Dear Editor,

I applaud the Ministry of Education for its continued efforts to boost students’ performance in mathematics and English at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) level. In the coming weeks, students at 56 high schools across the island will benefit from extended instructional hours, study camps, webinars, and one-on-one sessions with subject-matter experts.

I hope that during these sessions teachers of English, in particular, will focus on expanding their students’ background knowledge — pre-existing understanding of and experiences with diverse vocabularies, concepts, situations, and text structures. This way more candidates can better comprehend and respond to the reading passages presented on papers 1 and 2 of the examination.

In fact, according to Dr Daniel Willingham, a prominent literacy expert and cognitive psychologist, “Whether or not readers understand a text depends far more on how much background knowledge and vocabulary they have relating to the topic…That’s because writers leave out a lot of information that they assume readers will know. But if readers can’t supply the missing information, they will have a hard time making sense of the text.”

Increased background knowledge can also positively impact students’ writing. The more students know about an assigned topic, the more they can write about it. Conversely, if students know little, their compositions will lack depth, vividity, and vivacity, as the January 2020 CSEC English A report revealed: “A large number of candidates did not have adequate vocabulary with which to craft their stories. In this case, they did not make adequate use of strong verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and figurative language.”

There are several knowledge-building exercises in which teachers can engage students. For example, the class could read and discuss information-rich texts on sustainable development, health, current affairs, and other topics commonly featured on the CSEC examination. Students could also watch relevant documentaries, listen to podcasts, and venture on in-person or virtual field trips.

Parents, too, can support the teachers’ efforts by reducing their children’s screen time and presenting reading as an enjoyable and enlightening activity, not as a punitive task for countering “idleness”.

And, for the long term, more parents could refrain from allowing their children to fixate on electronic devices only months after they are born. Instead, they could read to them and model healthy knowledge-building habits.

Therefore, when children are ready to sit major English examinations and enter the world of work, they will have an expansive knowledge and vocabulary to communicate effectively. There will be no need for cramming months before their assessments or assignments.

Shawna Kay Williams-Pinnock

Shawna201@gmail.com