Introductions: The Teachers' Meet and Greet Forum

[ITEN]

Hi All:

Please introduce yourselves here and tell us a bit of your teaching interests and about your teaching styles.  Share some of your experiences so far and remember to mention where you want to end up in this world of teaching and education.  

[ITEN]

You are so right Robert.  We are indeed empowered by this virtual technology.  Your experiences are vastly interesting.  I'm sure we can learn a lot from you, especially as we try to connect with other member states across the OAS.  What do you find are the biggest differences, positive and negative between the Caribbean teaching environment and the one you are now in in Latin America, including Honduras? 

We really look forward to your input and networking connections.  Do post publications, videos, photos etc that you think would be informative and of interest. 

see you soon

Paula L.

See you soon.
 
Robert Geofroy said:

Hello All,

I am Robert Geofroy. I am a trini but have worked both in and out of Trinidad. I studied at the University of the West Indies in St. Augustine, the University of Cambridge, the University of Toronto (OISE), and the Universidad Andina Simon Bolivar in Sucre, Bolivia. I have done several of the OAS and GIZ online courses and have embraced the online modality entirely although I do miss the highly interactive laboratory sessions in Physics which I used to enjoy so much as well. I continue to keep abreast of developments in education and especially online education even taking courses myself to help me with subjects in my own areas of speciality.

My teaching experience ranges from secondary through to university level. I taught Physics and Mathematics in Trinidad for many years at Presentation College, San Fernando. While there, I did a stint as an Exchange teacher in Birmingham UK which I enjoyed very much. I brought back many good practices which I observed there which I though would have benefitted the college. I taught briefly in the evening programme for UWI Extramural and also in the Science Technicians course at San Fernando Technical Institute before it became University of Trinidad and Tobago. I taught at the South University Centre before it became the University of the West Indies Open Campus and I also taught briefly at the Faculty of Education, St Augustine befoee moving on to Sir Arthur Lewis Community College. From St. Lucia I moved to the Community College in Cayman where I taught computing and mathematics and then to the University of the West Indies also in Cayman where I was Head for some six years.

I have always believed in experiential learning where knowledge is created through a transformation of experiences. When you put your hand in the fire you get burned and that is what helps you to understand the notion of heat. I have always maintained that practical experience in science is essential and necessary even when the resources are scarce and that was the essence of the Cambridge philosophy of a spirit or urgency and self reliance. Needless to say, there are many topics in Advanced level Physics which are still only accessible through textbook learning but we just have to make the best of what we have. Of course, being a bit of a mathematician too, I admit the abstractions and this helps us to grasp many concepts which have developed through great insight on the part of great mathematicians but now have provided a short cut for us to "see" these notions. As much as possible, I believe that teachers should give students experiences which help them develop their powers for discovery and innovation and with this we will move forward as a people.

I have now retired but still teach online courses in mathematics education as well as general education courses. I have now dropped anchor in Honduras and work online. It is said that a rolling stone gathers no moss and so I imagine that I am free of work encumberances in the main. I still maintain my interest in education in the region. I am eternally grateful for the opportunities of free education which were afforded me by Trinidad and Tobago. I know that the right to education is a fundamental right but many still do not have access to proper education. I have always seen education as a key for the development of the region and as such have continued to be involved actively as a teacher albeit virtually where I hope my experience will help in some way. While the virtual modality provides me with the opportunity to be involved I must admit that I do miss the face-face contact with students and the sharing in the communities which that affords as well.

I am happy to be part of this community where in some measure we can share our thoughts and ideas. I am also a memebr of the Caribbean Educators Network where I participate in the discussion there as well. What would we do without the modern communication technology we have today? We are empowered!

Robert

[Carol Johnson]

Hi everyone,

My name is Carol Johnson and I am from the beautiful island of Jamaica. I am a teacher of English Language. I am always eager to learn and improve my teaching methodology to better able to help my students. I have gained a lot of knowledge in pursuing courses such as Collaboration in the Digital Classroom and Critical Thinking in the Science Classroom. These courses have enabled me to improve my teaching strategies.

[ITEN]

Hi carol.  Thank you for sharing with us.  It's my hope that you are able to benefit further and continue to grow as a teacher here in the ITEN community.  Please continue to share some of the strategies you use and tell us what works for you in the classroom.  We look forward to learning and sharing with you. 

See you soon.

Paula L.  (Team ITEN)
 
Carol Johnson said:

Hi everyone,

My name is Carol Johnson and I am from the beautiful island of Jamaica. I am a teacher of English Language. I am always eager to learn and improve my teaching methodology to better able to help my students. I have gained a lot of knowledge in pursuing courses such as Collaboration in the Digital Classroom and Critical Thinking in the Science Classroom. These courses have enabled me to improve my teaching strategies.

[Kerry-Ann Lindsay]

Hi Everyone!

My name is Kerry-Ann Lindsay, a Jamaican science teacher for 13 years. I teach mainly Biology and Integrated Science at the grades 10 and 11 level; I also teach grade 9 chemistry and physics. I have a MSc in Curriculum and Instruction, a BSc. in Environmental Science, a ASc in Agricultural Science and a Dip. in Secondary Education. I am very passionate about the sciences and the pedagogy of teaching and is always trying to find innovative ways of improving my practice. I also love to learn and I am hoping to pursue further studies in Education& Philosophy and the Sciences.

