OOW
2024
Saturday 31 August 2024
Friday 23 August 2024
READING ALARM
LITERACY TASK FORCE SOUNDS ALARM ON DECLINING READING LEVELS
By Shanna Moore
The National Task Force on Literacy Education has backed the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) in raising concerns over declining literacy rates among students in the region, following a significant drop in pass rates for English and Mathematics in the May/June 2024 exams.
Head of the task force, Dr Sylvia Henry, in an interview with Barbados TODAY, underscored the need for urgent and collective action to reverse the worrying trend.
“The task force is not surprised by the concerns shared [by CXC],” Henry said.
“Many of its members spent the summer participating in activities to help struggling students and have witnessed a stark decline in literacy skills.”In addition to English, poor results were also noted in Mathematics, Chemistry, French, Information Technology, Accounts, and Science. Henry stressed that the deterioration in literacy is deeply concerning, as it forms the foundation for academic success and the development of essential life and workplace skills.
“Well-developed literacy skills result in increased levels of effective writing, reading, comprehension, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills, which can determine success academically as well as success in the development of essential workplace and life skills,” she explained.
The COVID-19 pandemic, Henry added, has exacerbated the issue, with its impact continuing to hinder students’ academic performance.
“Our analysis of this situation must also take full cognisance of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students’ ability to perform at their maximum,” she said. “While some students were able to access relevant technologies to assist with their education, others were not. Indeed, this pandemic has not only affected our region, but worldwide learners have lost significant levels of basic numeracy and literacy skills due to the disruption by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Henry further warned that the ramifications of learning loss extend beyond academics, pointing to a rise in youth violence. Citing a 2009 study by Drs Saul, Rowe, and Henry, commissioned by the National Task Force on Crime Prevention, she noted that low levels of literacy are prevalent among incarcerated youth, many of whom lack adequate reading skills.
“Youth lacking in this area are not only more likely to be involved in the juvenile justice system but also have a higher likelihood of negative outcomes postincarceration,” she cautioned.
Since its launch earlier this year, the National Task Force on Literacy Education has been working with schools, communities, social groups, and government ministries to address these challenges. She told Barbados TODAY: “[It] has been working with schools, communities, social groups, institutions and ministries to effect its mission [and] therefore, is in total agreement with the call from CXC for a collective effort from all stakeholders to address literacy needs in order to improve learning outcome.”
The literacy advocate emphasised that the effort to improve literacy must extend beyond the classroom.
“Local research should be done to determine the real impact of COVID- 19 on our learners,” she said, pointing to international research that shows students are exhibiting post-pandemic social anxieties, lack of critical thinking skills, and poor peer interactions, which in turn disrupt learning.
Henry called for an urgent review of the national curriculum, urging that it be updated to align with the revised UNESCO definition of literacy, which now encompasses a broader set of skills including digital literacy, media literacy, and education for sustainable development.
“Our schools and our curricula need to be readjusted to address the changed UNESCO definition of literacy,” she stressed.
The UNESCO definition now includes a continuum of learning in reading, writing, and numeracy throughout life, along with proficiency in digital skills, media literacy, global citizenship, and job-specific competencies. shannamoore @barbadostoday.bb
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OOW
2024
Monday 12 August 2024
Mrs. Sophia Lee from The Ellerslie School introducing The Barbados Land-ship to the people of Tanzania
"Karibu kwa familia na marafiki zetu nchini Tanzania kutoka Shule ya Ellerslie na watu wa Barbados"
Play the following video to listen to our greeting in Swahili
Translated from Swahili - "Welcome to our family and friends in Tanzania from The Ellerslie School and the people of Barbados"
National Flag of Barbados
The Ellerslie School Crest
Mrs. Sophia Lee, cultural practitioner of the Haynesville Youth Club and multi-talented promoter of Barbados' Afrocentric heritage
Our very own "cultural ambassador," Mrs. Sophia Lee, from The Ellerslie School, Barbados, has journeyed to the United Republic of Tanzania to share an amazing part of our island's indigenous, intangible cultural heritage, The Barbados Land-ship, with the people of this beautiful and culturally diverse East African country.
Mrs. Lee, a consummate professional, academic, and promoter of our nation's Afrocentric heritage, is keen to share her knowledge, talents, and experiences of the Barbados Land-ship, a uniquely Barbadian cultural gem, which traces it origins back to the mid-19th century, with everyone, especially schoolchildren. Hence, the preservation of this ingeniously creative and adaptive movement can be anchored both in scholarship and the performing arts. Thereby preserving its linkages to our colonial past while charting a new course beyond national boundaries to encapsulate maritime quests which circumnavigate the Barbados Land-ship's diasporic moorings towards culturally relevant and synergistic "ports of call" with all who come into her gaze.
