Teachers of Mathematics, Science and Dance from secondary schools across Trinidad had the opportunity on Wednesday 27th March, 2019 to share their experiences with the Integrated Arts and Technology Project during a showcase at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Department of Creative and Festival Arts. The Integrated Arts and Technology Project is a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Education and the Embassy of the United States of America, Port of Spain. The initiative sought to encourage teachers into the incorporation of dance into their everyday classroom lessons. Facilitator of the project Ms Kimberli Boyd (US Fullbright Specialist), through practical sessions, over the past two weeks has been taking students and teachers through the methodological integration of dance into the classroom.
Minister of State in the Ministry of Education Dr the Honourable Lovell Francis during his delivery of the event's Feature Address commended the teachers present for their willingness and commitment to trying something new in the classroom. He stated that it was "High time we shifted away from the old ways of thinking where doing something that was considered 'different' was a bad thing."
The sentiment was one that was echoed through the morning's proceedings by Director of Curriculum Planning and Development Division Mr John Roopchan, Public Affairs Officer Embassy of the United States, Port of Spain Mr Adam Jagelski and Dean of Humanities of the UWI Dr Heather Cato. Each highlighted the importance of ensuring that classrooms are spaces where all learners can feel comfortable and included.
During the showcase over sixty teachers gave demonstrations of what they have learnt and will be incorporating into their classrooms and what they can share with other teachers in a 'Train the Trainer' endeavour going forward. The initiative comes out of the Curriculum Planning and Development Division's STREAM Education programme and will be continuing on in another iteration later this year.