The question is not whether a student can read but why that child cannot
read. Identifying the factors that are contributing to illiteracy is what primary
school teachers from Methodist Schools have been doing this week at a four day
workshop. The training workshop should help the teachers to better deal with
the problem when they return to the classrooms on September first. The sessions
have been more practical than theoretical as the teachers prepare themselves
to use the skills being taught on the four thousand children enrolled in Methodist
Schools across the country. According to General Manager of Methodist Primary
Schools Patricia Bennett they admit that some of their students cannot read,
write or comprehend.
It is a stark admission, but she says the situation also exists at
other primary schools but the difference here is that they have decided to confront
it rather than whistle past the graveyard. Today 7NEWS dropped in at the training
workshop to get an idea of what skills the primary and pre school teachers are
being given to combat literacy issues.
Jacqueline Godwin,
it is not the first time that such attention is being given to illiteracy. What
do you believe is contributing to the ongoing problem?
Patrica Bennett, General Manager Methodist Schools
“Many of the situations with children, it is not that they can’t
read, there are reasons why they are not reading and so we felt that we need
to do some assessment as to what is hindering our children from reading and
from reading properly and effectively and to address those concerns whether
it is phonemic awareness or whether it be at the pre school level, if the foundation
that is laid there is not well let us address problems as they exist in our 
schools and not really at it from a general perspective but to identify the
factors that would be preventing our school children from reading.”
Kits Cadette, Workshop Facilitator
“When we look at the definition of illiteracy and we recognize that
persons are illiterate in different context. We also spend sometime studying
dyslexia. Today we looked at tools that can be used to determine specifically
what the reading problem is.
I think one of the things and the most important thing if I have to select
will be to empower teachers to give them some of the tools that are necessary
to make them reading professionals in the classroom because I find that too
often we generalize statements in terms of education and we know that teachers
are the professionals, they are the ones who have the knowledge and I just want
empower them a little more give them some of the tools that they can find very
useful in the classroom.”
Patrica Bennett,
“We feel that we wanted to twin it along with reading and some of
the problems that we’ve been experiencing in some of our primary schools
and not only in the Methodist Primary Schools but generally throughout Belize
that our children have been experiencing some problems with reading and we felt
as a management that we wanted to provide them with as much assistance, our
teachers that is, with as much assistance so that they can impart the knowledge,
the skills to the children and that they will be able to improve their reading
and comprehension levels.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
When the teachers return to their classroom next week and they start using the
tools that you have been equipping them with how soon after will they start
seeing changes in that student?
Kits Cadette,
“You know that is an excellent question because there is no cookie
cutter answer to that, it depends on the child that you are working with, it
depends on the severity of the problem.”
The development training workshop is also teaching how to create a
school environment that makes accommodations for students with reading and learning
differences. It ends on Thursday.
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