Kadian Morgan-Graham - Elgin Taylor

The use of appropriate teaching strategies in the classroom in order to hold children's attention and get them to learn is something which has occupied the thoughts and minds of educators and laymen for ages.

This puzzle, however, seems to have been solved by Kadian Morgan-Graham, a grade four teacher at Old Harbour Primary School in St Catherine. In a recent interview with The Star, she disclosed that she had narrowed the solution down to one word: music.

"I realised that the students really love music, so I used the popular songs to create comprehension passages for them. Some of these questions are at the inferential level. I even did a take-off from the popular song Swaggerific to teach mathematics," she declared.

She also shared that because of their love of popular music culture, students readily take to her teaching. "They are already motivated. they can sing these songs verse for verse, so learning becomes a fun exercise," she posited.

She further explained that the method lends itself to various subjects, and that though the preference is for reggae and dancehall, other genres of music can be accommodated.

Love component

Morgan-Graham also stressed the important role that genuine love plays in the teaching and learning environment. "No matter how terrible a child may seem to a teacher, when they come to my class they behave. And all I use is love. When they feel the love, they will respond and show love in return,"she stated.

She said that one of her favourite practices is to stand by the door at dismissal time and give the children a hug as they depart her class. Her loving and caring nature has transcended her immediate class. Students across the grades put together a birthday party for her every year.

She pointed out that on a yearly basis, she gets a number of students who are unable to recognise the letters of the alphabet. However, at the end of the year, they would progress to the point where they perform creditably in the Grade Four Literacy Test.

Morgan-Graham noted that the last results saw the school gaining an overall average of 68 percent mastery, and her class an average of 96 per cent mastery.

She also functions as the school's dance coordinator, and her group has won several gold medals over the years in the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission's popular dance competitions.

Born in Brown's Hall in St Catherine, Morgan-Graham had early thoughts of becoming a nurse, but soon realised that she was negatively affected by the sight of blood. Next, she thought of becoming a model, but an accident left her with scars.

She now believes her entry into teaching was a blessing from God. She holds a teacher's diploma from the College of Agriculture, Science and Education and a bachelor's degree in language communication and society from the University of the West Indies.

She is currently pursuing studies at the University of Sheffield, England, which will lead to a master's degree in educational studies.

Morgan-Graham previously taught at Davis Primary in St Catherine before becoming a member of staff at her present school on September 1, 2003.