This present educational course to Tanzania, plotted by Mrs. Lee, is one of many such cultural explorations to "newfoundlands" of creative experiences, expressions, and exchanges.
Mrs. Lee, a consummate professional, academic, and promoter of our nation's Afrocentric heritage, is keen to share her knowledge, talents, and experiences of the Barbados Land-ship, a uniquely Barbadian cultural gem, which traces it origins back to the mid-19th century, with everyone, especially schoolchildren. Hence, the preservation of this ingeniously creative and adaptive movement can be anchored both in scholarship and the performing arts. Thereby preserving its linkages to our colonial past while charting a new course beyond national boundaries to encapsulate maritime quests which circumnavigate the Barbados Land-ship's diasporic moorings towards culturally relevant and synergistic "ports of call" with all who come into her gaze.
This present educational course to Tanzania, plotted by Mrs. Lee, is one of many such cultural explorations to "newfoundlands" of creative experiences, expressions, and exchanges.
Furthermore, Mrs. Lee is a decades-old cultural practitioner of her beloved Haynesville Youth Club in Barbados. While there are other numerous activities (including dance, theatre arts, festivities, and community engagements) for which Mrs. Lee may be credited, this post seeks to highlight her sterling promotion and preservation of this magnificent Barbadian cultural institution, The Barbados Land-ship.
As such, this is NOT an attempt to document Mrs. Lee's life's work as a cultural practitioner but merely an unqualified and biased portrayal (by this blogger) of her laudable efforts to contribute to the advancement of one of our nation's indigenous cultural treasures, particularly within the confines of school.
Note, this journey has only just begun. Ship Ahoy!
ADDENDUM:
OR
OOW
As such, this is NOT an attempt to document Mrs. Lee's life's work as a cultural practitioner but merely an unqualified and biased portrayal (by this blogger) of her laudable efforts to contribute to the advancement of one of our nation's indigenous cultural treasures, particularly within the confines of school.
Note, this journey has only just begun. Ship Ahoy!
Reflections of The Barbados Landship
Ahoy 1
Ahoy 2
Ahoy 3
Recent cultural brainchild of Mrs. Lee:
Professor Emerita the Most Honourable V. Eudine Barriteau
Professor Barriteau is a former principal of the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies and a world-renowned academic, feminist scholar, and proud alumna of The Ellerslie School
Video of The Ellerslie School Naming Ceremony for the
Queen Eudine E. L. S. Landship Dock
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The Tanzanian "Port of Call"
Flag of Tanzania
(Swahili: bendera ya Tanzania)
Maps of the United Republic of Tanzania
About:
Tanzania is an East African country known for its vast wilderness areas. They include the plains of Serengeti National Park, a safari mecca populated by the “big five” game (elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino), and Kilimanjaro National Park, home to Africa’s highest mountain. Offshore lie the tropical islands of Zanzibar, with Arabic influences, and Mafia, with a marine park home to whale sharks and coral reefs. ― Google
Capital: Dodoma
Currency: Tanzanian Shilling
Official languages: Swahili, English
Dialing code: +255
Population: 65.5 million (2022) World Bank
THE ARRIVAL
Mrs. Lee (centre), "Captain of L.S. Ellerslie Tanzania" flanked by two Tanzanian school officials
Video 1
Mrs. Lee (wearing green shirt) enjoying the company of her Tanzanian student "inductees" of the newly anchored
"Ship Lighthouse"
Video 2
FROM THE INDOOR TO OUTDOOR CLASSROOM (DAY 2)
Mrs. Lee's students keenly demonstrating their quick adaptation to the various manoeuvres (simulated dance movements) of the Land-ship
These manoeuvres were written on the classroom's chalkboard and performed by students afterwards
Video 3 of students' perfromance
Video 4
Video 5
Video 6
At lunch with the teachers savouring the traditional dish:
Ugali Crayfish and Vegetables
(with fingers in the dish - the original "knife & fork")
Video 7
Video 8
(notice the similarities to our own Caribbean pelvic gyrations in dance)
Video 9
Video 10
"L. S. Ellerslie Tanzania" preparing to depart
Video 11
Video 12
School assembled at "Ship Lighthouse Dock" for Grand Finale performance under the instructions of a Tanzanian teacher
"My role here has been completed. I will now sail back to the Caribbean" - Mrs. Lee
(All photos and videos specific to Tanzania were provided by Mrs. Lee)
A Final Note
Mrs. Lee has so far taken this indigenous Afro-Barbadian cultural performance artform (The Barbados Land-ship) beyond the shores of Barbados, its birthplace, to continental South America and Africa.
