Reading Month 2020

 

Concept Note for 2020

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The year 2020 may well forever be associated with the global Covid-19 pandemic. It has been the single, unprecedented event of our time that has succeeded in grinding almost to a halt all social and economic activity. However, events such as these are not only ideal for highlighting existing gaps, but perhaps more importantly, opportunities. It would therefore be remiss of us, as educators at all levels of this system, to allow the opportunities presented by this pandemic to go unexplored and unaddressed.

Background

The OECS Education Sector Strategy (OESS) in the section ‘Education in the OECS’ makes two important points that are significant to our present situation. The first relates to the ability of our countries to function effectively in a global economy. The OESS (2012, p.2) states: “Fully integrated into the global economy, improved competitiveness will increasingly matter to the OECS. A key constraint to growth is the development and deployment of the right types of skills. Education has an important role to play in addressing these challenges in the OECS.” In identifying one of the challenges of education in the OECS (p.4), it makes this second point:

Students leaving secondary school do not possess the critical thinking skills required for today’s labour market, let alone for the projected higher levels of knowledge and skills for future economies. ​Beyond certificates, employers require ​inter alia ​creative, critical thinkers; competences in interpreting data; the capacity to generate and communicate knowledge; ICT skills, ability to work in teams on complex tasks and to demonstrate appropriate work ethics.

Our very own Education Sector Development Plan (2015, p.12) cites as one of our priorities “Innovative learner support systems: efficient and effective support systems that enable learners to achieve their full potential.” One of the core corporate principles focus on innovation, stating that “Delivery of the “best education” cannot be fully accomplished by remaining attached to antiquated teaching methods and technologies. Our learners have changed and so must we. We must be innovative in both our content and delivery as opportunities continue to avail themselves.” (p. 15) This sector plan identified the need for risk management as it relates to education infrastructure, due to various factors including ​health​ factors.

While we may not have foreseen the advent of the novel Coronavirus (Covid-19), it is clear from the above strategy documents that we were aware of the need to be ready for such challenges. In order to live up to our name as a Ministry responsible for ​education, innovation ​and​ sustainable development,​ we must use this opportunity to improve how education is administered in St. Lucia. Predicated on that innovation, we may need to reevaluate what we consider as important in education. Herbert Spencer in his 1859 essay posed the question “What knowledge is of most worth?” The answer to that question is adjusted with our accumulated experiences, and social and economic needs.

Two of our most pressing educational needs, as a nation, is to develop independent learners and to facilitate critical thinking. Every educator knows the gradual release of responsibility model (Pearson & Gallagher, 1983), the end goal of which is a student who is a competent, independent learner. Pease and Carpenter (2013) recommend three skills to build independence: ​self-regulation​, through modelling, reflection and feedback; ​persistence,​ through the use of formative assessment practices, including student self-assessment; and ​collaboration ​with peers, while assuming personal responsibility for contributions to the whole group.

Critical thinking refers to not just an ability, but also an attitude (Lamont, 2020). As critical thinkers, we must be able to evaluate information to determine its legitimacy, its bias and its intended effect. However, the results of this evaluation must be further put to use; a person must decide how to use this information to shape his or her own beliefs and actions, and to influence those of others. An independent learner and critical thinker would be an asset to self and community.