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Prof. Bethel Tawiah Ababio
Deceased

Prof. Bethel Tawiah Ababio

Associate Professor - ( Senior Member ) Department of Business and Social Sciences Education
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Field(s) of Specialization
Education-related Development Issues
Geography
Field(s) of Academic Interest
Basic Education
Curriculum and Teaching and Assessment in Education
Development Issues
Geography
Geography Education
About

    Prof. Bethel Tawiah Ababio is a Professor of Geography Education at the University of Cape Coast, where he has taught courses (at both undergraduate & graduate levels) in geography education, research methods, curriculum studies and assessment in education since 2001. He has since 2001 been a professional teacher, though prior to that he was a non-professional tutor for seven years at the New Juaben Sec/Comm. School, Koforidua. His research interests are in geography education, teaching and learning of geography at the senior high school and university levels, curriculum studies, research methods and assessment in education.

Prof Bethel T. Ababio has been involved in some research projects, particularly with the  Africa-Asia University Dialogue for Educational Development Projects on Quality of Basic Education, funded by the Centre for International Comparative Education (CICE), Hiroshima University, Japan. Since 2008, he has been a member of the UCC Chapter of the Africa-Asia University Dialogue for Educational Development Research Network, comprising 26 Universities in Africa and Asia.

He has authored nearly 30 refereed publications based on his areas of interest. He has taught Geography and Social Studies, as a national service person and a full time tutor in some senior high schools at Suhum and Koforidua. He was a Team Leader and an Examiner for the Senior High School Geography Paper 2 for the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) from the late 1990s to 2009. Since 2015, he has been a Chief Examiner for the Institute of Education, University of Cape Coast B.Ed. Social Sciences (Sandwich) Programme for Practising Teachers with Diploma in Education qualification. For a brief period, he was the Exams Officer for the then Dept. of Arts & Social Sciences Education (DASSE), UCC from 2002 to 2003. Again from 2009 to 2013, he served as the Registration Officer for his department. Though he never became an HOD until he went on retirement in 2018, he served in an Acting capacity on a number of occasions between 2004 and 2010 anytime the substantive HODs travelled out of town. At a point in time, he also served as the Coordinator for Undergraduate Project Work Supervision and the Department of Business and Social Sciences Education (DoBSSE) M.Ed. Sandwich Programme. Over the years, he has supervised countless Undergraduate Project Work and co-supervised dozens of Master of Philosophy dissertations.

He is a member of the Ghana Geographical Association and the Ghana Studies Association.

He has served on some Boards and Committees in the University of Cape Coast, including the defunct Teaching Practice Unit Committee (now Centre for Teacher Professional Development Board), School of Business Board, School for Educational Development and Outreach Board, the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Education Board and the College of Education Studies Board. 

Introduction

This philosophy of teaching statement is a reflection of my personal values, needs of my students, my department and Ghana as a whole. Included in this philosophy are four thematic areas and their related questions that I would like to address. These are

1.     My aims of teaching or why do I teach?

2.     The means/methods that I use to achieve my aims or by what means do I achieve my aims?

3.     The importance that I attach to teaching or why do I do what I do best in teaching?

1. My aims/objectives of teaching

I would premise my aims of teaching on a paraphrased definition of education by Wikipedia encyclopedia which defined it as “a conscious and deliberate effort to create an atmosphere of learning and the learning process so that learners are actively developing their potential for virtues/traits such as spiritual growth, self-control, good personality, intelligence, noble character and the skills needed by themselves and the society”. I believe that every student is unique in one way or another and needs a secure, caring and invigorating/stimulating atmosphere in which to thrive/grow and mature emotionally, intellectual, physically and socially. This belief is underlined by Ghana’s philosophy of education which states that “the education system should create well-balanced (intellectually, spiritually, emotionally, physically) individuals with the requisite knowledge, skills, values and aptitudes for self-actualisation and for the socio-economic and political transformation of the nation”( President’s Committee on Review of Educ. Reforms in Ghana, 2002, p.12). It is therefore my desire as an educator to help students meet their potential in these areas by providing an environment that is safe, supports risk-taking and invites a sharing of ideas. To create this enabling environment for teaching and learning, I am obligated to (1) ensure an appropriate pace and effective use of my lecture time through course/session planning; (2) keep class discussion and activities focused on the learning objectives (i.e. course outcomes); (3) create and maintain a positive learning environment; and (4)  promote rapport and student motivation in class.