She has been manoeuvring the Landship to regional and extra regional "ports of call" and "Docks" by sharing a part of one of our uniquely and culturally rich intangible heritage assets with the world. Thereby, encouraging a love for one's indigenous culture, fostering a love for community and family, while offering a positive avenue for young and old alike to immerse themselves in a socially cohesive and uplifting form of cultural performance and preservation with the unmistakable component of individuals having fun during the execution of their naval-inspired manoeuvres.
Like cultural master craftsman and theatrical connoisseur, Winston Farrell, whose award-winning play, House of Landship, the playwright's seminal masterpiece, enshrines the Landship in the annals of literary and performance historicism, so too is Mrs. Lee's extraregional and groundbreaking 'exportation' of this cherished Barbadian cultural artformance.
Her scholarship also encapsulates the promotion of Barbados' heritage tourism both within the Afro-Barbadian diaspora and the wider global tourism industry. It is another way by which Barbados introduces itself to the world as it continues to 'punch above its own weight' in the increasingly popular world of heritage tourism.
Stay the course, Mrs. Lee. You are doing a great job not only for your own personal and professional development but for your country as well.
Re-sailing the Middle Passage (all ahead flank) with new vigour and hope.
THE HISTORY OF THE BARBADOS LANDSHIP
The Landship is an institution, which is unique to Barbados. It owes its origins to Moses Wood, who founded it between 1863 and 1868, marking its 150th anniversary in 2014. Wood was a Barbadian who had served in the Royal Navy, and on his retirement, he sought to recreate some of the camaraderie and discipline of the navy, along with some of its pomp and splendor.
Landship members dress in naval uniforms and have naval ranks and titles, which include Lord High Admiral, Captain, Boatswain, Quarter Master, Doctor, Matron and Engineer. Female members were inducted after World War 1 and dress as nurses. They are referred to as stars, a term believed to have come from the Universal Negro Improvement Association founded by Marcus Garvey.
Ships have names such as Cornwall, Vanguard, Director, Duke, and Rodney. Nautical terms are applied to all activities; the meeting place is known as the “dock” and at the start of a parade, the ship is said to set sail. As the name suggests there is no actual vessel, and all manoeuvres take place on land. By the 1870s there were Landships all over Barbados, parading in full regalia on a variety of social occasions.
The manoeuvres consist of a combination of marching and dancing to simulated naval conditions, which include “rough seas”, “man overboard”, “sailor hop”, and “wangle low”. Orders are given by the officer in charge, while the music and rhythm is provided by the ships’ “engine”, the Tuk Band. One of their popular dances is “plaiting the maypole”, where dancers holding long coloured ribbons, dance around the maypole (perhaps the ship’s “mast”) until the ribbons are intertwined; then they reverse the process. Eight ribbons or strings are attached to the maypole and are said to represent our African heritage and the eight legs of Anansi the spider.
The Landships are also friendly societies where members pay contributions, and when funds permit there is an annual bonus, as well as sickness and death benefits. The Landship also had its own magazine, The Barbados Landship Review. The movement, which is an activity of working class people, is today at its lowest numbers, and is finding it difficult to recruit young members. Nonetheless, the Barbados Landship, a combined crew from several decimated ships, can still be seen sailing in various parts of Barbados on festive occasions.
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WORKSHEET
Part 1 (Vocabulary & Sentence Construction)
1. Find the meaning of the words and phrases underlined in the passage above.
2. Write one complete sentence of your own on each of the underlined words and phrases above.
Part 2 (Comprehension)
Answer
the following questions based on the information given in the passage above.
How many years was the Landship in existence?
a) 50 years
b) 100 years
c) Over 150 years
- Three ranks or titles given to people in the Landship are ___________, __________, and _________.
a) flag pole
b) maypole
c) grease pole
d) utility pole
4. How many strings does this pole have?
a) 15
b) 7
c) 8
d) 5
b) 7
c) 8
d) 5
5. What do these strings on the pole represent?
a) Our African heritage and the eight legs of Anansi the spider.
b) Our eight national heroes.
6. What is the name of the group which provides music for the Landship movement?
a) The Merry Men
b) The Tuk Band
c) The Landship Band
7. Circle the following dances which are performed by Landship members.
a) Wangalow
b) man overboard
c) cha-cha-cha
d) general exercises
e) sailor hop
f) rumba
8. Name at least one other function the Landship has in the community outside of performing?
a) The Landship helps less fortunate people in the neighbourhood.
b) The Landship builds boats for fishermen.
c) The Landship acts as a type of bank where people can save their money.
9. Draw a circle around one major challenge that the Landship has experienced over the years.
a) Young people wanted more modern dances and uniforms.
b) The ship sank.
c) There were not enough new people joining the movement.
d) The ship’s engine stopped working.
10. Only persons who are or have served as sailors can become members of the Landship.
Click on the link below to view related material on other Barbadian cultural icons
"Slavery Done" - by Tony "Commander" Grazette (1985)
2024
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