Up Front
Education Department ConsidersReading Textbook Change
"We are lookingfor a publisher who will work with us to adapt their programmeto the local curriculum."
The Education Department'slanguage arts programme is looking for a new reading textbook.
Teachers from public andprivate primary schools took part in a series of meetings withtop overseas educational publishers to assess the suitabilityof their product to the needs of the local school system. At theend of each session teachers assessed the publisher's productaccording to pre-determined criteria.
Education Officer (LanguageArts) Gloria Pollard, who co-ordinated the sessions, said thedepartment would incorporate teachers' feedback in its final choice.
"We are looking fora publisher who will work with us to adapt their programme tothe local curriculum. They will need to help us provide trainingand other support to staff, particularly in the area of incorporatingnew techniques and strategies with particular emphasis on technologies.We feel the teachers are in the best position to say which suppliermost closely meets their needs," Ms. Pollard explained.
During the week of 14-18May, some 30 government primary school teachers, as well as stafffrom St Ignatius, Triple "C" and Truth For Youth attendeddaily meetings with representatives of Pearson Education, HoughtonMifflin, McGraw Hill, Scott Foresmann, Harcourt and Scholastic.All companies, except Pearson, repeated their presentations onCayman Brac where all 23 primary school teachers attended eachsession.
The transition from the12-year-old World of Reading scheme to the new programme, whenit is decided, is expected to begin in the near future.