FFLE Holds a One-day Faculty Workshop
The Faculty of Foreign Languages Education (FFLE), University of Education, Winneba (UEW), has organised a one-day workshop for its faculty members at the School of Creative Arts Conference Room, Central Campus, Winneba.
The workshop, under the theme, "Effective Supervision: The Role of the Supervisor," sought to sharpen supervisors' skills in supervision, highlight some important practicalities of supervision, and walk them through time-saving and stress-reduction strategies so they can better serve their students.
The Dean of FFLE, Dr. Charlotte Fofo Lomotey, welcomed participants to the workshop on behalf of the Principal, College of Languages Education, Prof. Dominic Kwaku Danso Mensah.
She revealed that to fulfill theme one, "Research and Innovation," of the university's strategic plan 2019–2023, the workshop was put together to assist supervisors in providing students with the necessary knowledge to conduct meaningful and cutting-edge research.
Dr. Lomotey stressed the need to periodically update supervisors' knowledge in supervising students' theses regardless of their experiences.
"Let us remember that no matter how long we have been supervising and how young we are in the system, we need to be consistent in reviewing, assessing, and evaluating our own supervision styles while those of us who are young also benefit from the experiences that will be shared with us today," she said.
Prof. Samuel Kwesi Asiedu-Addo, the keynote speaker and Dean of UEW's School of Graduate Studies, said that in order for supervision to be effective, supervisors must be skilled in a variety of areas and engage in quality interactions to help Ph.D. candidates successfully complete their candidature on schedule.
Speaking on the topic “Knowing yourself as a supervisor”, a Senior Lecturer at Applied Linguistics, Dr. Kwaku Ofori, emphasised that supervisors are responsible for keeping the student focused on fundamental matters of their research work.
In addition, he said, supervisors must suggest appropriate sources and conference publications related to the study; act as critics of students' work to ensure quality; support and encourage the students to develop a sense of independence and integrity in their work; make sure that their working conditions are reasonable.
Dr. Daniel K. Ayi-Adzimah, a Senior Lecturer for French Education, spoke on the topic of "Knowing your students," and said that because relationships are the foundation of a dynamic and active learning environment, supervisors who build strong bonds with their students foster an environment that encourages risk-taking and collaborative learning.
Dr. Ayi-Adzimah continued by saying that supervisors must be conversant with the students in order to support them in their academic endeavours. "The more we know and understand our students, the better we can help design learning experiences that are tailored to their needs. True differentiation requires a thorough understanding of our students," he stressed.
