has not kept pace with this change.

It is worth noting that WASSCE questions these days are no longer designed to test mere recall of facts. Examiners of the West African Examination Council set questions involving application, critical thinking, and problem-solving. Candidates are therefore expected to go the extra mile to draw inferences, analyse situations, evaluate questions, and, more importantly, apply learned principles to real-life contexts. It is therefore crucial to draw the attention of candidates to the fact that the shift reflects global educational standards that seek to produce competent learners who can reason and solve challenges rather than memorize.

Unfortunately, many of our schools these days teach learners to copy notes from the board, memorize definitions and formulas, and solve routine questions whose answers are just straightforward and can be reproduced. These methods of teaching and preparing candidates are not enough to equip them with the requisite skills to handle application-based questions. Consequently, when learners are faced with WASSCE questions designed as word-based problem situations, they struggle to interpret what the questions demand — even when they have thoroughly studied the underlying concepts.

This specific challenge is common in subjects like Core Mathematics, Integrated Science, and Social Studies. Most of the questions are well-structured to require candidates to read them carefully, identify key terms, and apply appropriate principles to solve them. One is therefore not far from right when they say that without strong reading comprehension ability and critical reasoning skills, even extremely good candidates will fail to answer questions effectively. The challenge, therefore, is not always a lack of effective studies but a lack of commitment to think and apply knowledge.

The sudden transformation of WASSCE questions is commendable. It reflects the Council’s enthusiasm to match Ghana’s and even West Africa’s education system with international standards that appreciate creativity, reasoning, and problem-solving. However, this transformation has not been matched by corresponding reforms in classroom pedagogy.

To surmount this persistent mass failure in WASSCE, there must be a deliberate shift in teaching, learning, and assessment practices.

First, teachers must shift their classroom pedagogy away from rote learning to learner-centred approaches that promote learners’ ability to think critically and solve problems. They must be taught how to easily apply concepts taught in class to solve real-life challenges. Teachers should consistently expose students to application-based questions during lessons, mirroring the current nature of WASSCE questions.

Secondly, all hands must be on deck to ensure reading comprehension and reasoning skills are strengthened across all subjects. Teachers should integrate analytical thinking into their daily teaching and ensure that regular practice with past questions is deeply employed to enable learners understand what examiners demand.

Additionally, the Ghana Education Service must ensure the organisation of periodic training sessions for teachers. In-service training and regular workshop sessions should focus on developing effective questions and assessment tasks to help learners succeed.

Finally, stakeholders in education, including parents, teachers, school authorities, and policymakers, must provide their maximum support by supplying the needed teaching resources, reducing overemphasis on note-copying, and encouraging independent thinking among learners. When preparation methods correspond with the demands of contemporary WASSCE, candidates will be better equipped to succeed, and mass failure will be significantly reduced.

In conclusion, the persistent mass failure in WASSCE is not teachers’ lack of enthusiasm and passion for teaching and learners’ lack of seriousness, but mainly a consequence of the growing mismatch between the evolving nature of examination questions and the methods used to prepare candidates.