Each year, and as often as needed, the Ministry of Education provides training to teachers in all subject areas including Health and Family Life Education (HFLE).
On Tuesday, October 11th, the Ministry held a HFLE workshop for teachers touching on some of the major thematic areas of HFLE aimed at increasing the versatility and proficiency of teachers within the classroom.
Education Officer and Coordinator of the HFLE program, Rena Jno Charles, addressed the event.
“This workshop is primarily for new teachers entering the service and for teachers who need to increase their knowledge and strengthen their skills in HFLE. The Ministry of Education recognizes the importance of promoting the right values, attitudes and skills in our children to foster a more holistic development. HFLE is one of the vehicles used to achieve this goal.”
She explained that HFLE is important as “children are faced with many challenges as they grow.” She said HFLE “embodies life skills like refusal skills, problem solving, decision making, empathy, effective communication, coping with stress, emotion and many other life skills and psycho social competencies that help children and youth make the right choices these challenges are encountered.”
Although a core subject within Dominica’s curriculum offered to all students, the subject is rarely tested in the traditional way.
Jno Charles noted that HFLE is student-centered and so students are given opportunities to participate throughout the lesson and are empowered in the classroom.
“They are taught to believe in themselves and the importance for taking responsibility for their own health. The life skills they learn help them say no to bullying, drugs and alcohol abuse, unhealthy eating, unhealthy lifestyles, violence and acting out behaviors just to name a few.
The Ministry also recognizes the need for teacher preparation. Teachers must come into the classroom well equipped with confidence and an understanding of subject, knowledge of content, methods of lesson planning and assessment strategies. Additionally teachers need to acquire skills to engage students in other to bring out the cognitive and affective component of the subject.”
Assistant Chief Education Officer, Dr. Jeffery Blaize, in his address stated that the importance of HFLE should not be downplayed.
“We recognize that in addition to developing students cognitive competencies their academic potential must develop the affective domain, that is their social skills, that is the ability to cope with stress…therefore we must prepare students for that and we must prepare adults for that as well.”
Dr. Blaize is particularly pleased that the facilitators of the workshop have been previously trained in the subject area which is a clear sign of sustainability.