2007 Biennial Cross-Campus Conference in Education
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Browsing 2007 Biennial Cross-Campus Conference in Education by Subject "Caribbean"
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Item Anti-racist education and research: A vision for Caribbean education in the 21st century(School of Education, UWI, St. Augustine, 2008) Kallon, MichaelThis is a theoretical paper intended to discuss ideas on how anti-racist education and research can be approached in the Caribbean context. The paper seeks to examine the role of, and challenges, to anti-racist education and research in a contemporary new epoch, one that is remarkably different in its celebration of cultural fragmentation and pluralism as against the universalizing, homogenizing effects of rationality and scientism. I would not attempt to argue that there is a consensus out there on what constitutes anti-racist education and research. I only draw attention to certain basic challenges for those interested in the conduct of anti-racist work in the CaribbeanItem Bridging the science and mathematics divide: Issues, challenges, and promises(School of Education, UWI, St. Augustine, 2008) Bell-Hutchinson, CamilleThe learning of both science and mathematics represents alienating experiences for many students in the Caribbean. This must be cause for concern, since both these disciplines play pivotal roles in the growth and development of a nation. This paper puts forward the position that teachers should more closely link the two subjects in the classroom in order to bring meaning to both. We argue that since both mathematics and science teaching not only share some common learning goals-the development of a spirit of inquiry, the ability to draw conclusions based on evidence, and the ability to reason and solve problems-but also important concepts such as length, area, volume, mass, and time, that learning can be significantly enhanced through classroom practices that deliberately attempt to connect such knowledge, skills, and principles that have clear relevance to both disciplines. Issues and challenges in attempting to bridge the divide will be discussed with implications for teacher education and the associated challengesItem Building creative capacity for the 21st century: Implications for Caribbean education of the UNESCO World Conference on Arts Education and the CCFA Conference on Societies in Crisis(School of Education, UWI, St. Augustine, 2008) Sharma, SatanandThis presentation comments on emerging themes of the World Conference on Arts Education 2006Item Classroom research: A defining feature of professional practice(School of Education, UWI, St. Augustine, 2008) Singh, VashtiClassroom research, teaching, and professional development are closely linked. Their interrelation and interconnectedness may be described as axiomatic. In addressing the question: Why classroom research by teachers?, a range of issues emerges from topics such as classroom practice, social context, curriculum knowledge, professional learning, and the usefulness of research. This paper urges that teachers who are committed to their own professional practice seek to expand their knowledge and adapt their teaching to educationally sound delivery, arising from authentic classroom research. In the Caribbean, the teacher's claim to professionalism sometimes falters in this regard. A significant issue is that teachers need to be increasingly effective in enabling culturally diverse groups of students to learn increasingly complex subjects. This includes aspects of pedagogical content knowledge that incorporate culture and community contexts for learning. Simultaneously, teachers ought to reflect on their practice to learn from and improve upon it continually. This paper focuses on three themes that explore the concept of classroom research by teachers. The first establishes the link between classroom research and the teacher professional. The second evaluates curriculum and the teaching/learning process as the focus of classroom research, and the third discusses problems in the traditional research paradigm for guiding teachers to improve their teaching. The paper concludes with a reflection on the nature of classroom research itself and its relevance for teachers' professional development within the Caribbean contextItem Constructivism and the enabling of mathematical thinking(School of Education, UWI, St. Augustine, 2008) Bell-Hutchinson, CamilleThe way mathematics is taught in many Caribbean classrooms often hinders the development of mathematical thinking skills and the attainment of mathematical understanding. This paper puts forward the view that the essential task of mathematics teachers is to enable the construction of meaning in order to facilitate their students' mathematical thinking and mathematical understanding. The paper argues the view that mathematics is not something that exists "out there" but, rather, is an activity that is socially constructed and validated. Findings of research conducted in Jamaica in two Grade 8 mathematics classrooms, where two teachers implemented thinking-focused pedagogy grounded in social constructivist ideology, are discussed, in an attempt to demonstrate how they used strategies that were aimed at the construction of meaning through access to mathematical ideas and the attainment of mathematical understanding. The paper argues that the use of such teaching approaches can fundamentally change the face of mathematics education in Caribbean schoolsItem Graduate studies in technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in the Caribbean - Whose responsibility?