Education

Project-Based Learning Launched in Summer Programme

Project-based learning (PBL) was heralded as a success, on Thursday, August 08, 2024.

This, as the dozens of secondary school-bound students who took part in the Ministry of Education’s Summer School programme, were acknowledged as the first group in the island to use this learning approach to strengthen their thinking and problem-solving skills.

It also sought to broaden their knowledge base in preparation for secondary school in September 2024.

St. Mary’s Primary School hosted the proud graduates of the programme, along with their parents, guardians and Ministry officials.

In her official address, Chief Education Officer, Dr. Ramona Archer-Bradshaw, revealed that this group was the first to benefit from the project-based learning approach, one of the proposed teaching and learning components under Education Transformation. PBL is a method of teaching which involves students working together to design and construct hands-on solutions to real-life problems.

Chief Education Officer, Dr. Ramona Archer-Bradshaw, viewing the exhibits of students who took part in the Ministry of Education’s Summer School programme

Dr. Archer-Bradshaw said: “For this year’s PBL implementation, the problem identified was that students struggle with Reading and Mathematics because they are not exposed enough to using concrete materials during instruction and often their learning styles are not considered. The literature on teaching and learning in Mathematics and Reading is replete with research evidence that suggests that manipulatives help to develop students’ conceptual understanding and that ‘gamification’, or the use of games serves to motivate students, reinforce concepts and provide engagement and enjoyment.”

The overall theme for Summer School My Learning, My Future! This is Me!, and the goal was to have students create a Tool Kit, containing manipulatives and games, otherwise called ‘power tools’, which reflect their way of learning. This would assist the student in developing and retaining the Reading and Mathematics concepts taught within the few weeks spent in the programme.

The Chief Education Officer assured the audience that the Ministry would continue “to invest in the academic, social and emotional well-being of these students to ensure that each Barbadian student is assured a bright future, and that no child is left behind”.

The summer programme, which is offered annually by the Ministry of Education provides the opportunity for deferred Class 3 and 4 students from the Barbados Secondary Schools’ Entrance Examination (BSSEE) to be immersed in a Remedial Mathematics and Reading Intervention programme which seeks to:

Improve their performance, skills, and understanding in Reading and specific areas in Mathematics.
Develop enhanced study skills, self-confidence, and strategies for appropriate social interaction, through the necessary social support services provided.
Promote physical well-being, through Physical Education and hone artistic skills, through Music and Dance.

Dr. Archer-Bradshaw made a special appeal to students to apply what they learned over the summer and continue the learning process, while parents were assured that regular consultation would take place as our education system continues to transform to a more student-centred one.

The day’s proceedings concluded with a dynamic performance by students who presented “This Is Me”, from the film “The Greatest Showman”, under the musical direction of Israel J. Allen, who lauded the natural talents of the choir. There was also an exhibition of the collaborative work accomplished by the students.

While PBL is yet to be executed in its fullness, the Ministry is very encouraged by the early positive signs displayed through the Summer School programme. (PR/GIS)

Education

2024-2025 Academic School Year Started Today

Following the in-progress planning week for administration and teachers, the 2024-2025 school year will officially started today Monday, September 16, for students.

According to the Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training, there will be 38 weeks of instruction for the new academic year.

The Michaelmas term (Term I) will run for 13 weeks. During this term, there will be Teachers’ Professional Day, occurring on Friday, October 25. There will also be a mid-term break from Thursday, October 31, to Friday, November 1, 2024.

The term will conclude for students on Thursday, December 12, 2024, and for teachers on Friday, December 13, 2024.

Following a three-week vacation, the Hilary Term (Term II), will begin on Monday, January 6, for teachers and Tuesday, January 7, 2025, for students. This term will also have 13 weeks of teaching with a two-day break occurring from Thursday, February 20, to Friday, February 21, 2025.

The term ends Thursday, April 3 and Friday, April 4, 2025, for students and teachers, respectively.
Term III, also called the Trinity Term, will run for 12 weeks. Teachers will resume on Tuesday, April 22, while students will return to the classroom on Wednesday, April 23. There will be a one-day mid-term break, on Friday, June 6.

The school year officially ends for students on Thursday, July 10, and Friday, July 11, for educators. (PR/GIS)

Education

BECCS Workshops On Résumé Writing & Interviewing Techniques

Barbadians seeking to learn how to write résumés and perform well on job interviews, can do so when the Barbados Employment and Career Counselling Service (BECCS) hosts two workshops, later this month.

The workshops, to be held on Tuesday, September 24, and Wednesday, September 25, will both address Résumé Writing and Interviewing Skills.

They will be conducted in the Amphitheatre, 1^st Floor, Warrens Office Complex, Warrens, St. Michael, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Applicants may call 535-1535/47/48/59; 256-2290/832-0532/262-6498/832-0480, by Friday, September 20, to confirm their interest.

Education

Financial Literacy Facilitators Enhance Skills

The 17 facilitators for the National Financial Literacy Programme’s (NFLP) schools’ component, FLITE, have been given an opportunity to enhance their skills and become more effective in the classroom.

A one-day FLITE Facilitators Enhancement Training Workshop, which was conducted by Inspire Leadership Solutions Group, was held recently at the Warrens Office Complex.

Programme Coordinator for the schools’ component, Corey Worrell, explained that the workshop had several objectives, including developing and refining core facilitation skills to create dynamic and inclusive learning experiences.

“Additionally, our aims were to strengthen team-building skills to enhance collaboration and communication among facilitators; equip facilitators with innovative strategies and tools to effectively engage learners in the FLITE Programme, with a particular focus on experiential learning; and foster a deeper understanding of the diverse learning needs of participants to ensure an impactful programme delivery.

“This will ensure that all facilitators are adequately prepared to deliver the FLITE Programme and maintain a level of consistency in our standards of execution,” Mr. Worrell said.

Managing Director of Inspire Leadership Solutions Group, Dario Richards, described the financial literacy facilitators as “excellent”, and pointed out that his organisation was “enhancing their skills” so they would be effective in the classroom.

Mr. Richards outlined that the four main topics covered during the workshop were the journey of change; effective facilitation; experiential learning; and team building.

Stating that change is a journey, the Managing Director noted that within it, there are core milestones. With regard to effective facilitation, he pointed out that facilitators were different from teachers, and they therefore needed to have the requisite skills to be effective in the classroom.

“Experiential learning is our (Inspire Leadership’s) core training style. Persons learn by not just sharing content or PowerPoint slides, but engaging in activities and games, in discussions and debates, so people don’t only have theory but they have experiences,” he stated.

Underscoring the importance of the one-day training, Mr. Richards continued: “A facilitator’s role is to carry individuals on a journey of change…. So, I think this is important because you’re introducing new financial literacy content into a school setting, which for some may be easy to grasp, while for others it may not be such an easy topic to grasp, depending on their background.”

Mr. Richards stressed that it was necessary to tap into all the different learning styles to meet people “where they are at”. (PR/GIS)

Caption: Participants of the one-day FLITE Facilitators Enhancement Training Workshop which was conducted by Inspire Leadership Solutions Group