Core Skills For Teachers Workshop
Teachers from Montego Bay participating in a group exercise that required them to come up with a product and pitch it to investors. The aim of this exercise was to show how core skills could be integrated into the classroom through experience. ©

Kiwayne Jacobs

British Council Jamaica implemented the first of its Core Skills for Teachers workshops in Kingston and Montego Bay between June 6th and 14th, 2017. This series of workshops is a part of their wider portfolio of work in education, where the focus is specifically on Core Skills and Inclusion and how this contributes to gender equity and a holistic education system.

The British Council has identified six core skills: 1) Critical Thinking & Problem-Solving, 2) Communication & Collaboration, 3) Creativity & Imagination, 4) Leadership & Personal Development, 5) Digital Literacy and 6) Citizenship. These abilities, also known as soft skills or deep learning skills, are equally as important as getting good grades. They are essential to the development of individuals ready to take on the challenges of today’s globally interconnected world.

The British Council is championing core skills to support teachers as they prepare 21st-century learners for the world of work. Many employers cite a lack the functional abilities such as problem-solving and effective communication, among skills gaps in new recruits. The British Council’s core skills training can assist in this regard.

 

Core Skills Training Workshop
This 'Bag Up' invention came out of a group exercise that required teachers (in Kingston) to come up with a product a pitch it to investors. The aim of this exercise was to show how core skills could be integrated into the classroom through experience. ©

Kiwayne Jacobs
Teachers from Kingston participating in a group exercise - Core Skills for Teachers, 2017
Teachers from Kingston participating in a group exercise that required them to come up with a product a pitch it to investors. The aim of this exercise was to show how core skills could be integrated into the classroom through experience. ©

Kiwayne Jacobs
Core Skills Training
Teachers from day two of the Introduction to Core Skills Training workshop in Montego Bay with British Council Jamaica staff. ©

Kiwayne Jacobs
Core Skills Training Workshop
Teachers from Montego Bay participating in a group exercise that required them to come up with a product and pitch it to investors. The aim of this exercise was to show how core skills could be integrated into the classroom through experience. ©

Kiwayne Jacobs
Core Skills Training
Teachers from day two of the Introduction to Core Skills Training workshop in Kingston.  ©

Kiwayne Jacobs

To date, 48 teachers from 30 early-childhood institutions have benefitted from the introduction to core skills training workshops focusing on six core skills: “We were initially seeking to work solely with secondary school teachers, however, after the success of our Boys in Education Week 2017 and an overwhelming expression of interest from early-childhood teachers, we decided to extend support to include that cohort as well. The early childhood schools that participated in our recent core skills training shared how critical it is for children during the formative years; when rapid brain development takes place; to be exposed to these six 21st century skills,” Richards further explained.

Making well on their investment in the workshops held on June 13th in Montego Bay, participant teachers have already started integrating the core skills on a wider scale in their classrooms. Elsa McIntosh, Vice Principal and Teacher at Brightly Beam Pre-school, gave her feedback on the experience: “It was beneficial to us and we are looking forward to more training in this area and others as well. I have started to integrate more communication and critical thinking skills in my classroom. Thanks a lot”.
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