CURRICULUM CONSTRUCTION

IN THECOMMONWEALTH OF

DOMINICA

By Veda George

20/01/10

• Dominica is about 309 sq miles

• Situated between Martinique in the South and Guadeloupe in the North

• Population is approximately 69,000

• Home of the indigenous Carib Indians

• Known as the Nature Island of the Caribbean

• Dominica is very mountainous

• A number of hot/sulphur springs

• 365 rivers

• Site for whale watching and deep sea diving

• Abundance of natural fauna and flora

• Abundance of natural fruits and vegetables, …

• Early Childhood is referred to as the period from 0 – 5 years

• ECE began in 1930s with the opening of a few privately owned infant schools

• 1957 opening of the St. Ann’s Day Nursery by the Social Centre

• Following that the focus was on pre-primary education

• Social Centre continued to establish preschools (12); as well as other NGOs

• Somewhere following that period an Education Officer was employed by the MoE to oversee all preschools

• Post became vacant and managing the preschools was left mainly to the Social Centre…

• Government continued to employ an officer who was seconded to the Social Centre…

• 1997 adopted the Education Act 11with provisions for preprimary education

• 2001 Education Act was amended to include daycare centres

• 2001 to 2005 Council on Early Childhood Education

• 2003 Standards and Regulations• 2005 with assistance from UNICEF –

inspection for licensing (deficient in many areas including the area of curriculum)

• 2006 licenses issued for the first time (1yr/3yrs)

• 2007 UNICEF/ Mrs. Sian Williams - Survey with Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale (ECERS),

• 2009 to now there are 76 preschools catering to the needs of children from 21/2 to 41/2 years –still no government owned centre

• By December 2009 there were approximately 1891children in the preschools

IMPLEMENTING THE HIGH SCOPE CURRICULUM

• Surveys had shown that there was inconsistency in what was being done in the preschools – need for a national curriculum

• 2006 – visit to St. Kitts through OAS exchange

• 2006 Dominica became one of the countries to receive assistance from UNICEF with curriculum development

• In 2007 ECE Specialist, Ms Polly Neil from High Scope visited and conducted a training of trainers workshop in implementing the Programme Quality Assessment (PQA) Tool

• 8 facilities on the island were randomly assessed to determine the quality of the ECE programme at these facilities

• The areas assessed were the – Learning environment– Daily routine– Adult-child relationship– Curriculum planning and assessment

• There was deficiency in most of the areas• 2007 Dominica participated in a training of

trainers in St. Kitts• 4 model centres were selected for piloting

the programme but all teachers on island were exposed to the Curriculum

• 2008 Dominica participated in another training of trainers workshop and the 4 lead teachers attended

• 2008 materials were provided to the four model centres and the teachers began to implementing the curriculum focusing on the aspect of small group time

• 2009 physical setting of 4 centres rearranged to include the five basic areas –library, home, block, toy, art, (sand/water)

• Five areas formed the criteria for licensing in all other preschools

• 2009 the four lead teachers visited St. Kitts to gain first hand experience

• Implementation of the daily routine to include Plan – Do- Review

WHY HIGH SCOPE?

• Is research based• Identifies 58 Key Developmental Indicators

(KDIs) organized under 5 content areas:1. Approaches to learning2. Language, Literacy, and Communication3. Social and Emotional Development4. Physical Development, Health and Well- Being5. Arts and Sciences

• Focuses 5 key areas

1. Active Participatory Learning• Materials- open ended, sufficient, … • Manipulation• Choice• Child thought and language• Adult scaffolding

2. Learning Environment3. Daily Routine

a. Plan - Do – Review Timeb. Small Group Timec. Large Group Timed. Outside Time

e. Snack/Rest4. Adult Child Interaction5. Assessment

www.highscope.org

Challenges

• Still waiting for ECE policy to be ratified

• All centres are privately owned – teachers depend on school fees …

• Rented space

• Teacher/child ratio

• Insufficient materials

• Fear of Change…

FORWARD WE GO!

THANK YOU AND

GOD BLESS OUR CHLDREN