Program to eradicate teacher violence in Jamaica

Jamaica: Legally, teacher violence against students is prohibited in Jamaica. However, some frustrated teachers hit their young students, and it remains hidden and covered.

Comprehensive researchers and educational professionals have developed several mechanisms to reduce such violence. Recently a study in The Lancet Global Health of the novel evaluated a program involving preschool teachers, including direct measuring instances of physical and verbal violence both directly and one year after a teacher-training program.

The Irie Classroom Toolbox was done by Helen Baker-Henningham, a learning researcher at Bangor University in the UK and the University of West Indies in Jamaica and Jamaican teachers. 

Baker-Henningham explains, “There are several evidence-based interferences to overcome violence by teachers and The Irie Classroom Toolbox is the only interference that has been trialled in pre-primary settings.

Role of Program 

This is crucial granted the significance of the early childhood years (including the provision of safe, reliable, nurturing, and stimulating caregiving circumstances) in foretelling long-term health, wealth and well-being.”

The program was run out in Kingston and St. Andrews, Jamaica. It included five days of training, eight sessions of classroom support, and text messages. The purpose was to provide teachers with alternatives to hitting, threatening, and shouting at their students by teaching emotional and social skills and submitting nonviolent ways to manage classrooms.

The toolbox had four modules that were-creating an emotionally supportive classroom surrounding, -managing child behaviour, -promoting social and emotional competence, -behaviour planning.

Practical strategies

The centre is on practical strategies preferably than abstract beliefs. As the authors of the paper write, “The Toolbox does not explicitly claim teachers’ attitudes towards violence against children. 

Instead, the foundation of change suggests that the Toolbox reduces violence against children by helping teachers to gain-skills, motivation, and opportunity to use positive discipline techniques.”

Outcomes

The outcomes were impressive: a median of 15 violent/aggressive acts ere the training, 3 afterwards, and 6 one year later. Following this analysis, the program is being expanded across the nation. The information is taken from Forbes.

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