Browsing by Author "Barrow, Dorian"

Now showing 1 - 8 of 8
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    The Case for Affective Teaching
    (Daily Express, 2007) Barrow, Dorian
    This article recommends that teachers should embrace the notion that teaching to the affect matters. It suggests that affective learning cannot be separated from cognitive learning, and that if teachers accept this and begin to consistently include affective outcomes in their teaching, the more worthwhile the learning will be for students
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    Exploring Gamification for Reinforcing Geometrical Concepts and Skills at the Primary Level in Trinidad: A Mixed Methods Pilot Study
    (School of Education, UWI, 2018) Jaggernauth, Sharon; Ramsawak - Jodha, Nalini; Kamalodeen, Vimala Judy; Dedovets, Zhanna; Barrow, Dorian; Figaro-Henry, Sandra
    Though games have had popular use in primary schools over time, there is increased interest in using elements of gaming in the classroom to promote motivation and thinking skills. This paper reports on a mixed methods intervention pilot study in one primary school in Trinidad that explored the effects of a gamified classroom on reinforcing geometric concepts and skills. Familiar learning tools, like tangrams and origami, were used. A non-equivalent control group mixed method design was used with both groups taking the pre- and post-tests. Only the experimental group used the gamified activities. Qualitative data were obtained from the experimental group teacher’s interview and observational notes, and analysed to reveal three interpretive themes about students’ perspectives: favourable, unfavourable and change. Overall, students reported that games made mathematics easier to remember. The teacher reported high student engagement, collaborative problem solving, and respectful competition among teams. Quantitative data were obtained from a pre/post achievement test. Analyses reveal significant differences in the experimental group’s pre-test and post-test scores. Results from the pilot study were instrumental in developing the gamification approach for the larger study of 10 primary schools.
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    Extra-lessons: A comparison between "different sides of the track" in Trinidad and Tobago
    (School of Education, UWI, St. Augustine, 2008) Lochan, Samuel; Barrow, Dorian
    This paper attempts to compare the participation in extra-lessons by the students of a senior comprehensive school and a traditional seven -year girls' school in Trinidad and Tobago. Survey data were gathered from 25 students at each level from Forms 4, 5, and 6 in each school. Data are presented on the socio-economic status of different students, participation rates by students of the two schools, subjects chosen by students for extra-lessons, costs per subject, reasons for seeking extra-lessons, and the effects of extra-lessons. This study therefore presents some data on private lessons not previously available. It also draws some comparisons between the two schools that are critical for understanding school performance in Trinidad and Tobago
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    Panyard Science: A 2010 Melody
    (Daily Express, 2006) Barrow, Dorian
    This article suggests that a new teaching paradigm is urgently needed in science education in Trinidad and Tobago if established achievement targets are to be achieved. It suggests a paradigm of teaching that is embracing of more students, more student-centred, inquiry-based, and creative. It proffers the panyard method of education advocated by Lloyd Best, with its unique inclusive approach to teaching and learning, as a suitable model
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    Professional identity and high-stakes tests: What they tell us about schools, teachers, and students
    (2013-06-28) Barrow, Dorian
    The professional practice of teachers is shaped and directed by their sense of identity (Grootenboer and Ballantyne, 2010). All teachers have some conception of themselves as educators, but also have some identities that relate to the nature of the test accountability environment of the specific school context in which they teach. This paper reports on a qualitative multi-case study that explored the nexus of these identities with seven primary school teachers who prepare students to sit a high-stakes examination. The Common Entrance Examination (CEE) is defined as a high-stakes examination administered to some students in the last year of primary education, governing admission to various types of secondary schools (De Lisle, 2008). The preliminary findings presented here suggest that when teaching a high-stakes examination class, teachers often select their test preparation strategies in ways that unconsciously reflect their professional identities; identity meaning "being recognized as a certain type of person in a given context" (Gee, 2001, p. 99). Three such strategies are supplementary tutoring, drill and practice, and reflexive pedagogical praxis. Beliefs teachers have about the fairness and the benefits of the high-stakes test, for example, appear to be related in complex ways to the modes of positioning their classroom test preparation strategies. It also appears that excellence in schools' performance on the high-stakes test is associated with the level of alignment that the teacher has with the high-stakes test, with high levels of alignment being associated with high levels of reflexive praxis by the teacher and producing the best overall student test results. The study found that teacher identity-related-processes also provided insights into why some students' underperform on standardize tests, especially in mathematics, and as to why students' level of preparation on entering the sixth-grade is generally perceived to be inadequate
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    A qualitative evaluation of the lower secondary SEMP science curriculum of Trinidad and Tobago
    (School of Education, UWI, St. Augustine, 2009) Barrow, Dorian; De Lisle, Jerome
    Timely and systemic evaluations of educational innovations continue to be two challenges faced by education reforms in Trinidad and Tobago (TandT). This paper is, therefore, an attempt to counter this pattern by placing in the public domain a report of a small-scale evaluation of 24 randomly selected science teachers in TandT. A focus group interviewing technique was used to evaluate the teachers' stages of concerns and their levels of use of the new lower secondary science curriculum-a curriculum initiative launched in 2002. Using the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) and grounded theory as the theoretical frameworks, an analysis of the focus group interviews of the science teachers revealed that these teachers had very high levels of concerns with the innovation, that is, they had thought critically about some of the major issues surrounding the innovation, but had very low levels of use. However, because the study involved a small sample of science teachers' views (n = 24), the findings should, at most, be considered exploratory, and therefore must be subjected to later verification using some quantitative or mixed methods curriculum evaluation techniques on more samples of science teachers
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    Same or Different? TEST A Qualitative Investigation of In-Service Science and Physical Education Teachers’ Perceptions of Differentiated Instruction
    (Journal of Education and Development in the Caribbean, 2018-04) Herbert, Susan; Kalloo, Rowena; Kitsingh, Kenny; Rudder, Patsy-Ann; Barrow, Dorian
    In an increasingly inclusive educational environment in which Caribbean governments have signalled their commitment to Education for All, teachers are expected to respond to students’ diversity through differentiated practice. There has been no empirical research about the response of practicing teachers involved in the UWI Diploma in Education programme to differentiated instruction. During the 2016/2017 academic year, forty science and physical education teachers were exposed to a session on differentiated instruction and were asked to plan and enact a lesson for differentiation and to reflect on the experience. This qualitative case study reports on the findings of teachers’ perceptions of a differentiated approach to lesson planning and enactment. Qualitative data collection included lesson plans and written reflections on the lesson. Analysis of the data revealed that the majority of teachers differentiated by process and that none of the teachers differentiated by content. Analysis of teachers’ reflections revealed themes related to the inputs, outcomes, and challenges of planning for and enacting differentiated lessons. The implications of the findings are discussed.
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    Teachers as Professionals
    (Daily Express, 2007) Barrow, Dorian
    This article addresses questions related to teacher professionalism in Trinidad and Tobago, including how teachers are trained to be professional and the extent to which the formal education system in Trinidad and Tobago celebrates and rewards teachers as professionals