This article/module explores the notion that to assist "problem readers" in Trinidad and Tobago, it is necessary for teachers to have a knowledge of how language is used in the community and how communication events occur there. These can be the basis for "patterns of interaction" with texts written in English where students or learners have difficulty in reading and writing English; and where both learners and teachers are speakers of Trinidadian Creole English. These "patterns" fall within the learners "experience" of their Language and can be used creatively by teachers for the better Comprehension and production of (International)English texts. The ideas expressed here should be useful wherever there are similar language environments and they are suggested as an alternative to the Language Experience Approach to teaching Reading for such students. Suggestions and links are included for teachers to explore how they can develop these ideas further.
Module outline
- The Problem
- Language in Trinidad and Tobago
- Students' views and the relationship between Language and Literacy
- What can a teacher do? Suggestions for using Communication experiences
- Activities
- References
Instructions for use
1. Read the sections that follow and raise questions on them.
2. You may also suggest additional links or references that other users can explore.3. How can the section on activities be expanded ?
4. Have you encountered a similar situation in your classroom? Describe it for other users.
The problem
This module arose out of observations which the writer made during a Reading-Library project in Princes Town,Trinidad.
One of the aims of the project was to explore for ways of teaching Reading and Writing to (creole-influenced) secondary school "problem or struggling readers".Many young people--especially males (age 14+), who are "struggling readers" leave the secondary school system in Trinidad and Tobago and are unable to communicate competently in speech and writing in International English.
The project accommodated 50 students over a two year period. More than half were males(15+-17 years) from the Technical-Vocational Department of the school( Matilda Senior Secondary). They attended weekly 2-hour sessions in an after- school setting. Students were required to visit the Princes Town Public Library as a group for two to three hours a week to learn library skills.
Background to the project
The project students were of Indo and African descent. They came from rural homes in the Princes Town-Moruga-New Grant area in South Trinidad.(See the map of Trinidad in the Links section.) Parents were mainly gardeners, skilled workers and labourers. In Matilda Senior Secondary, there were approximately 1000+ students and 100+ teachers. The students were prepared over a two-year period for the "sophisticated" Caribbean Examinations Council exams in academic and technical-vocational subjects. Reading some of the textbooks in this area was a students' nightmare.
During these sessions we (the tutors) attempted to build the "traditional" Language-experience shared/group stories using the students Creole-type English. Even though we explained to them why we were doing this, a small crisis occurred. A group of students objected "vociferously" to the use of Trinidadian Creole English to form the stories for their reading material. Of the 50 students, 75% of them preferred to use Standard/International English for their stories. The objection was so fierce (creole being referred to as "DAT"--that language) that the writing /composition of stories in Creole had to be abandoned. Instead , through informal interviews (chats) and classroom observations, the writer gained more insight into how the young people felt and thought about their Language. She thought of this as comprising their own unique "experience" i.e how they "saw" themselves communicating and using Language in their community. She attempted to use this to help them interact with and produce English texts in a meaningful way.
What follows in the sections BELOW are suggestions for an approach to developing materials based on the students' communicative experience.
