The use of recycled materials and an impressive puppet theatre were among the highlights of a four-day exhibition of teaching and learning materials held last week at the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD).
The exhibition, put on by the Ministry of Education for Education Month included samples of teaching materials and learning aids for the nursery, primary and secondary levels.
Particularly impressive was the nursery display, which featured a number of aids made from recycled materials. According to Florence Sukhdeo, the current National Curriculum and Material Advisor of BEAMS, this was deliberately done to show the public that aids can be made using scrap materials that would often be regarded as being useless. These included puzzles made from cardboard and scrap books, which were made from old cards. In using these materials, she said, schools or organisations operating on limited budgets can access more teaching aids and materials.
Another notable exhibit in this section was the puppet theatre which was designed by Sukhdeo. She explained that puppetry is a very effective educational device for teaching young children since it appeals to both the visual and audio senses of a child. “Appealing to these senses is good since it is essential to keep the children interested while teaching,” she added.
Students from various schools were able to view and use the teaching and learning materials, much to their delight.
The primary exhibits were also eye-catching although not as exciting as the nursery display. This display focused specifically on the areas of Mathematics, English and Science. Bejai Narayan a VSO from Canada who had served in the interior regions of Guyana and later gave some of her materials to the Ministry of Education donated the majority of materials in this section. The stand out in this display was the learning wall, which is a large artistic work which children are encouraged to observe and develop their descriptive skills.
The secondary display included a presentation by the Guyana Forestry Commis-sion. The booth included power point presentations showcasing various scientific processes involved in processing timber.