By Sue-Ann Wayow
IN an attempt to curb school violence, a training programme will be launched this week.
The Ministry of Education in a release on Wednesday stated that it has collaborated with the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) to conduct the first phase of a training programme titled Positive Behaviour Support (PBS).
This programme will be executed through the ministry’s Teacher Education, Performance and Professional Development Division (TEPPDD), and seeks to sensitise and train educators to use proactive strategies to deter students from displaying inappropriate and/or violent behaviours.
It targets school supervisors, principals, deans of discipline and two teachers each of 28 selected primary and secondary schools in Trinidad, the ministry stated.
The PBS training programme will be conducted virtually on May 6 and May 12 and will address key issues such as the impact of teacher bias on discipline, understanding factors that influence student behaviour, contrasting positive behaviour support with traditional forms of discipline and recognizing the limitations of traditional discipline.
Participants will also identify five strategies they can use in their schools to manage student behaviour. What is also critical, from the teacher’s perspective, is the need for them to develop self-awareness and establish a self-care plan, guidance for both of which are included in the training programme, the ministry said.
Education Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly said, “There is the need for discipline, positive behaviour management, social work intervention and strategies aimed toward reformation. Though school violence is not new nor unique to Trinidad and Tobago, our goal must be its elimination, and therefore with the support of UNICEF, our partner ministries, teachers, parents and students, we can change the trajectory of our current reality.”
Social and Behaviour Change Specialist, UNICEF Office for the Eastern Caribbean Area, Dr Lisa Mcclean-Trotman said, “Positive discipline or Positive Behavioral Management (PBM) is a strategy that has been used across the Eastern Caribbean as a way of preventing emotional and physical violence in children. It encompasses proactive strategies which prevent violence, as well as reactive strategies which help to respond to inappropriate behaviour in non-violent ways.”
One of the activities under the Trinidad and Tobago Spotlight Programme is to sensitise educators on positive discipline in virtual as well as face-to- face settings, the ministry added.
