VSOs return home (new!)
Module 9 now available (new!)
Module 7 now available (new!)
Module 8 now available (new!)
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Monday, December 29, 2008
After two years in Guyana, Stephen Harding (Education Management Specialist), his wife Mary (Literacy Specialist) and Meg Caton (SEN Specialist) are returning home on 13th February 2009. This is what was said about them in the Guyana Chronicle PepperPot.....
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VSO trio head home Saturday
taking with them bittersweet memories
By Vanessa Narine
“We just booked our tickets, but we will be taking Guyana home in our hearts.”
These were the words of Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) volunteers Ms Meg Caton, Mr. Stephen Harding, and his wife Ms. Mary Harding; three individuals who, after meeting for the first time two years ago, have found fulfillment, fun and friends for life, as they served as volunteers based at the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD).The three, who supported the Education Sector here with their various talents, are bound for the United Kingdom (UK) and will be leaving next Saturday as they set off to reunite with family, and experience new things.“I am going home to two grandchildren expected over the next few weeks,” Meg Caton said, bitter-sweet emotions emanating from her words.She described her experience here as everything from exciting, rewarding and amazing to challenging and new.
Working with Mary Harding in Curriculum Development, Meg conveyed the feeling of satisfaction that came from visiting schools all across Guyana and seeing children being happy to read.
“Seeing them use the materials we helped develop, and the joy they got from reading was extremely rewarding,” she said.However, besides the rewards of her professional stint in Guyana, Meg said she was delighted at being a part of the Guyanese culture, and the many major events that occurred during her stay here.Mary Harding echoed Meg’s sentiments, and singled out World Cup Cricket, the Caribbean Festival of the Creative Arts (CARIFESTA), plays at the Theatre Guild Playhouse and the National Cultural Centre; the celebration of Mashramani, Diwali, Phagwah and Christmas as being among the most enjoyable moments she’d had over the years.“The togetherness of the Guyanese people during these events, and the integration of everyone, regardless of religion, into the other’s celebrations exemplifies the country’s motto: ‘One People, One Nation, One Destiny’,” Mary declared, excitement at the memory evident in her voice.She went on to say that not only did this spirit exist during playtime, but also during the course of work as working at NCERD involved teamwork as well as team spirit.“Working with curriculum development at NCERD was working as part of a team that was focused on improving literacy, and improving individual skills in Guyana in a mass literacy countrywide programme, the Fast Track Initiative (FTI), which targeted head teachers, practicing teachers and educators,” Mary said.Mary also said that apart from the oneness one felt, life here was very different from that of life in London, particularly the lifestyles of persons in the outlying areas of Guyana.Mary’s husband, Stephen, who worked in Education Management, echoed her sentiments, but added that while they had come with no idea of what to expect, they were, nevertheless, stunned.“The differences are countless, but one thing I appreciate very much is that Sundays in Guyana remains a day of rest.
The traffic lights blink amber throughout the day; Guyanese take time to go to their religious bodies; and Sundays are distinctly different,” Stephen said, seemingly lost contemplating the differences.His colleague, Meg, also recalled her many Sundays in Guyana, saying that in London, Sundays were just normal days.“Persons should try not to change Sundays, since it is a special time that some take for granted,” Meg said.Stephen continued his reminiscence as he pointed to one moment in several “special times” he experienced and said in all his years of work, never did he have a view of the ocean as he did while working with NCERD.“I had the perfect view of the Atlantic Ocean, and we could always tell before anyone when the rains were coming,” he recalled laughingly.Another special moment for him was the completion of a programme he wrote to assist in the training of School Managers, the Education Management Certificate Course, a programme that has seen over 350 graduates countrywide since its initiation.“There is a genuine thirst for knowledge in Guyana; people want to learn, especially now that the programme has activities to stimulate persons during the lectures,” Stephen said.
He said that since the fourth batch of school managers completed the 18-month course, over 600 individuals have expressed their interest in the programme, which it is hoped will continue as part of NCERD’s commitment to training.“The programme, which was developed in 1990 for schools in Africa, was now completely fitted to Guyana and its environment,” Stephen said proudly. “We have achieved far more than we had expected, and it is very satisfying.”The three agreed that while the two years they spent here simply “flew by,” the satisfaction they gained was well beyond their expectations, not just work-wise, but in other respects as well, particularly the Guyanese cuisine and of course Guyana’s tourist attractions.
“The best trips we had were our visits to the Kaieteur Falls and Shell Beach,” Mary said.Smiling, her husband, Stephen, recalled the occasion.
“Everything that could have gone wrong on the trip to Shell Beach went wrong, but we were laughing the entire time,” he said.Smiling too, Mary’s memories traced back to the trip, as she reminded her husband of the boat breaking down in the middle of nowhere but added that the experience was worth so much.“As much as we gave in our years as volunteers, we got back two-fold in so many other ways,” Meg said.So, leaving with the many experiences and fond memories gained while selflessly giving of themselves to serve other humans, in a strange land whose culture was alien to them, Meg, Mary and Stephen have exemplified the view that serving others brings its own rewards.Director of NCERD, Mr Mohandatt Goolsarran, gave the VSO volunteers another reward, in that he expressed his gratitude for their selfless support over the years.“They were very adaptable and produced quality work, while they became integrated within the system, providing professional skills and motivating teachers to strive for greater heights,” he said.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
All Modules now complete and online
We've all been waiting for it and now it's happened. All Education Management Programme Modules are now online in text and PDF versions. Just go to the side bar on the right to view or download them.
Module 5 was the last to complete and it can now be viewed with all the others on http://www.ncerdleaders.com/.
This is a first for NCERD to have all of the materials for a distance learning programme online for all to see.
Module 5 was the last to complete and it can now be viewed with all the others on http://www.ncerdleaders.com/.
This is a first for NCERD to have all of the materials for a distance learning programme online for all to see.
Module 9 School Records and Documents
We are pleased to announce that the Supplementary Module 9 based on the guidelines School Records and Documents is now available online. Just go to the side bar on the right to find it.
Although we have made it clear in the last eight modules that the most important aspect of a headteacher’s function is the leadership role, we cannot deny that there is also a need for a certain amount of administration to make sure that schools function smoothly and that appropriate records are kept for those who need them.
This module is a supplementary one and does not form part of the main programme. It is based on the Ministry of Education’s document “School Records and Documents” which has been updated regularly to meet current needs. It is the Ministry’s guidelines for all administrative activity for schools in Guyana. It is an extremely comprehensive guide produced by a large number of persons who wrote it and were part of the consultation process. It gives clear instructions to headteachers on how they should operate in respect of their administrative duties.
Whilst we accept that such administrative tasks are essential in keeping the wheels of the school moving smoothly, we must remember, however, that these tasks are not a means to a successful school in themselves. They assist the headteacher in keeping appropriate records to support him /her to fulfil his / her role as a leader. Alone they will not raise achievement. This is done by coaching, motivating and supporting school staff. School records should be completed, therefore, as far as possible outside of the school day and should not be used as an excuse to avoid working in those areas which will make a real difference to pupil achievement.
The primary purpose of the guidelines is to provide information to school practitioners in an attempt to enhance their competence and confidence. When the guidelines are adhered to, the system of accountability would be greatly improved.
The format of this module is different from that of the previous ones in that each unit will have a short introduction, after which you will be expected to read the appropriate sections of the guidelines. On completion of your reading, you will find a number of reflections and activities which we hope you will complete. We have provided you with a page reference from the guidelines to assist you in this process. The answers to the activities should be recorded in your portfolio in the normal way.
Although we have made it clear in the last eight modules that the most important aspect of a headteacher’s function is the leadership role, we cannot deny that there is also a need for a certain amount of administration to make sure that schools function smoothly and that appropriate records are kept for those who need them.
This module is a supplementary one and does not form part of the main programme. It is based on the Ministry of Education’s document “School Records and Documents” which has been updated regularly to meet current needs. It is the Ministry’s guidelines for all administrative activity for schools in Guyana. It is an extremely comprehensive guide produced by a large number of persons who wrote it and were part of the consultation process. It gives clear instructions to headteachers on how they should operate in respect of their administrative duties.
