MORE than 90 secondary school English teachers from across the island have been trained in contemporary teaching strategies, through the iTeach LASCO/ Ministry of Education professional development series.

The series, which was developed by the 2014/15 LASCO Principal and Teacher of the Year — Heather Murray and Anieta Bailey — seeks to provide a forum to expose teachers at the secondary level to new teaching strategies.

The inaugural workshop, held last November at the Shortwood Teachers’ College, was well supported by teachers from institutions such as the Bustamante High, York Castle High, St Thomas Technical High, Ocho Rios High and Kingston Technical High schools.

At the seminar, educators participated in interactive sessions led by instructors from Hampton School and the University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech).

The day’s sessions also focused on the mechanics of writing, exposing the participants to the “Six Traits” writing methodology, which included writing assignments, discussions as well as role play activities.

Speaking in an interview with JIS News, principal of the Hampton School in Malvern, St Elizabeth, Heather Murray says the initial workshop is a testament to the potential that the seminar has in making a significant contribution to improving the education sector.

Murray explained that the decision to make English Language, specifically the mechanics of writing, the focus the first workshop, arose from the recognition that there is a need to improve the writing skills of students sitting the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) exams.

“Through iTeach, we are hoping we can rekindle the fire and passion for teaching of English so that the teachers can go back and get the students excited about writing,” she said.

The concept for the iTeach initiative came about following the attendance of the iTeach founders at the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) Conference held in Houston, Texas in 2014.

They attended the conference as part of the prize package of the LASCO Teacher and Principal of the Year 2014/15.

A lecturer in the Department of Language and Communication at Moneague College in St Ann, Aneita Bailey said that the information gained at the conference was the inspiration for the series.

“Being given the opportunity to see the kinds of strategies, the kind of technologies, everything the American society had going for it in terms of education, I was very excited about that because there is so much information available,” she said.

Buoyed by the overwhelming response of the participants, Bailey said that the intention is to make the workshop an annual event.

“iTeach is a movement… Even the name of the series is ‘I Teach’, so you can fill in anything at the end. So last November it was ‘I Teach Writing’, so we’re not limited to [any one subject],” she explained.

Additionally, the initiative aims to promote greater collaboration among teachers.

Meanwhile, Bailey said the forum will build on the experience of the teachers by refreshing material that they learned early in their teaching careers, while encouraging new approaches.

Going forward, an important aspect of the workshop will feature the use of technology in the classroom setting.

“When we say technology, we don’t just mean the laptop and the projector and the smart board anymore. We want to expose teachers to other things that will really grab the children, such as using information technology and social media spaces,” Bailey stressed.

These dynamic educators also have plans beyond the iTeach series. Currently, they are drafting a proposal to stage a conference for educators throughout the Caribbean.

In outlining the rationale for the conference, the educators noted that accessibility and affordability are the primary areas of concern.

“We need something like that in the Caribbean — a big conference where educators, classroom teachers specifically, can benefit. We believe that if we work with the teachers who have control over the classroom, then something must be transferred to the students. We have some hard-working teachers who sacrifice a lot, so we are arming them with the tools to do so,” Bailey said.