Teachers Schooled in Creative Arts
A Theatre Arts Training session concluded today at the Bliss Center for the Performing Arts. Primary, high school and itinerant teachers took part in the three-week program by the Ministry of Education through the Creative Arts Unit. The purpose is to teach the participants both theoretical and practical aspects of theatre, including dance, drama, arts and craft, visual arts and stage craft. Today, at the end of the program, the participants put off presentations as an assessment of what they have learnt.
Leroy Green, National Coordinator, Expressive Arts, M.O.E.
Leroy Green
“The teachers and artists who are here on the training are presenting samples of what students will be expecting to do as school-based assessments at the end of the first year of training in theatre arts in the high schools. As I said, it is a new initiative of the Ministry of Education and we are very glad that we have representation from five high schools and the rest that you see here are artists who want to be itinerant teachers so they came not primarily for the content, but the pedagogical part of the course because the course was divided into content and pedagogy.”
Vernadelle Bailey
Vernadelle Bailey, English Teacher, Gwen Lizarraga High School
“We started thinking that it was a workshop, but when we got here we understood that it was a three-week crash course to help us to prepare the students for CXC. I teach first forms, but it is a good start because it starts preparing the students earlier rather than later for this course. It is a two-year syllabus so by the time the students reach third form, they should be almost prepared if we do first and second form theatre in school.”
Ardette McFadzean, Teacher, Belize Rural Primary School
Ardette McFadzean
“This program will not only re-enhance what he has been trying to do over the time but also show how much more it can benefit the students. For example each day as I sit in the workshop, ideas come to my mind on how I can use the different activities in my classroom in terms of different subject areas. For example, we did a pantomime skit with Hurricane Hattie and I also learned new things from Hurricane Hattie from someone who had experienced it. And so when I think about that, it also brings me to maybe inviting that person to my classroom to share with my students when I am teaching weather and climate.”
Raymond McFadzean, Teacher/Artist
“I’ve been dancing a long time ago so it’s mostly the pedagogy part of it and the drama to take back in the classroom.”
Raymond McFadzean
Duane Moody
“Do you feel that your youths are receptive to this new age of things…creative arts within the classrooms?”
Raymond McFadzean
“Most definitely Duane. One of the things that we must learn to do as teachers and we must be aware of is that some students in the classrooms may not be academically inclined and you have to find ways to make them want to be in the classrooms and find school interesting. And one of these ways is introducing them to the arts.”
With the assistance of NICH, the Examination Unit of the Ministry of Education, National Coordinator of the Expressive Arts in the ministry, Leroy Green, says that assessments will be done through the year.
