Teacher participation in curriculum development in a Third World country: Lessons of a sixth form Geography project

Abstract

In an attempt to improve the teaching of geography at the sixth form level in Jamaica, a curriculum development project was launched. Its goal was the production, by practising teachers, of a range of instructional units in which topics in the Advanced Level syllabus were to be explored through the use of local case studies. This project was modelled off the British "Geography 16-19" project, and gave emphasis to the role of classroom teachers. The participants helped define the project's objectives but failed to complete the tasks agreed upon. The coordinator persevered with efforts to goad the participants into action, but eventually accepted that the project had failed to "take off." The analysis of the circumstances in which the project failed allows some pointers to be offered to educators considering similar strategies in other developing countries. These include: 1) arrange time-off for teacher participants, 2) offer tangible rewards, 3) select suitable teachers who are committed to their subject, 4) offer training in group interaction skills, and 5) limit participants to a manageable number