Whilst we accept that such administrative tasks are essential in keeping the wheels of the school moving smoothly, we must remember, however, that these tasks are not a means to a successful school in themselves. They assist the headteacher in keeping appropriate records to support him /her to fulfil his / her role as a leader. Alone they will not raise achievement. This is done by coaching, motivating and supporting school staff. School records should be completed, therefore, as far as possible outside of the school day and should not be used as an excuse to avoid working in those areas which will make a real difference to pupil achievement.
The primary purpose of the guidelines is to provide information to school practitioners in an attempt to enhance their competence and confidence. When the guidelines are adhered to, the system of accountability would be greatly improved.
The format of this module is different from that of the previous ones in that each unit will have a short introduction, after which you will be expected to read the appropriate sections of the guidelines. On completion of your reading, you will find a number of reflections and activities which we hope you will complete. We have provided you with a page reference from the guidelines to assist you in this process. The answers to the activities should be recorded in your portfolio in the normal way.
Almost there
After 3 batches of the Education Management Programme, NCERD is proud to report that we have almost completed the complete task of the revision of the EMC Modules. Only one remains - module 5 School Finance. It has been completed and is currently with the technical advisor who is checking it over for accuracy. You can expect to see it on the website in the next week or so.
The modules are now completely Guyanese and no longer contain any reference to Africa. This will assist trainees considerably in ensuring that their understanding of the education system is current.
This will complete the tasks of the Education Management Specialist and VSO Stephen Harding from Great Britain who has been in Guyana for two years in NCERD and will be returning home on 13th February 2009.
Watch this space!
Module 7 The Management of Schools now available and online
We are pleased to report that you can now access Module 7 The Management of Schools both in text and PDF format online from this website. Just go to the sidebar on the right to find the links to download it or read it.
Introduction
The purpose of this module is to enable heads to gain an understanding and insight into the nature and dimensions of school management, and thus help them work effectively with the various groups and bodies which have a part to play in the good management of each school.
Let us first of all remind ourselves of the distinction between leadership, management and administration. A good head would be capable of all three and particularly his / her key role as a leader. We will deal with this in much greater detail in Module 8 “The Leadership of Schools”. In simple terms, the leader creates the vision and engages the staff to fulfil that vision. The manager creates order and structure to oversee and undertake the process and the various stages required to achieve the task. The administrator deals with the day-to-day issues that are required for the whole process to run smoothly, meet the requirements of the law and achieve the desired results. In short, what will be done, how it will be done and the doing!
In this Module, we will examine the process of management. There are many people and organisations involved in the management of a school and they all have their part to play. We will not only examine the role of headteacher in this but also look at the responsibilities of other outside stakeholders such as the parents, the children, the regional departments of education, the community and the central ministry.
Introduction
The purpose of this module is to enable heads to gain an understanding and insight into the nature and dimensions of school management, and thus help them work effectively with the various groups and bodies which have a part to play in the good management of each school.
Let us first of all remind ourselves of the distinction between leadership, management and administration. A good head would be capable of all three and particularly his / her key role as a leader. We will deal with this in much greater detail in Module 8 “The Leadership of Schools”. In simple terms, the leader creates the vision and engages the staff to fulfil that vision. The manager creates order and structure to oversee and undertake the process and the various stages required to achieve the task. The administrator deals with the day-to-day issues that are required for the whole process to run smoothly, meet the requirements of the law and achieve the desired results. In short, what will be done, how it will be done and the doing!
In this Module, we will examine the process of management. There are many people and organisations involved in the management of a school and they all have their part to play. We will not only examine the role of headteacher in this but also look at the responsibilities of other outside stakeholders such as the parents, the children, the regional departments of education, the community and the central ministry.
Module 8 now available
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We are pleased to report that Module 8 Leadership in Schools is now available on this website in both text and PDF formats (Portable Display Format). Just go to the side bar on the right to find a link to see the module or down load it.The module is a complete re-write of the original one and should be much clearer for trainees to follow. The following is a summary of the new module for your information:
Module Eight
The Leadership of Schools
Understanding leadership in schools
In this unit, we looked at the main reasons why we have schools in Guyana in order to focus on the role of the leader and the concept of leadership and, in particular, the type of action that is associated with a good leader. We concentrated on the differences between administration, management and leadership and concluded that, although all have their place, leadership is the most important role and is essential to the development of efficient and successful schools. We examined the characteristics of effective leaders.