2. Methods/procedures adopted to attain personal aims/objectives

(a) Ensuring an appropriate pace and effective use of lecture time:  To do this, I always plan my lectures with a diversity of activities and opportunities for students to experience for themselves. This notwithstanding, I also take advantage of “teachable moments” that may not have been part of my plan for the lecture. In my course planning, I first identify the major and minor topic areas in the course, the instructional strategies and resources to use and the assessment techniques to determine if students have met the course outcomes. Before I attend every lecture, I make sure to peruse the lecture notes thoroughly, adding new ideas at the least opportunity.

(b) Keep the class discussion and activities focused on course outcomes: To do this, I ensure that I keep the discussion on the topic at hand. When students try to divert the class from the topic at hand, I try as much as possible to tell them that they have used up their allotted time and now it was someone else’s turn to speak.

(c) Create and maintain a positive learning environment: To do this, I (i) ensure respect for diverse student backgrounds – intellectually, culturally and social-economically; (ii) provide consistent and fair treatment of all students when applying policies (e.g. attendance and late assignments); (iii) maintain confidentiality and privacy in student records and issues: (iv) encourage both individual participation and cooperative learning; (v) motivate students by reinforcing their responses and performance; (vi) encourage freedom of expression and independence of choice by encouraging questions and discussions among my students; and (vii) model appropriate classroom behavior for my students.

(d)  Promoting rapport and student motivation in class: To interact effectively in both formal instruction and informal interaction with students, I (i) praise students whenever possible; (ii) establish trust within the lecture hall; (iii) handle discipline issues privately; (iv) manage and attend to the needs of all of the students in the class: reinforce positive behavior; and (v) learn and use student names. In addition, I motivate students by (i) the orderly and systematic presentation of my lectures; (ii) using a variety of student-centred teaching methods; (iii) encouraging practice and feedback; (iv) creating conducive learning environment; (v) expressing confidence in the abilities of my students and (vi) demonstrating appropriate teacher personality through updated knowledge, skills, ideas, attitudes and perceptions. 

3. The importance that I attach to teaching

My motivation for teaching is anchored on the following statement by William Arthur Ward: “The mediocre teacher tells; the good teacher explains; the superior teacher demonstrates and the great teacher inspires.” To me as an educator, the great and wonderful rewards of teaching are the inspiration that my students derive from my lectures by (i) giving them the tools with which to cultivate their own gardens of knowledge, (ii)  teaching to meet their individual needs so that all of them can feel capable and successful, (iii) presenting learning materials that involve the interests of the students and make learning relevant to life, (iv) incorporating in my lectures, themes, projects, group and individual assignments, and hands-on learning to make students active learners, and finally (v) tying teaching and learning into events in the outside world to help students become caring and active citizens (and not spectators!) in the Ghanaian society.

On the whole, my philosophy of teaching is foisted on a vision of a world where individuals learn to respect, accept and embrace the differences among us, cultivate and share knowledge/ideas, as the core of what makes life so captivating. 


Degrees
  • Doctor of Philosophy in Development Studies

    University of Cape Coast 2017
  • Postgraduate Diploma in Education

    University of Cape Coast 2000
  • Master of Philosophy in Human Geography

    University of Oslo 1994
  • Bachelor of Arts in Geography with Political Science

    University of Ghana 1986
  • Resource Person

    August, 2013

    Annual General Conference of the Ghana Geographical Association (GGA) and the Ghana Geographical Teachers Association Notre Dame Senior High School, Navrongo (Ghana).

  • Resource Person

    August, 2012

    Annual General Conference of the Ghana Geographical Association (GGA) and the Ghana Geography Teachers Association KNUST (Ghana).

  • Participant

    August, 2011

    2011 Annual General Conference of the Ghana Geographical Association (GGA) and the Ghana Geography Teachers Association (GTA) University for Development Studies (Wa Campus) (Ghana).

  • Presenter

    June, 2011

    University of Cape Coast Chapter of the Africa-Asia University Dialogue for Educational Development Hiroshima University, Japan.

  • Presenter

    January, 2011

    University of Cape Coast Chapter of the Africa-Asia University Dialogue for Educational Development Zomba, Malawi.

  • Resource Person

    August, 2010

    2010 Annual General Conference of the Ghana Geographical Association (GGA) and the Ghana Geography Teachers Association (GTA) St. Mary’s Senior High School, Apowa, near Takoradi (Ghana).

  • Participant

    May, 2010

    1st Annual Symposium on “Strategies for Effective Teaching in Tertiary Education: Managing Large Classes” University of Cape Coast (UCC).

