Teachers told to be creative, innovative, and know their students

NALIS, the National Library and Information System has made the first move in the effort to expose Caribbean professionals to the Guidelines and Manifestos, and the impact which they can have on School and Public Libraries in the Caribbean.

This took the form of a three-day seminar which ended Wednesday at the Ambassador Hotel in Port-of-Spain. Among the speakers at the seminar was Dr Ival Melville-Myers, a Ministry of Education Curriculum Co-ordinator, based at the Rudranath Capildeo Learning Centre.She dealt with the subject “Collaboration between Teachers and Libraries in the Information Age. Melville-Myers made it clear at the outset: “No longer does the teacher have the role of the sage on the stage, dispensing information to empty vessels. “Teachers have to change with the times.  They have to change their method of delivery, be creative, innovative, know their students, their learning styles, and teach so that they can reach all the students in their class”.

Melville-Myers was of the view that librarians who are knowledgeable in information handling skills should be working with the teacher. “Library skills are not just a buttress to the curriculum, but are at the very foundation of the curriculum”, said Melville-Myers. As a result, she added, the teacher and librarian need to complement each other in meeting the educational goals through the curriculum and their efforts at instruction. Noting that many students have reading problems, Melville-Myers said: “The librarian can provide reading with meaning, help students reach understanding, prod and inspire those who have no desire to read, fit the book to the reader and give informal lessons in the use and value of books, said Melville-Myers. “Working together, both teacher and librarian can provide a strengthened relevant and effective instructional programme for students, through which the goals and objectives will be achieved in this technologically-driven information age”, said Melville-Myers.