THE Ministry of Education, as part of Education Month observance, will be hosting a series of public forums called ‘An Educational Conversation’. The opening forum was held at St Stanislaus College on Brickdam, Georgetown and saw senior education personnel interacting with parents, guardians and other members of the public on Thursday evening.

Education Minister Priya Manickchand was also at the forum.  Presentations were delivered by Professor William Kellman and Davina Solomon. The former focused on the methodology behind teaching, learning and assessing students. The professor also addressed attitudes in the classrooms, by both students and teachers. He urged teachers in particular to better themselves if they realise that they are weak in that regard.  Professor Kellman also answered several questions from concerned parents about methods used to instruct children and the way in which some teachers interact with their charges.
Information Technology Consultant Davina Solomon gave a presentation on the use of technology in classrooms and schools in general. She explained how the use of technology has transformed the teaching profession and the delivery of education as a whole. She noted that overseas, in particular, educators are moving toward information technology as a way to enhance the delivery of education. Solomon noted that with the increased use of personal computers, less paper and other resources are being utilised.
She too, responded to several questions from parents who shared their concerns about the use of the internet and other possible side effects of its usage. She noted however, that many countries are moving toward paperless classrooms and changing their delivery of education to better suit this.