MEREKU

Name: Dr. Kofi Damian Mereku
Dept: Centre for Continuous Education (CCE)
Position: Head of Department
University of Education
Winneba

PROFILE

Kofi’s areas of interest are mathematics education, curriculum development, assessment, evaluation, teacher education, and continuing professional development (CPD) of academics in higher education.

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

• Completed a 6 month post-doctoral research into ‘Students’ approaches to learning and perceptions of the learning context in higher education in Ghana at The University of Manchester in 2003.
• Currently He is the head of the Centre of Continuing Education; he was Dean of Faculty of Science Education - Sept.2004 – 2006; served as Head of Department of Mathematics Education for five years; appointed as External Examiner in Mathematics Education to the Department of Science

Education, University of Cape Coast; teaches several courses in mathematics education including the ‘mathematics curriculum’, ‘teaching primary and secondary school mathematics’, ‘educational research methods’ and applications of ICT in education.

• He won a Teaching and Learning Innovation Fund (TALIF) proposal grant of USD 195,500 to carry out a project on ‘Training and Continuing Professional Education of Tertiary Educators’ (TCPETE) in 2006.
  

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RPOFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

Dr. Mereku has represented the university on several national committees on curriculum development and assessment; facilitated number of workshops for teachers; and participated in several national educational research studies including

• Applying design-based research approach to the development of programmes in Mathematics Education (PRACTICAL Project) as well as in staff Continuing Education (TALIF Project).
• Reporting on the Ghanaian junior secondary school students’ achievement in mathematics and science: Results from Ghana’s participation in the 2003 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study’ in 2004;
• Designing and trailing the Ghana Basic Education Comprehensive Assessment System (BECAS) tests for the nation’s primary schools 2004 - 2006.
• Research on ‘Opportunity To Learn’ (OTL) English and Mathematics in Ghanaian primary schools’.
• Baseline survey to support the institutionalization INSET Project - conducted on behalf of JICA/Teacher Education Division of the GES (2006).
• Research on School Management in Ghana. Accra - conducted on behalf of JICA Ghana Office (2007).
• A comparison of the official primary mathematics curriculum in Ghana with the way in which it is implemented by teachers’, University of Leeds: School of Education. (Ph.D. Dissertation).
• Prof. Mereku is a member of the Mathematical Association of Ghana (MAG) and served as the MAG’s national vice chair from 2000 to 2002. He is also the Executive Editor of Mathematics Connection, MAG’s annual journal which is one of the African Journals Online (AJOL) at http://www.inasp.info/ajol or http://ajol.info. He is also a managing editor to the African Journal of Educational Studies in Mathematics and Sciences, published by the Faculty.

COURSE MATERIALS

• Course Outlines
• Lessons
• Assignments

BOOKS WRITTEN

• [DEMAND AND SUPPLY OF BASIC SCHOOL TEACHERS IN GHANA]
• [Differentiation of the Secondary School Curriculum]
• [Education and traing of basic school teachers in Ghana]
• [The Language Problem in Problem Solving in Basic School Mathematics]
• [Primary 2 & 4 pupils to take SEA on July 19]
• [THE BECE GRADING SYSTEM COMMITTEE REPORT: Implications for Minimum Educational Qualifications for Basic Education]
• [School Mathematics in Ghana: 1960 - 2000]
• [British Society for Research in Learning Mathematics]
• [TEACHERS' PERCEPTION OF BEGINNING AND LONG-SERVING TEACHERS' EFFICACY IN TEACHING MATHEMATICS]
• [OTL FULL REPORT June 2005 26 sunday]
• [The BECE Grading System Committee Report:Implications for Minimum Educational Qualifications for Basic Education Certificate]
• [Ghanaian JSS2 Students’ Abysmal Mathematics Achievement in Timss-2003: A Consequence of the Basic School Mathematics Curriculum]
• [School Mathematics in Ghana: 1960 - 2000]
• [Minimum Educational Qualifications for Basic Education Certificate]
• [Results from Ghanaian Junior Secondary 2 students’participation in TIMSS-2003 in Mathematics and Science]