Ruhamah Chambers - Elgin Taylor

The problem of having to teach a large class is one which has faced the Jamaican teacher for decades.

This is a situation which mitigates against the effective delivery of instructions and also learning opportunities and life chances of students themselves.

One such practitioner who is happy that she does not have to encounter this scenario is Ruhamah Chambers of St John's Primary School, Spanish Town, St Catherine.

"The children benefit from the small group as they get individualised attention from the teacher. The teacher is also able to effectively use literacy techniques and strategies," Chambers told The Star.

Chambers said she functions as the school's reading teacher and her groups consist grades two, three and four students.

The groups, ranging from 10 to 15 students, are facilitated through the 'pull-out' method. The programme caters to students reading two levels below their grade level.

The position of reading teacher is designated by the school's administration and sanctioned by the Ministry of Education. It seeks to espouse best practices in the teaching of literacy in the schools.

In this respect, the young educator reported that she uses the manual 'Systematic Sight-word Instructions for Reading Success', procured via an officer at the Ministry of Education. She said she has found it useful.

In addition, she said that she does a lot of research on the Internet to look at best practices in her field, and to see how well she can incorporate such information into her everyday teaching.

The Spanish Town-born educator has been serving the school and community for more than nine years, she said a significant number of the students come to her class with the ability of identifying only one or two words in the English language.

She said, generally, when they leave the programme at the end of two years, they would be reading at or above their grade level. The few who fail to be certified as functionary literate, are kept in the groups for another year.

Chambers, educated at Shortwood Teachers' College and the University of the West Indies, holds a diploma in early childhood education, a bachelor's degree in literacy studies and a master's degree in literacy instructions from these institutions.

She expressed the wish of seeing support centres set up across the island to teach parents how to play their part in assisting children to read.