This course seeks to develop the students’ understanding of the interplay of forces which affect teaching and learning and influence educational practice and policy.  Students should thereby come to appreciate the critical and dynamic role they play as the educators of the citizens of tomorrow.

The objectives of the course are to:

1. give teachers an understanding of the language situation in the West Indies, with special reference to their individual territory.
2. give teachers an introductory understanding of the phonology, morphology and syntax of basilectal and mesolectal forms of language.
3. give teachers an introductory understanding of the phonology and syntax of a syntax variety of English.
4. develop in teachers the ability to observe contrasts between the language forms referred to in (ii) and (iii).

This course provides a background of linguistic insights into the acquisition of literacy by introducing participants to the:

1. features of language and the differences between abstract descriptions of language and language in use,
2. relevance of descriptions to oral and written language,
3. patterns of language which characterize written language, patterns in language acquisition and development, conditions and processes of acquisitions and development.

This is a cross-disciplinary course. It is designed to provide a firm base for Communication courses and for courses in English for Special Purposes linked with specific disciplines. It helps students to achieve the level of competence in written language that is required of the university student in undergraduate programmes. Course content includes Language in the Caribbean, Summarizing, the Formal Essay and Methods of Organising Information.

This course is designed to help participants:

1.     Develop a frame of reference for pursuing courses in the management of learning in difficulty, particularly within the Caribbean context.
2.     Examine critically definitional issues regarding the learner in difficulty.
3.     Focus on factors that may contribute to learning difficulties for learners in the regular classrooms, particularly those without overt exceptionalities.
4.     Examine the needs of the learner in difficulty with reference to the factors enumerated.

The course allows teachers to develop their skills as well as strategies that facilitate the development of children’s writing.

Participants will be able to:

1.     Develop strategies that aid children’s writing development
2.     Use a wide range of instructional strategies to enhance the writing range of literacy development.
3.     Plan lessons making use of a range of methods for responding to and evaluating writing
4.     Produce pieces of writing representing different genres as a measure of their appreciation for writing as a process.

The aims of the course are to:

1. help you understand the varied purposes for which language is used, and the conceptualizations offered for language as communication
2. engender a critical stance in the examination and analysis of how language is used.

This course will introduce students to classical social theory through an understanding of the work of writers such as Auguste Comte, Max Weber, Karl Marx and George H. Mead. The main focus of this studying is to understand the central ideas of these writers and to reflect on the usefulness of their theory in contemporary Caribbean societies. This reflection will support students’ further investigations of the explanations given for issues on the front line of Caribbean societies’ development agendas. At the same time, students will learn about the central ideas and perspectives of writers such as Edward Kamau Brathwaite, M.G. Smith and George Beckford. The combination of classical and Caribbean schools of social inquiry will set the tone for a synthesizing of perspectives on race, class, gender, ethnicity and the family in society. This process will assist students with developing their theoretical base in social theory, as well as independent thought on happenings in Caribbean society.

This is a 6-credt course –taught across 2 semesters. Semester 2 entails a practical component as well as submission of an action research.

This course is designed to aid in the understanding of the role of the teacher as a learner, researcher, self evaluator and reflective practitioner.  It provides an opportunity for students to apply their knowledge of the teaching learning process in implementing an innovative teaching experiment to address a problem in their classrooms, to reflect critically on the experience and to write a report which informs their future practice.

The course looks at the characteristics, developmental needs and interests of children and young adults and how these affect their response to literature.  It examines the different types and sources of multimedia material-fiction and non-fiction - and their evaluation, selection and use.  Indigenous resources for Caribbean children and young adults are stressed.  The value of literature for young people and current trends and issues in the field are also included.