Teachers look forward to creating a new learning community with the implementation
of smart boards.

With the implementation of the new National Curriculum in schools this September and the move towards the introduction of the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme at some campuses, teachers in the schools on Cayman Brac have a challenging year ahead.

However, as West End Primary School (WEPS) Year 3 teacher, Miranda Levy, said, anything that benefits the children is worth it even if it does require more work.

“Back in 2005 the stakeholders in all the schools got together at a revolutionary conference and said the curriculum just had too much in it and the teachers could never get through it,” explained Melanie Scott, Reception teacher at Creek and Spot Bay (C&SB) Infant School.

After the conference, sub-committees were formed to put together a National Curriculum, which is to be implemented for the next academic year.

Tammy DaCosta-Banks, Principal of C&SB Infants, said that she and the Principal at the C&SB Junior School, Janice Bradshaw, decided to introduce the IB, which provides the framework for teaching the Curriculum, at the same time.

To this end, with Ms Bradshaw named Head of School for the process, they applied to become a candidate for an IB school at the end of April, which is the starting point to becoming an authorized IB school, a process that can take up to five years, said Ms DaCosta-Banks.

Even though the West End Primary School has not applied as yet, Principal Gale Connolly said they were considering putting in an application for candidacy in November, but meanwhile the teachers there were participating in the IB exercises anyway.

As part of the programme, all the teachers in the primary system were asked to prepare a lesson plan, which they will then share with teachers in the same year group in other schools, a process that not only produces lessons tailored for the Cayman Islands, but also allows a great deal of collaboration between teachers and between schools.

“This means ideas are shared across the Learning Community, and teachers are coming up with creative ways to solve problems,” said Ms DaCosta-Banks. “All schools will be on same page with the same things being taught.”

She said teachers on the Brac had always worked together but this is now happening much more, allowing teachers to draw on one another’s strengths.

“There are certain skills children need to become independent – skills they will start learning from Reception, so by time they get to high school, they can think on their own,” she explained.

Ms Scott said her lesson plan for Reception kids, which she will introduce in class next week, focused on care for animals.

The children will take their stuffed animals to school and the class will compile a check-list of what to do to look after them, such as feeding, walking build a kennel, in different settings – at home, on the farm and in the zoo.

The kids will research the answers themselves and then do presentations and make a video. The idea is cross curricular teaching, and this project will touch social studies, science, art, language arts, perhaps PE and music, and even integrate math where appropriate.

She said they wanted kids to ask questions, with the teachers as facilitators inspiring a sense of discovery and exploration.

“We should teach the kids to feed their minds, let them explore whatever they want, take over the lessons if they are intrigued by something,” said Ms Scott.

The IB is very progressive and will create children that think and head them on a lifetime of learning. “This is exactly what Cayman needs to bring ourselves into the future,” she said.

Ms Levy collaborated with WEPS Year 2 teacher Patrice Dilbert on a lesson plan that focused on geography and history, but also covered writing, vocabulary building, drama and math.

“Where Patrice starts I can branch off in a different direction,” she said. “It was extremely difficult but now I have a clearer idea of what to do. With more practice it will get easier, and as time goes on become natural.”

Ms DaCosta-Banks was part of a delegation that travelled to the US to see IB schools in action. “We saw a lot of good stuff - kids working in groups and hands-on, discussing learning from each other.”

She said that under the old system, teachers filled kids up with facts but if they came across something new they didn’t know how to find the answers. “Now they will be learning how to learn.”

Claudette Lazzari, (C&SB) Infant Deputy Principal, has been named Coordinator for the IB process and will play a key role in the successful implementation of the Primary Years Programme (PYP), said Ms DaCosta-Banks.

Her primary responsibilities will be to support the teachers as they create their PYP Units of Inquiry and monitoring the PYP programme.

“Change brings anxiety, but the teachers are committed to make this work,” Ms DaCosta-Banks said.

Sister Islands MLA Moses Kirkconnell said that education was fundamental to all government policy.

“Improving learning opportunities for everyone in the Cayman Islands is crucial, and it is wonderful to see our teachers on the Brac embracing these changes to benefit the next generation,” he said.