  • Presenter

    November, 2009

    Chapter of AA University Dialogue for Educational Development: Training Programme in “Capacity Development for Research-Based Policy Formulation towards Quality Improvement in Education for Sub-Saharan Africa” Hiroshima University, Japan.

  • Participant

    February, 2009

    Workshop on Interactive Teaching Institute of Education Conference Room, UCC.

  • Resource Person

    August, 2004

    2004 Annual General Conference of the Ghana Geographical Association (GGA) and the Ghana Geography Teachers Association (GGTA) Wesley Girls High School, Cape Coast (Ghana).

  • Facilitator

    September, 2024

    Contemporary Issues in Fisheries Management. Fisheries Leadership Short course for Practitioners funded by USAID/Fisheries Recovery Activity Ghana.

  • Presenter

    October, 2024

    International and Regional Fisheries Institutional Frameworks and Bodies. Workshop on Destabilising Impacts of Distant Water Fishing Vessels (DWFV) in the Gulf of Guinea Yaounde, Cameroon.

  • Guest Speaker

    October, 2024

    “Promoting Research Excellence for Impact on Marine Conservation in Africa”, Institute for Oceans and Fisheries Online Seminar Series University of British Columbia, Canada.

  • Co-Facilitator

    October, 2021

    “Grants Proposal Writing Workshop” University for Development Studies.

  • Presenter

    November, 2024

    “Performance of the Africa Centre of Excellence in Coastal Resilience”, Country Round Table Workshop Association of African Universities (AAU), Online.

  • Facilitator

    November, 2024

    “Regional Political Parties Dialogue on Fisheries: Protecting Our Fish, Securing Our Future, Live Engagement on JoyNews TV Centre for National Culture, Cape Coast.

  • Presenter

    November, 2023

    Professorial Inaugural Lecture on the topic “Our Oceans: Securing Our Common Future through Transformative Research” Medical School Auditorium, University of Cape Coast.

  • Presenter

    March, 2024

    Africa’s Plastic Revolution: Advancing Global Solutions for Healthy Oceans, T.D. Walter Bean Professorship Public Lecture University of Waterloo, Canada.

  • Presenter

    June, 2024

    Expanding the Impact of Research on Africa’s Blue Economy. National Consultative Workshop for the Formulation of a National Blue Economy Strategy for Angola Luanda, Angola.

  • Panelist

    June, 2024

    Regional Steering Committee Workshop for the World Bank West African Coastal Resilience Investment Projects (WACA ReSiP and ReiP2) Banjul, Gambia.

  • Facilitator

    July-August, 2012

    Coastal Adaptation to Climate Change. Short-term Training Course funded by USAID Ghana.

  • Co-Discussant

    July, 2023

    “Expanding the Impact of Blue Economy in Africa” (with Professor Rashid Sumaila) World Bank Headquarters, Washington.

  • Facilitator

    February, 2022

    Workshop on “Winning Research and Development Grants in a Competitive World” Bolgatanga Technical University, Ghana.

  • Facilitator

    February, 2019

    Workshop on “Proposal and Grants writing” University of Ghana, Ghana.

  • Speaker

    August, 2024

    Study Tour on Sustainable Fisheries Management & Leadership University of Rhode Island, United States.

  • Presenter

    August, 2023

    Vulnerability to Viability (V2V) Ghana Case Study. Bootcamp on moving fisheries from Vulnerability to Viability Puri, Delhi, India.

  • Guest Speaker

    April, 2024

    Workshop Presentation on “Expanding the Impact of Research on Africa’s Blue Economy in Africa Hohai University, China.

  • Participant

    2021

    6th ACE Impact Regional Workshop of the World Bank and the Association of African Universities Accra (Online).

  • Panelist

    2014

    Seaweed (Sargassum) Invasion on the Ghanaian Coasts, Implications for the National Economy and Management Live TV Broadcast, GTV.

  • Guest Speaker

    2010

    “West African Fisheries”, Workshop by the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) University of Makerere, Kampala, Uganda.

