Advancing the Case for Indigenous Education in Multidisciplinary Contexts

This chapter addresses the situation where the traditional approach to education involves using foreign concepts and practices to the exclusion of authentic indigenous ideas. The history of Trinidad and Tobago and many islands of the Caribbean includes the rich cultural experiences of the original inhabitants. The authors propose that these cultural artifacts are genuine sources that can be used effectively as instructional approaches in multidisciplinary contexts. To further develop this argument, the researchers explore the concept of indigenous education as opposed to traditional education exemplified by apprenticeship, mentorship, and internship. They cite examples from educators in the Caribbean, New Zealand, and Australia, where indigenous practices are implemented and valued. Key concepts of inclusion, international collaboration, and multidisciplinary perspectives enhanced by digital technologies, underscore this innovative thrust in education. To balance their argument, the authors discuss relevant challenges and suggest ways for minimizing them. The formulation of the Innovative Initiative is framed by the theories and works of Bethel, Bronfenbrenner, Chesney and Bristol, Fullan, Gay, Ladson-Billings, Smith, Vygotsky, and Caribbean researchers such as Craig and Joseph. The chapter concludes with a call for the sustainability of indigenous educational practices as an important thrust in 21st century education and development.

Development and Implementation of an Early Childhood Parenting Curriculum for Preschool Teachers

This chapter describes the development and subsequent implementation of a parenting curriculum in an early childhood education classroom. The purpose of the study is to provide a curriculum for preschool teachers to improve the quality of early childhood education. The study was implemented in several classrooms of an early childhood center. The center was located on a university campus of an urban city in the state of Connecticut, USA. The innovation in this work was the idea that curriculum for early childhood providers could be created in a way that started from parent perceptions, rather than from telling parents how they need to change to meet school needs. The results of this study suggest that teachers who implement the parenting curriculum would be better prepared to work with both parents and children in a preschool setting.

Inducing Long-Term, Positive Behavior Change

The focus of this chapter is to highlight two different transformational change initiatives in public schools that rely on student leadership to be effective. Both programs will explore effective ways to empower students as leaders, to make better social decisions, and to improve their attachment to school and community. One program involves a student-led technology club in a middle school. The goal of the club is to assist with the school's technology usage while also making a positive impact on participating students' achievement and attachment to school. The other program involves educating high school students on the risks of heroin and opioid addiction. Both programs seek to leverage student empowerment to induce long-term, positive behavior change in the students directly involved as well as those around them.

How School Leaders Can Support Teachers With Program Implementation

Continuous reflective practices are a driving agent in allowing educational stakeholders to understand the consistent need for recurring change in P-12 learning settings. In this chapter, school leaders describe how they are supporting teachers and ancillary instructional staff with implementing transformative action-based programs. Four transformative leadership initiative case studies will be described. The authors bring various perspectives of supporting program implementation due to their roles in school districts as an elementary ELL teacher, a teacher coach and math teacher, and a district supervisor of Early Childhood education. The first case study will walk readers through how the infusion of a literacy program was conducted using transformational read-alouds to boost reading engagement and motivation amongst English language learners. Next, a teacher coach and math teacher will share how professional learning communities (PLCs) were utilized to promote collaboration amongst K-5 teachers throughout the implementation of a new core mathematics program. The third case study examines a doctoral student project that provided evidence based professional development on early science inquiry. Finally, a Supervisor of Early Childhood details how teachers were supported with the implementation of a three-tiered instructional intervention designed to aid preschool students with developing kindergarten readiness skills to close an identified transitionary achievement gap between preschool and kindergarten classrooms in the participating school district.

The Use of the RRIR ICT Integration Model as an Instructional Planning Tool

This chapter introduces the retrieve, revise, implement, and review (RRIR) ICT integration model, created by the author, to assist teachers in systematically planning lessons in information communication technologies (ICT). A case study design was used to collect data in two parts from Teachers in 30 primary schools in Trinidad and Tobago. The first part required the teachers to use the RRIR model log book for one school term. The second part used focus group sessions to inquire about the teachers' perceptions, pedagogical changes, and the factors influencing their decision to continue using the RRIR model log book. The data revealed four broad themes: support for pedagogical innovation, adaptability and intentional instructional changes, approaches to ICT integration, and school leadership. Overall, the teachers disclosed that the RRIR ICT integration model allowed them to plan their ICT integrated lessons reflectively. Concerning the school context, further research is needed to elucidate its impact since teachers reflected on barriers to the ICT integration process in schools.

