Blueprint to literacy

Published: Wednesday | July 20, 2011 0 Comments Jamaica has been struggling with the problem of low literacy for quite some time, and it is commendable that teachers, school administrators, parents, and the nation's policymakers have indeed identified the problems. It is not in the least surprising that we all recognise the problem since people in general, and Jamaicans, in particular, are adept at finding the problem, but few are willing or able to put forward workable solutions. Education Minister Andrew Holness has put forward the goal of achieving 100 per cent literacy by 2015 - a very ambitious goal indeed. And I guess that this goal is based on the assumption that all things are equal. Certainly, we in the education system know that, unfortunately, all things are not equal. This, however, is a topic that will be dealt with in another column, as I would like to deal specifically with the idea of helping educators understand that there is the distinct need for a national policy on improving literacy in our primary schools across the island. MORE THAN 'MASTERY' I want to guide our readers away from the thinking that literacy among children is solely defined by their ability to achieve test scores which gives them 'mastery' in the Grade Four Literacy Test. In fact, the way students interact with their environment, the people with whom they interact, and how they apply themselves to different situations are far more important in determining their level of literacy than achieving 'mastery' or what we call acceptable test scores. As usual, I want to keep it simple. Dr J Casey Hurley, in his book, The Six Virtues of the Educated Person, (p. 45) states: "The educated person is one who develops understanding, imagination, strong character, courage, humility and generosity." From what I have seen in more than two decades in the profession, too many teachers spend too little time developing these virtues in the children under our care and are only concerned with test scores. Please rest assured that the scores will come if the virtues are taught. Surely, I will admit that test scores are important, but we, as educators, need to sit together and come up with a sustainable policy that will create more optimally rounded students. We need to establish in all schools minimum input standards by the practitioners. Too often we see that there is wide disparity between the practices carried out by different schools, or even those carried out within the same schools by different teachers. Specifically, I would like to see a policy, for instance, where every classroom in Jamaica must have: a print-rich environment; a computer; memory gems displayed; poems and songs displayed; portfolio for the children; motivational charts; classroom library; student journals; records showing frequent and varied assessments; display of students' writing. Wide-ranging research

Note that there is wide-ranging research out there to support the fact that writing improves reading, and hence, literacy. Too often we visit classrooms that are bare, lacking in print material, and having too little of what we can all agree will improve our literacy rate. I have just named a few fundamental tools that, if utilised properly, could significantly improve the literacy rates in short order. These are certainly not the only ones, and I am, therefore, contending that policymakers, the Jamaica Teachers' Association and educators alike, should do the necessary research, uniting around established essentials that drive literacy and institute policy that guides, systematically, how we will improve literacy among our young children. Linked to this has to be the whole idea of insisting and ensuring that those teachers who continue to keep their jobs are those who adhere to the basic policy, while effectively imparting the curriculum to meet the diverse needs of our students. I remember the days back in my primary school. We had to learn poems, memory verses, songs and a host of relevant general knowledge items. It is my concern that in today's children, there exists a serious deficiency in these areas. I invite everyone concerned with achieving 100 per cent literacy by 2015 to think on these things. Owen Speid is principal of Port Royal Primary School. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and speidowen@yahoo.com. TO OUR READERS: