Teachers on Saba start year with workshop

The first island-wide workshop for teachers on Saba was held on the first school day after the Christmas vacation, reports The Daily Herald. Primary and secondary school children could stay home one extra day, while the teachers of Sacred Heart and Saba Comprehensive School participated in a workshop on pupil-centred teaching strategies. Caregivers of Laura Linzey Day care Centre and the instructor of Social Youth Development Programme were also invited.
Organized and facilitated by Expertise Center Education Care EC2, the workshop specifically targeted teaching techniques used for pupils with learning and behavioural problems. “On Saba, all schools are inclusive. Pupils with specific needs are taught in the regular classrooms. Therefore, all teachers and all pupils can benefit from these teaching skills,” EC2 director Jet van Heijnsbergen said.
Conductor of the full-day workshop was Joy McGehee, who spoke from her many years of experience as a Special Ed and teacher trainer. She emphasized that education should target the precise needs of pupils. “All pupils function at their individual level. They have their own referred learning style and are motivated by different things. When the teachers are aware of the variables of the pupil, the teacher and the environment can adapt their lessons catering for each individual learner”, she said. Ample suggestions were given for active learning and teaching strategies. Teachers were encouraged to try three techniques with pupils experiencing academic challenges in the upcoming weeks. The more than 40 teachers in attendance also thought about their own learning needs and expressed their wishes for possible future workshops.