Primary School Teachers' Perceived Factors Affecting the Integration of ICT in an Educational District

This study examined whether there was a link between school context, teachers' knowledge, mastery of ICT, and the factors perceived by teachers during the integration of ICT in their classrooms. One hundred teachers at the early childhood and middle school levels, in the Port-of-Spain and Environs School District, Trinidad and Tobago, participated in this study. The data was analyzed using SPSS, Version 22 Software. The results, using 1-way ANOVA, revealed no significant differences between the main factors (p = 5%) as perceived by teachers, hindering the use and integration of ICT into their lessons: insufficient instructional support [F (6, 88) = 0.45, p =0.0843]; inadequate hardware and software support [F (6, 88) = 0.47, p = 0.0830]; ICT literacy restrictions [F (6, 88) = 1.13, p = 0.350]; and limited leadership at the level of the school [F (6, 88) = 0.86, p = 0.529]. Despite these results, teachers continue to perceive these factors as hindrances to the integration of ICT in the teaching/learning process, which could have implications for ICT integration decision making in schools.

A Case Study Into the Effects of Implementing Web-Based Instructional Technology in a Primary School Classroom in Trinidad and Tobago

Redesigning teaching for the 21st century in Trinidad and Tobago involves several mechanisms to be put in place to ensure our students are equipped with competencies and skills to lead a sustainable life. One such mechanism is the implementation of computer and web-based technologies in the public primary school classroom. Traditionally, computers are not used within the classroom for learning; neither are computing nor Information Communication Technology (ICT) taught as subject areas. The case study presented in this chapter explores the effects of implementing web-based technology into classroom instruction. Specifically, it was implemented into the Language Arts classroom to help students to develop grammar skills in their writing tasks. The research found three effects: 1) an established technological infrastructure needs to be in place for successful implementation, 2) the role of technology on student learning, and 3) the influence of technology on student behavior in the classroom.

Assessing Faculty Perception of PowerPoint as a Digital Content Authoring Tool

This study sought to identify the perceptions of faculty in utilizing Microsoft PowerPoint as an authoring tool. This research posited that Microsoft PowerPoint has some multimedia authoring features and can possibly be used as a single-point multimedia authoring tool for faculty to utilize to create multimedia content for courses that they teach. However, PowerPoint is traditionally used as a presentation software, and despite its multimedia authoring capabilities, faculty may not be aware or even willing to use such features, having grown accustomed to their traditional use of the software. Nonetheless, from this study, it confirms that faculty are biased to seeing PowerPoint as a presentation tool. However, the study revealed that despite the initial myopia and limitations, post-intervention, participants showed a keen interest in using PowerPoint beyond the realm of presentations.

Innovations in Teaching-Learning and Evaluation

The term ‘teaching-learning' intrinsically expresses the ongoing learning process that every educator constantly experiences; to teach is to learn and to engage in knowledge updation continually. Indeed, it may be argued that the very basis of being a teacher is the facilitation of one's own learning opportunities and skill sets. In investigating the evolution of teaching-learning processes at CHRIST, one may define the university's growth using the key concept of ‘innovation'. Whether it be the humanities, social sciences, life sciences, or business studies, innovations in teaching-learning methods are imperative in any globally conscious education system today. Two of the key areas of focus in terms of innovations in the teaching learning process are the practical application of knowledge and learnt skills.

Faculty Feedback Regarding the Usability of Microsoft PowerPoint as a Multimedia Authoring Tool

The purpose of this study was to identify faculty feedback, regarding their usage of Microsoft PowerPoint (PPT) in an innovative way: to create multimedia content apart from presentations. The research provided an insight into the eagerness and willingness of faculty to use PowerPoint to create multimedia content for their courses. Despite the fact that none of the participants in the study ever used PPT to create multimedia artefacts such as graphics and interactive quizzes, the data revealed a sense of ease and comfort in participants as they used PPT to create the artefacts. This study posits that this may have occurred due to the familiarity that faculty have with PPT to do presentations. The study was able to identify challenges that would impede the faculty engaging in content creation with PPT beyond the study and prescribed possible solutions to mitigate against the expressed challenges.