Creative language-based learning helps to educate the nation
Published:Friday | December 20, 2019 | 12:14 AMKeisha Hill/Senior Gleaner Writer
With the continued commitment of teachers and volunteers, the Creative Language-Based Learning programme, executed in schools across the island, has seen success in providing professional development and in the early identification of and provision of support for children with language-based disabilities.
One hundred and twenty-nine early-childhood and special-needs teachers from 64 basic, primary, and preparatory schools across the island have been trained to identify and effectively teach students with language-based learning difficulties.
The programme is in its third year, having been initiated in 2017. Fifty teachers from 24 schools participated in 2017, and in 2018, some 40 educators from an additional 19 schools received coaching, materials, and kits. Fifty-six educators were trained in 2019, with very few teachers having left the programme since its inception.
In addition, the 2017 teachers have continued their development as local instructional leaders with the ability to assess students and share strategies with their colleagues.
According to Mary MacDonald, coordinator, who has 15 year experience working with Lindamood Bell Learning Centre, there have been over 14,000 hours of professional development, including contact hours and weekly meetings covering varying topics.
“There is at least one teacher in each school. At one school based in Old Harbour, the lowest-performing students across four grades were introduced to the programme. They did very well and were then reintegrated into the regular school system,” MacDonald said.
“At another school in Spanish Town, except for one student, everyone moved to the highest stream. The student that remained, the issue was centred on attendance. With the multi-tiered instructional model, there have been changes in the classrooms, and the teachers have been able to identify the students that are struggling and assist them,” she added.
The programme was initiated by Mandy Melville, the founder of Creative Language-Based Learning.
Training has been provided by Lindamood-Bell, is an American company that has been imparting this know-how for over 30 years. The workshops, which are usually only available overseas, offer a unique opportunity for teachers who practise in the area of language-based learning disabilities to further develop teaching strategies.
“The ultimate goal is to develop an islandwide network of early-childhood and special-needs teachers who are able to meet the needs of students with language-based learning challenges. With Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes, teachers are trained in the early identification of language-based learning disabilities and how to provide systematic, research-based intervention,” Melville said.