A mentoring system, linking inexperienced teachers of English Literature with those with years of experience, was set up on Friday last when the English Literature Teachers’ Association (ELTA) held its inaugural meeting at the St Stanislaus College.
Dr Joyce Jonas, senior Literature tutor of the University of Guyana and examiner of English Literature for the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), who led the proceedings, said the ELTA was conceived as a result of a discussion she had with other CXC examiners in Trinidad and Tobago. She said they were all concerned about the poor results gained by Guyanese students in English Literature.
She stressed in her opening remarks that literature was important in children’s lives, as it enhanced their social well-being in its entirety.
Several experienced educators spoke. Among them was Luraine Meertins, an education official, stressed the importance of English ‘B’ as life and not just a subject needed to get a job, as perceived by many. She noted too that there was a high failure percentage in the subject area since not many children liked the subject. However, she said, if teachers were enthusiastic about the subject, it would be easier to relate to the classroom setting, thereby awaking an interest among the students.
Hazel Moses-Walrond identified a lack of reading as yet another major problem for unsatisfactory performances in English Literature.
Elona Williams posited that schools should have fortified libraries managed by trained librarians. In addition, she said, classes should be timetabled for library science as a means of getting children involved in reading.
Charles Sobers stated that children needed to feel a sense of involvement in the stories being examined in the classroom so as to develop an interest in the subject. He also added that they should be taught literature from a tender age as opposed to waiting until they got to secondary school or were preparing for CXC examinations.
The newly formed ELTA has set itself both long-term and short-term goals. Along with the mentoring system, a team of consultants is preparing to use the internet to disseminate articles on content and methodology to ELTA members. Inter-school competitions will be organized to stimulate enthusiasm among teachers and students and stimulating reading material will be collected and made available for classroom use. The ELTA will also hold monthly seminars at St Stanislaus, every first Friday. The first is scheduled for October 3 from 4 pm to 6 pm and will focus on the CXC text Beka Lamb. All teachers of Literature are invited.