Educators in Westmoreland Welcome Skills Gained Through ‘Teach the Teachers’ Workshop

Educators in Westmoreland are welcoming the skills and resources gained through the ‘Teach the Teachers’ workshop.

The annual training session, which covers areas like computer education, language arts and behavioural management, is aimed at transforming classroom delivery and strengthening student engagement.

It is facilitated by the United States-based non-profit organisation, Great Shape Inc in partnership with the Sandals Foundation and with support from the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information.

The training focuses on practical skills and strategies for teachers, such as enhancing reading and writing techniques, managing student behaviour, and incorporating digital tools into the classroom.

During the workshops, educators learn and practise new techniques in real-time to assess students’ needs, improve their attention levels, and create a positive classroom environment.

Educators from several primary and secondary schools participated in this year’s summer session, which was held at Godfrey Stewart High School in Savanna-la-Mar on July 24.

It provided creative models and practical methods to strengthen lesson delivery and classroom management.

Teacher at Cairn Curran Primary School, Shellian Haughton-Newland, shared that the programme has been instrumental in improving her approach to discipline and planning.

“There were strategies taught that helped us to control our school community,” she told JIS News, noting that the training has positively influenced her teaching style.

Principal of Godfrey Stewart High School, Emily Lawrence Ricketts, said that the behavioural management component of the workshop has been valuable because of its direct impact on classroom effectiveness.

“When a classroom is disciplined we are more effective as teachers,” she pointed out.

For Claudia Ricketts-Brown, a teacher at Beaufort Primary School, the programme has provided not only new skills but also tangible resources to support instruction.

“Over the years I’ve been coming, I’ve been receiving so many resources – things that I maybe saw online and didn’t really have here. So, they bring these manipulatives, and they reward us,” she told JIS News.

Co-director of the Teach the Teachers project, Kait Fairchild, said the initiative was born out of a recognised need to equip educators in computer education.

“After my co-director, Bradley Adams, saw the need for training teachers in computers, they began doing teacher training classes all the way up to now. We have worked straight through, except for one year off during COVID,” Ms. Fairchild said.

She explained that the workshop is designed to be interactive and impactful.

“Teach the Teacher is not just something that you’re listening to like a lecture, but you practise it. You can put it in place in your classroom, you see the results, and you’re hearing from other educators how it impacts their students,” she noted.

Regional Public Relations Manager for Sandals Negril and Beaches Negril, Ashley Simms, highlighted the importance of the intervention not just for the schools but the wider community.

“It’s really the community impact. We see how important the work that the teachers are doing is. By extension, the entire Great Shape community, once they come here to Jamaica, the impact in the communities is quite priceless,” Ms. Simms said.

She reaffirmed the Sandals Foundation’s ongoing commitment to education.

“The Sandals Foundation has a holistic approach when it comes to education, community and environment. We’ve adopted several schools here in Jamaica,” she said.