  1. 2017

    Research Grant of GHS 8, 000 for Dept. of Business & Social Sciences Education

    DRIC, University of Cape Coast

  2. 2015

    Research Grant for Thesis Writing

    University of Cape Coast

  3. 2011

    Travel Grant for Trip to Japan

    Africa-Asia University Dialogue for Educational Development (A research Network)

  4. 2011

    Travel Grant for Trip to Malawi

    Africa-Asia University Dialogue for Educational Development (A research Network)

  5. 2009

    Travel Grant for Trip to Japan

    Africa-Asia University Dialogue for Educational Development (A research Network)

  1. 2014

    Member

    Ghana Studies Association (GSA)

  2. 2003

    Member

    Ghana Geographical Association (GGA)

  3. 2001

    Member

    University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG)

  1. Researcher (Part of Data Analysis and Write-Up Teams)

    November 2017 - October 2018

    “Teachers’ Fidelity of Use of Selected Senior High Schools’ Curricula in Ghana”

  2. Researcher (Part of the Instrument Development and Write-Up Teams)

    March 2017 - May 2019

    Project title “Improving the quality of Basic Education in Ghana: The Teacher Factor”

  1. 2024-2025

    Team member, Contract for services to deliver a short course on Marine Litter under the OCPP

    Cefas/UKAID

  2. 2024

    Panel Chair, Reviewed Environmental Impact Statement of PECAN Energies for Offshore Exploration of Oil & Gas

    Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Ghana, Secondi/Takoradi

  3. 2023-2024

    Team member, Contract for development of a short course on Marine Litter for the West Africa Region

    Ocean Country Partnership Program (OCPP) funded by Cefas/UKAID

  4. 2023-2024

    Team member, Contract services to conduct data collection surveys on abandoned lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) in Ghana

    Ocean Country Partnership Program (OCPP) funded by Cefas/UKAID

  5. 2023

    Lead Consultant, Contract for the Development of Fishery Courses Syllabi for Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture Sciences (DoFAS), University of Liberia

    IDA-V3100

  6. 2023

    Panel Chair, Evaluation of Applications for recruitment of Environmental, Social Safeguards Officers for Ghana’s Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI)

    World Bank funded West Africa Coastal Areas Management Programme

  7. 2022-2023

    Lead Consultant, Consultancy to review and align national fisheries and aquaculture polices and laws with the PFRS, regional instruments and global best practices for 15 AU Member States

    African Union – InterAfrican Bureau of Animal Resources (AU-IBAR)

  8. 2022-2023

    Lead Consultant, Mechanisms to Facilitate the Domestication of Global Instruments and Initiatives (2022)

    African Union – InterAfrican Bureau of Animal Resources (AU-IBAR)

  9. 2022-2023

    Lead Consultant, Identification of Issues for SIDS, Development of Draft Strategic Positions for SIDS

    African Union – InterAfrican Bureau of Animal Resources (AU-IBAR)

  10. 2022

    Team member, Environmental Systems Analysis of the Avu Lagoon Protected area

    Calgary Zoo Foundation

  11. 2021

    Trainer, Conduct Marine Spatial Planning Workshop in Ghana

    University of Liverpool

  12. 2021

    Team member, Pre-feasibility study for nature-based intervention for Anlo Beach community in Ghana

    Valued at US$32,365.00

  13. 2021

    Team member, Marine Plastic Pollution Study in Liberia

    Conservation International

  14. 2021

    Team member, Vulnerability, Adaptation and Resilience in a Changing Climate - WACA -VAR Workshop

    World Bank

  15. 2020-2021

    Consultant, Support Development of Multi-sector Resilience Investment Programme for the West Africa Coastal Area Management Program

    World Bank

  16. 2020-2021

    Consultant, Issues and Opportunities in the Ghanaian Fishery Sector: Addressing the context, prospects and challenges

    Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), United Kingdom

  17. 2020

    Consultant, Estimations on renewable energy investments in Ghana

    Highland Star Group (HSG) of Companies, Geneva, Switzerland

  18. 2019-2020

    Team Member, Regional Mapping of Experts and Institutions in Coastal management

    World Bank

  19. 2017

    Lead Consultant, Review of the Fisheries Act 2002 (act 625) and the Development of Draft Regulations for the conduct of Fisheries Impact Assessments

    Ghana Industrial Trawlers Association (GITA) and GOGIG funded by DFID/UK

  20. 2013

    Team member, Environmental baseline survey of water bodies in the Great Consolidated Diamond Ghana Limited (GCDGL) mining concession

    AERC Ltd.

  21. 2012

    Team member, Scoping Study on the Dredging of the Whin Estuary in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis

    UCC Consultancy Unit/Consolidated Energy Ltd.

  22. 2011

    Team member, Social Ecology of Anlo Beach Wetland of Ghana

    Friends of the Nation/IUCN/French Global Environment Facility (GEF)

  23. 2010

    Principal Investigator, Biodiversity Assessment of Urban Wetlands in the Western Region, Ghana with focus on Essei and Butuah Lagoons and the Whin River Estuary

    USAID through Friends of the Nation

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