My style of teaching is mixed, I employ a developmental/constructivist approach to the delivery of instruction; as well as I use a lot of questioning and critical thinking activities, example, Socratic seminar and thinking routines. I try to engage my students by using technology, group activities and presentations and I also try to get them involved in their own assessment and reflections.

The profession of teaching is hard but also very rewarding. I have had many heart warming and somber experiences in the classroom but what keeps me going is the gratitude some students show when they have accomplished a task or are successful in final examinations. I also feel proud when I see them applying the skills and knowledge learnt to their lives and when they hail me up on the street where ever I go. Most times I do not even remember them; one experience I remember is the love and sympathy a set of students showed me when my mother past away 3 years ago, I was deeply moved  by the written letters,cards and gifts they gave. Some of them when they went on to upper grades would often times come to me wanting /wishing I had taught them again, I know if I had gotten that entire class back to teach it would have resulted in one of my best CSEC performance.

I am steadfastly working on teaching teachers at the tertiary level, I believe I have a wealth of insight and experience that I can share to budding teachers. As I write I am awaiting a call from a tertiary institution where I recently participated in an interview for a teaching position. I am praying and hoping that they will hire me. I am also in the process of writing a book on school leadership and is in the process of transcribing an interview I did with a very successful past principal who has been lauded for her work in transforming a high school in Clarendon, Jamaica to a preferred school. 

Transforming lives one impressionable mind at a time~

Kerry-Ann Lindsay.

[ITEN]

Hi Kerry-Ann.  Welcome to the virtual community.  I was very intrigued by your post.  I am a big fan of critical thinking and even more so of constructivist theory, but even though I majored in biology during my associates degree program a long long time ago, I still have had the mindset that science is so straight forward and black and white that it wouldn't leave room for much of that.  I'm thrilled to see that you take science beyond just the 'this is how it is' mentality.

I look forward to hearing about how you use these strategies in the science classroom.

See you soon.

Paula L. (Team ITEN)

[Kerry-Ann Lindsay]

Thank you Paula, I look forward to share with the ITEN family.

[Lisa Natasha Nicole Vaughn]

Greetings everyone, I am happy to have an opportunity to interact with educators world wide. I will keep it short I have been involved in education over 19 years and I currently teach high school and at UWI open campus. I look forward to interacting with everyone here.

LisaV

[Gloria McDowell]

Hi everyone, 

I am Gloria McDowell, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, but I have been living in the US for ten years now. I did my undergraduate degree in Economics at Grove City College in Pennsylvania a long time ago. Then I went back to Buenos Aires (with an american husband) and pursued a career in education. I taught Economics, Business management, and then became head of a middle school and then head of a secondary school. My main interest as a head of school was the vertical alignment of curriculum. Assessment is also something I have spent a lot of time working on. Criterion based assessment and clear rubrics so that students can really own their assessment as part of their learning. Ten years ago I came to work in the US as the diploma manager for the International Baccalaureate. Then I was made head of school services for the Americas. So I know all four IB programs and quite a bit about what is going on in the different countries of the continent. I look forward to helping out anyone who is interested in the IB, or in any other educational issue that I might know about.

I am also Profesora de Filosofía, Psicología y Pedagogía and I have a masters in management of NGOs.

I look forward to getting to meet you all.

Gloria

[Patricia Angela Dixon Sebastian]

Hi am Patricia Dixon Sebastian from Belize.I have been teacher for 25 plus year and is the Special Education Officer for Special Education.I holds a masters degree in Special. Education.My mode of teaching is using the multisensory strategies and is hoping that I could fulfill my dreams in becoming an Educational Diagnostician.

Thanks
Patty

[Patricia Angela Dixon Sebastian]

Hi am Patricia and am trying to get on to do Module 1,kindly guide me

[Miryan Irene Chicaiza Fernandez]

Good evening, everyone, I am Miryan. I am from Ecuador. I have taught English around eleven years. I have worked with kids, teenagers and adults. For that reason, I have gotten a lot of experience. Currently, I am studying to get my master degree, and I enjoy knowing different and new things. In my opinion, Being a teacher is a tremendous responsability. We have to be updated all the time in order to encourage students to be conscious about their learning process and enhance their knowledge. I want to be a professor. I would like to work in a university. I want to write something about my experience. Nice to meet you colleagues

[Cassandra Kenisha Davis Barham]

Hello everyone.

I am Cassandra Barham from Jamiaca and is a high school Social Studies teacher. I am only a member of ITEN  for three weeks now, basically a freshman. Over the last two years in the classroom, I always try to bring my students from the known to the unknown by getting then engaged, explore, discuss and analyse concepts and situation. I am currently enrolled in a  course called 'Critical Thinking for Teachers' and to date my journey has been productive, whereby I am able to improve in areas of instruction time with my students. My aim is to be the best I can be by improving in my craft as an educator as well as to explore the opportunity for growth here on ITEN.