St. George’s: The Ministry of Education’s Summer Training Programme for teachers and Principals kicked off yesterday at five locations around the island. The locations include the Grenada Trade Centre, Westerhall Secondary School, Grenada Seventh Day Adventist Comprehensive School, St Joseph Convent, Grenville, and St. John’s RC School. The training workshop is geared at equipping teachers and principals with the necessary tools to effectively edify our nation’s youth, as well as to develop their understanding of national education strategies. The workshop will run from July 4th to July 15th for teachers, and July 11th to 22nd for Principals and Deputy Principals. A variety of topics are being covered such as, Motivational Techniques, Student Welfare, Use of Aids in Teaching, Special Education, Use of local materials in Science, Use of Textbooks and Curriculum, Protocol, Co-Curricular Activities, Use of Technology, Student Assessment, Remedial and Enrichment Education, Measurement, Testing and Evaluation, Self Evaluation Exercises, Art and Design, Information Technology, and Guidance and Counselling. Facilitators of the workshop include members of the Canadian Teacher’s Federation, education officials, and professionals in the respective fields. One of the highlights of this year’s workshop will be presentations and interactive programmes from Mrs. Audra Wells Mark and a team from “NEW INNOVATIONS” out of Florida. NEW INNOVATIONS is an educational consulting company that combines the latest in brain research with arts-integration, sensory experiences, music, movement, rhythm, innovative activities, acceleration techniques and study skills. New Innovations then ties these methods to the national and state standards. Audra Wells Mark is a former public school teacher who decided to create her own curriculum. She has expanded her programme so that it now encompasses elementary school, middle school, and high school. Audra has done staff development and has been a guest speaker at the college and university levels. This will be the third year that the “NEW INNOVATIONS” team will be holding a workshop in Grenada. The previous two workshops were held at the St. George’s University. Source: Ministry of Education