(School of Education, UWI, St. Augustine, 2008) Morris, Halden A.The landscape of tertiary level education in the Caribbean has changed significantly during the last decade as a result of the recognition by governments that in order to survive in this ever-changing technological global market, the education system must adjust to facilitate growth and development and strive to satisfy the needs of the economy. The inception of the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) has challenged the education system to deliver quality personnel to marshal what may now be viewed as non-traditional, high-demand professional education and training. Each Caribbean nation, and indeed CARICOM, must move swiftly to provide an empirical basis on which to develop benchmarks and standards for this emerging economy. During the last three decades, we have witnessed the emergence and maturity of quality assurance agencies in technical and vocational education and training (TVET) internationally. The benefits derived from such agencies are astounding in terms of establishing and maintaining standards. During the last decade, Jamaica established its TVET quality assurance agency, the National Council on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (NCTVET), and has utilized Industry Lead Groups to formulate a significant bank of standards, which are now employed by the various sectors. Establishment of a solid postgraduate programme will provide researchers, and hence valuable information and data to refine and continue development of standards, which will in the long term assist policy makers. This paper will outline the response of The University of the West Indies (UWI) in its attempts to provide leadership in the delivery of graduate programmes in TVET for the CaribbeanItem Managing subjectivity in arts assessment(School of Education, UWI, St. Augustine, 2008) Baptiste, LenniseTransparency in the award of scores is a major concern in arts assessments. Subjectivity impacts on assessment of the arts due in the main to disagreements about the artistic skills and aesthetic dimensions of artistic works. This paper describes some of the dilemmas facing judges across the artistic domains, and identifies questions that can guide the assessment of creativity. Rubrics are discussed as a method of reducing the impact of subjectivity in arts assessmentsItem A model for 360 degree teacher evaluation in the context of the CSME(School of Education, UWI, St. Augustine, 2008) Ortega, Sandra; Baptiste, Lennise; Beauchemin, AntoineWith free movement of Caribbean professionals across the region, individual Ministries of Education and regional institutions must be able to monitor their performances in the field. The primary intention of the proposed model is the objective evaluation of teachers' performances using the multiple perspectives of persons with whom teachers have a professional relationship. The authors offer their insights regarding the 360° approach to performance appraisal used in the United States and contrast it against the traditional format of teacher evaluation. The authors proffer the model as one option to increase objectivity in teacher evaluations and make recommendations about the implementation of this proposed evaluation methodItem Online delivery of a mathematics course in a distributed environment: The case of UWI Distance Education Centre(School of Education, UWI, St. Augustine, 2008) Franklin, Martin; Thurab-Nkhosi, DianneThe University of the West Indies Distance Education Centre (UWIDEC) was created in 1996 to facilitate distance delivery of programmes offered by UWI. Since 2002, UWIDEC has been incorporating the use of ICTs in the delivery of its programmes and courses. Globally, there has been debate on the pedagogical effectiveness of online courses in general and specifically the quantitative subject areas including mathematics. Taking into consideration the various arguments for and against the use of online learning, as part of a pilot programme, UWIDEC took a decision to change the mode of delivery of the course Mathematics for Social Sciences from the conventional synchronous mode to the online mode. This paper reflects on the experience of the UWI Distance Education Centre in its pilot delivery of Mathematics for Social Sciences to students across the English-speaking Caribbean. The authors review the key issues that should be considered in changing the delivery mode of mathematics courses from the conventional, synchronous mode to the online mode, and provide recommendations for improving the online delivery of mathematics coursesItem Reconceptualising the agenda for education in the Caribbean: Proceedings of the 2007 Biennial Cross-Campus Conference in Education, April 23-26, 2007, School of Education, UWI, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago(School of Education, UWI, St. Augustine, 2008) Quamina-Aiyejina, LyndaThis volume contains the proceedings of the 2007 Biennial Cross-Campus Conference of the Schools of Education of The University of the West Indies (UWI). The papers are organized under six headings: Part 1: Best Practices in Instruction; Part 2: Issues of Curriculum; Part 3: Educational Administration; Part 4: Education and National Development; Part 5: Measurement and Evaluation; and Part 6: Professional Development of EducatorsItem Reconceptualizing vocational education and training (VET) in Caribbean schooling(School of Education, UWI, St. Augustine, 2008) Lewis, TheodoreTechnical and vocational education and training (TVET) has had an uneven history in secondary education in the Caribbean, which is no different from the experiences of many developing and emergent countries. Many problems tend to beset the introduction of such subjects in the schools, including (a) high cost, (b) low status, (c) poor integration with the academic curriculum, (d) indifferent attention to teacher preparation, (e) tendency to be offered to low academic performers, (f) assessment and certification difficulties (low pass rates), and (g) programme maintenance issues. Over the decades, there has been a strong message from the World Bank that investment in TVET is a low funding priority, on the premise that such investment does not yield suitable returns. This paper contends that TVET has a vital role to play in Caribbean education, and in the development of the region. But the approach cannot be business as usual. There is need for new paradigms. The paper reflects on the record of TVET offerings in Caribbean schools, and offers some likely futures-alternative models-that might be considered in moving forward. A rationale for the models is provided, and strengths and weaknesses of each offered. Implications issuing from the proposal are set forth, in realms such as educational policy, teacher preparation, and curriculum developmentItem Selected teachers' pedagogical content knowledge of the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans (TTEA)(School of Education, UWI, St. Augustine, 2008) Gift, SandraThis paper presents teachers as the main source of secondary school students' content knowledge of the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans (TTEA). It investigates what content knowledge teachers in select parts of the Atlantic world communicate to students; what informs the approaches they employ in their teaching; and how students respond to this knowledge at the affective level. The findings serve as a contribution to teachers' professional development for teaching the TTEA at a time when international attention is increasingly focused on the TTEA and its legacies. A thematic approach is used to discuss the historiography of the TTEA. Three geographic sites: the Americas/Caribbean, Africa, and Europe, provide the broad context of the study on which the paper is based. The UNESCO Slave Route Project and Transatlantic Slave Trade (TST) Education Project serve as its programmatic background. The conceptual framework for the interpretation of the findings relies heavily on Shulman's (1987) concept of pedagogical content knowledge, its emotional dimension as elaborated upon by Jerry Rosiek (2003) and Nate McCaughtry (2004); concepts of human development as proposed by the UNESCO International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century, and Lorrie Shepard's (2000) reformed vision of the curriculumItem Sign it in; sign it out, up and down the Caribbean: Preparing the deaf for CSME(School of Education, UWI, St. Augustine, 2008) Bobb-Alleyne-Dann, JoanThis study compared signs for words that are distinctly Caribbean, and investigated the perspectives of educators of the Deaf on the differences in signs among the islands. The findings indicate that the limits that characterize individual island signs preclude fluent communication among the Deaf from different islands. I propose that signs for words that are distinctly Caribbean need to be standardized and documented to facilitate effective communication and participation in the Caribbean Single Market and EconomyItem Subjectivist methodology for teaching French as a foreign language(School of Education, UWI, St. Augustine, 2008) Boufoy-Bastick, BeatriceThis paper discusses the need for language learning methods designed to capitalize on the rich cultural diversity of students. It introduces basic subjectivist teaching principles and shows how these were successfully applied to the multi-ethnic, multi-ability, and multi-age teaching of French as a foreign language. The paper underlines the importance of language competence for social, economic, and political development within an increasingly globalized world. While the last quarter of the 20th century recognized the status of regional and Creole languages, the 21st century is set to place greater emphasis on the role of international languages for economic development and political integration. National education systems ought to respond to these new market-oriented political pressures by devising language curricula that maximize attainments for culturally diverse students in at least one foreign language. This is a commitment that has major pedagogical implications. To address this diversity, a culturally responsive language teaching approach is presented, which uses multimodal subjectivist techniques. These powerful techniques utilize student diversity and empower learners by enhancing positive subjective feelings of learning. The techniques are presented using examples from a subjectivist French as a foreign language lessonItem Transforming education in the Caribbean: Are we ready for change?: Keynote presentation(School of Education, UWI, St. Augustine, 2008) Lewis, TheodoreThis paper examines the readiness of the Caribbean region for the transformation of education under the following headings: 1) Global context of transformation, 2) Education and economic growth revisited, 3) Caribbean education, and 4) The prospect of change. It argues that education in the region has to be set against the backdrop of a theory of Caribbean society, and sets out two kinds of ideas relating to transformation--one evolutionary and one revolutionary