We looked particularly at the diverse approaches of the reactive and the proactive headteacher and concluded that it is essential for heads to be proactive in all that they do rather than simply waiting for the specific instructions of others. And finally, we brought to your attention the need for leaders to model how to follow and highlighted the main hallmarks of effective followers.
The principles of educational leadership
Whereas in Unit One we looked at leadership in relationship to schools, in this unit we examined more closely the general skills which are required to be an effective leader and related them to your own practice in school. In some cases we gave you examples of what you could do in school to become accomplished in the desired skills. We added to the work of an earlier module by considering the effectiveness of a variety of styles and, at various points in the unit, asked you to start evaluating your own leadership performance.
Leadership in Guyana’s schools
In this unit we have moved the focus to the needs of the Guyanese educational system, from the theory to its application in schools. We required you to understand the essential characteristics that Guyana wants to develop in its leaders and to put some of this into practice by analysing your own performance in these areas.
We identified a number of groups, whose responsibility it is to develop the future leaders of Guyana. These range from yourself as a potential leader (or perhaps you already are one) through each of the various levels in the school though to those externally responsible for schools in the regions and the Ministry of Education. In each case we related these requirements to the imperative to create effective and successful schools.
Leading in your new school
In this unit we asked you to use your imagination and consider the implications for you of a new leadership post. You were exposed to the various emotions and thoughts that you might have before taking up the post. We looked at the effects that your appointment may have on others and their reaction to you and how you might ease for them the transition from one manager to another. Our aim was to help you to feel more confident about being a middle leader, member of a senior leadership team or headteacher.
We looked at some practical issues such as developing strategies for getting to know and understand your staff and how to make an impact in the first few weeks without making persons feel threatened by any changes you may wish to make. Finally we discussed the way you might use your own experience to date and that of other staff to your best advantage.
Developing leadership in others
Leadership training is now commonly seen as a key feature in the agenda to raise achievement in schools and to improve their effectiveness. We believe, therefore, that it cannot be left to chance or delivered in an ad hoc way. It is important that you are able to appreciate what is meant by leadership professional development and why it is essential to develop people in leadership. As a result of this, you need to understand the process of providing professional development and be able to describe the various forms that leadership professional development may take both for individuals and groups of people in order that you will be able to put them into practice.
However, we are aware that such training in Guyana has its challenges especially in the light of decreasing resources and resource persons. We provided for you strategies to try to overcome this in a positive way. Each type of leader deserves a tailor-made programme to meet its needs. In this unit, we outlined for you the specific leadership training focus of each group and assisted you in evaluating those skills in order that good decisions will be made about future leaders.
Finally, we all need to plan for a time when our leaders will move on to other things. Succession planning is a way of preparing for this and we linked this concept to all of the other training processes already outlined.
Identifying leadership characteristics
This unit was quite different from many others in that it not only assisted you in understanding the basic competencies of a headteacher but also showed you how to evaluate those competencies in a way which would be meaningful and useful for you. If you completed the exercise, you now be in possession of a document which shows clearly your strengths and weaknesses as a leader according to the perceptions both of yourself and others who you manage or are managed by.
Your own leadership growth plan
After working through the competency evaluation of the last unit, it was essential that the information gained was used to inform further development of your leadership skills. To this end, you should now have a better understanding of the variety of methods of receiving feedback about your leadership competencies that are available to you and recognise the sources on hand for feedback about your performance.
We encouraged you to create your own leadership growth plan and use examples of leadership growth plans for middle and senior leaders to improve your own one. Finally, we encouraged the use of and described a leadership portfolio which would store your background and professional information as well as successful examples of your leadership activities and your reflections on them.
Go forward and lead
Having reached the end of the main modules of the Education Management Programme, this module will pull together all you have learnt to allow you to apply this knowledge and skills in a real life situation.
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