Within Christendom teaching was an occupation within the religious community for centuries. Up to the Reformation, in the first half of the sixteenth century, very few teachers were not members of the clergy or of convents. The vast majority of teachers were men. This tradition was transferred to the West Indian colonies when schools were first established in this region in the seventeenth century. This inference is largely supported by anecdotal references in historical records.

The Institute of Education Annual is a fully refereed publication of the Institute of Education on the Mona Campus of the University of the West Indies. This inaugural volume showcases the research and development interests and work of members of the academic staff of the Institute. It celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of the establishment of the University, commemorates the establishment of the Institute thirty-five years ago, and honours the first director of the Institute, the late Sir Hugh Worrell Springer.

Sir Hugh is remembered, among those who were privileged to work with him, as a great West Indian, a man of vision, who had a profound understanding of and love for the Caribbean and its people and who dedicated his life to their service.

One of the defining markers of Jamaican students’ academic success (for teachers and students) is their ability to speak Standard Jamaican English (SJE) fluently. However, SJE fluency is challenging for many majority-speaking Jamaican Creole (JC) boys who experience language conflicts within their social and educational contexts.

The course Advanced Study of Assessment of Literacy Performance was designed and presented to in-service teachers at the University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica, who work in early childhood, primary and secondary schools. This was done with a view to supporting the current Education Transformation Project, which seeks to address key issues affecting the realization of the vision for education. The methods used to deliver the course content were consistent with 'learner-centeredness'.

This article's objective was to test the public policy hypothesis that the introduction of high-output researchers into the mental health academic leadership at the University of the West Indies (UWI) did not alter the mental health research publication output at the UWI.

The speed at which technical and vocational education was being implemented in Jamaica was in response to the advocacy of industry and business to provide a workforce capable of meeting the economic development needs of the country. This trend towards strengthening technical and vocational education was further intensified with the international movement to integrate technical vocational education in the formal education system. In the 1970s, for example, the World Bank instituted as one of its portfolio strategies the development of post secondary education for training technicians.

Given the limited response to the introduction of e-books at the UWI Mona Campus Library in 2005, a survey was done with a sample of students to ascertain their awareness and level of use of e-books as well as their perceptions of them. The results showed that more than 50 per cent of the respondents were aware of the service but that there was a cultural and generational resistance to the use of e-books. A greater awareness of the provision of training appears to be critical in order to increase usage of e-books.

This research undertook a cross-sectional evaluation of students' and teachers' views on how gender influences the teaching and learning of geography. The sample comprised secondary and post-secondary educational institutions in both rural and urban settings. The research found that the influence of teachers' gender on geography is quite distinct. When the teacher was male, the subject seemed more scientific and hence more difficult. When the teacher was female, the subject required more analysis and seemed easier to female students.

A distinctive feature of the Caribbean Centre of Excellence for Teacher Training Project is its use of feedback to bring about improvements in various aspects of the work it undertakes and to guide decision making. The feedback is used both formatively and summatively in the assessment of planning and management operations, in the assessment of project inputs and in the assessment of student achievement.