In keeping with the Ministry of Education’s mandate to improve the competencies, motivation and commitment of teachers; schools will this week be engaged in professional development sessions.
“PD Week” as it’s called, encompasses new staff orientation, discussion of term plans, refreshing of effective teaching strategies, and extra support for the implementation of new practices in the classroom. Some secondary school teachers will also attend “Subject Day” on Wednesday (August 21):
- Information Technology – Girls’ High School
- Music – Girls’ High School
- French and Spanish – Thomas Saunders Secondary School
- Science – Girl Guides Headquarters
These Subject Day sessions will be convened from 8:45 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. There will also be a two-day session for teachers of Health and Family Life Education (HFLE) on Wednesday at the Fisheries Conference Room and on Thursday at the Girl Guides Headquarters. All other secondary school teachers are expected to meet in subject groups at their schools to plan for the new academic year.
Stressing the importance of professional development; Senior Education Officer for Curriculum, Aldia Gumbs-Dyer, emphasizes the relationship between teacher performance and student achievement.
Also coinciding with PD Week is a workshop for selected primary school teachers on the implementation of the OECS Learning Standards and Assessment Framework. The workshop will take place from August 20 – 27 and will orient the teachers to the framework’s content and methodologies.
The OECS Learning Standards were developed in the 4 core subject areas – Mathematics, Language Arts, Science and Social Studies, and are an important priority within the OECS Education Sector Strategy.
Chief Education Officer (Ag.), Elizabeth Walker, highlights the importance of the OECS Education Sector Strategy, suggesting that the Standards and Assessment Framework was designed to improve the quality of education and ultimately student performance across member states.
According to a release from the Education Media Unit, the Ministry is using a phased approach to the implementation of the OECS Learning Standards and Assessment Framework. The release indicates that in 2018, ten (10) schools began implementation and from September 2019, all other schools will be expected to implement the standards and assessment framework.
