Technology Training for Teacher Education in Jamaica

Abstract

The major challenges facing education systems in the information age include issues of how to prepare for and capitalize on the technological revolution and how to integrate computer technology into the curriculum. Jamaica, like most developing countries, is taking on these challenges with perhaps as much focus and increased importance as any developed country such as the United States. This paper explores the approach taken, particularly with teacher educators in Jamaican colleges, to begin the process by an assessment of the computer-related professional development needs of the college faculty. The paper makes recommendations for developing a technology training program based on the needs assessment. Underlying these issues is the necessity for a national policy to coordinate the country's efforts to integrate information technology into teacher education. Additional recommendations intended to provide guidance for the formulation of such an integrated policy development and implementation framework are offered.     

An Investigation into the Knowledge and Use of Electronic Library Resources in Jamaican Community Colleges

ABSTRACT

This study used a quantitative survey to investigate the knowledge and use of online databases and the library's online public access catalog by final-year business associate degree students in five selected Jamaican community colleges. The study sought to determine students’ knowledge of electronic library resources, their value for electronic and print resources, the purposes for which students use electronic library resources, the influences on student use of electronic library resources, and the effects of training and instruction. Results from the study indicated that students are increasingly using Internet search engines for research purposes rather than online databases. Results also indicated that electronic library resources such as the OPAC are being underutilized by community college students. It was evident that proper instructional guidance is needed and welcomed by students. The findings of the study are critical to the implementation of policies and procedures geared toward sensitizing school administrators, library professionals, and other stakeholders to the benefits of increasing students’ knowledge and use of electronic library resources. Data will aid administrators in strategic planning and investments pertaining to these resources, and provide recommendations to improve knowledge and use of these resources within libraries. The research illustrates the special needs of community college students in Jamaica, particularly relating to needed instructional programs, in an effort to impart knowledge and promote the use of electronic library resources in these colleges.     

Gender complexities in Jamaican secondary education: class culture and the ‘elephant’ in the room

ABSTRACT

This article utilizes a combination of the masculinity and intersectionality frameworks to argue that the underachievement of boys occurs in the intricacies of patriarchy, region (rural area), and class culture. The article utilizes data drawn from a qualitative study at two rural institutions in the parish of Manchester, Jamaica, to critically analyze the gendered nexus between boys’ underachievement and educational policies. The low grades merited by boys raise questions of patriarchy in the educational system in which they and their female teachers operate. While the failure of boys is not generalizable to the entire population, underachievement is also located in the mismatch between curriculum and the culture of these boys.     

牙买加田径短跑的传奇与启示

伦敦奥运会、北京奥运会、田径世锦赛,牙买加田径队以绝对实力“统治”田径短跑,文章剖析了牙买加田径取得辉煌的原因,最后给出了对我国田径发展的启示。研究认为：牙买加运动员具有先天优越的田径短跑基因;健全的田径培养与选拔机制;群众体育的强大支撑和国家的高度重视;反传统化的田径训练理念,运动项目深化计划,成就了牙买加田径的辉煌。对于中国田径发展具有以下启示：（1）举国体制下多关注冷门项目;（2）走出去的训练体制。     

‘Nature’ and the ‘environment’ in Jamaica’s primary school curriculum guides

In cases where environmental education is institutionalised within schools, the curriculum can affect what and how students learn about ‘nature’ and the ‘environment’. In Jamaica, schools are considered important settings for environmental education; the curriculum therefore includes environmental issues. Using content analysis, representations of ‘nature’ and the ‘environment’ in the nation’s primary level Curriculum Guides were examined. Findings indicate that although many units emphasise an anthropocentric view of nature, this is tempered by depictions of nature’s fragility and, in some instances, nature’s ‘divine’ dimensions. Several curricular units also facilitate student’s creative engagement with nature, allowing for multiple views of the natural world.