Romulo Guedez Fernandez | The University of the West Indies at St. Augustine Trinidad and Tobago (original) (raw)

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Papers by Romulo Guedez Fernandez

Augustine campus in Trinidad and Tobago. It originated from the Diploma in Teaching English to Sp... more Augustine campus in Trinidad and Tobago. It originated from the Diploma in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (DipTESOL) practicum in June-July 2017. Teacher trainees (n=14) in seven teams or dyads were tasked with lesson planning and delivery for groups of adult refugee learners (n=57) of mixed literacy levels. The impetus for the study came from clinical observation sessions which showed that individual members of two teams functioned in an auxiliary capacity although "collaboratively constructed" lessons had been sent forward for review. This led two teacher educators to question the extent to which members of teaching teams had shared the responsibility of lesson planning. They probed two aspects of co-instructional planning (individual input and team collaboration) which impacted on trainee assessment and lesson delivery, but which remained unaccounted for in the field. A mixed-methods approach in a two-phase process was used. Using a proxy measure in phase one, the teacher educators examined 172 lesson plans and 158 supporting documents submitted on Edmodo, an online networking forum, and experimented with basic metadata (author, created, modified by, and last modified date) to extract patterns reflecting individual input and team collaboration. In phase two the former teacher trainees were invited to validate these results and to contribute qualitatively to the findings through verbal reports and email exchanges. Eleven of the fourteen teacher trainees, representing each of the seven dyads, responded. The study revealed the patterns of individual input and team collaboration which emerged during lesson-planning in the aforementioned context, and proposes that these patterns may help to guide practicum contexts where pre-service teachers are assessed in teams.

Poster presentation at the Biennial Conference of The University of the West Indies Schools of Ed... more Poster presentation at the Biennial Conference of The University of the West Indies Schools of Education, 19 – 21 February 2019. St Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago, Conference theme: Education Beyond Borders: Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges.

Spotlight on Crime and Public Safety, 2023

Migrant children in Trinidad and Tobago encounter significant challenges, particularly when it co... more Migrant children in Trinidad and Tobago encounter significant challenges, particularly when it comes to accessing education. The National Child Policy of Trinidad and Tobago (2019), while acknowledging the large migrant and refugee population, noted that “pending legislative reform, children in this context are unable to access public education unless a student permit is obtained, which is normally contingent on their parents obtaining work permits.” Limited options are therefore available to them, as they are not granted student permits to enrol in public or government-assisted primary schools. Recognising the vulnerability of these children, we aimed to empower primary school teachers by developing a comprehensive curriculum built on CLIL and translanguaging pedagogy principles that supports the education of Spanish-speaking migrant children in Trinidad and Tobago. Our collaborative projects involve academic staff from The University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) and the University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine Campus, and the support from the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the Catholic Board of Education Management (CEBM) and Living Water Community (LWC). Online (pages 6 & 7): https://utt.edu.tt/press-releases/icps-newsletter-june-2023/

UWI SPACE, 2013

This study reports on an investigation into the progress of listening comprehension of a group of... more This study reports on an investigation into the progress of listening comprehension of a group of Level 3 Spanish language undergraduate students at The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus. The passion for Spanish language that most undergraduate students possess comes from their Spanish heritage, from their links to a Spanish-speaking country, or from their desire to learn a second language (L2). Participants (N=35) were taught by the same teacher and listened to the same listening texts the same number of times. Listening strategy instruction to guide students' attention on their listening process was provided. Development of metacognition (planning, monitoring, evaluation, and problem solving) was tracked using an adapted version of the Metacognitive Awareness Listening Questionnaire (MALQ) designed by Vandergrift et al (2006). During the period of this study, students took five listening comprehension tests; after every test they completed an MALQ and responded to a self-assessment/reflection sheet. The entire group showed improvement in listening comprehension. The paper discusses the complex interplay and relationship of students' metacognition, progress in listening comprehension, and the impact of listening strategy instruction. The article concludes by suggesting the incorporation of metacognitive instruction in the L2 classroom practice as a way of raising student awareness of the L2 listening process, and of leading students to develop control over their own learning process
Description: Paper presented at the Biennial Conference of The University of the West Indies Schools of Education, 23-25 April, 2013, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago

UWISpace, The University of the West Indies Institutional Repository for Research and Scholarship
https://uwispace.sta.uwi.edu/dspace/handle/2139/17409

Paper presented at the Regional Conference on Institutionalising Best Practice in Higher Educatio... more Paper presented at the Regional Conference on Institutionalising Best Practice in Higher Education, UWI, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago, 24-26 June, 2015.

Caribbean Curriculum, 2021

Authors: Amina Ibrahim-Ali and Romulo Guedez. This study was conducted at The University of the... more Authors: Amina Ibrahim-Ali and Romulo Guedez.
This study was conducted at The University of the West Indies (UWI), St Augustine campus in Trinidad and Tobago. It originated from the Diploma in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (DipTESOL) practicum in June-July 2017. Teacher trainees (n=14) in seven teams or dyads were tasked with lesson planning and delivery for groups of adult refugee learners (n=57) of mixed literacy levels. The impetus for the study came from clinical observation sessions which showed that individual members of two teams functioned in an auxiliary capacity although “collaboratively constructed” lessons had been sent forward for review. This led two teacher educators to question the extent to which members of teaching teams had shared the responsibility of lesson planning. They probed two aspects of co-instructional planning (individual input and team collaboration) which impacted on trainee assessment and lesson delivery, but which remained unaccounted for in the field. A mixed-methods approach in a two-phase process was used. Using a proxy measure in phase one, the teacher educators examined 172 lesson plans and 158 supporting documents submitted on Edmodo, an online networking forum, and experimented with basic metadata (author, created, modified by, and last modified date) to extract patterns reflecting individual input and team collaboration. In phase two the former teacher trainees were invited to validate these results and to contribute qualitatively to the findings through verbal reports and email exchanges. Eleven of the fourteen teacher trainees, representing each of the seven dyads, responded. The study revealed the patterns of individual input and team collaboration which emerged during lesson-planning in the aforementioned context, and proposes that these patterns may help to guide practicum contexts where pre-service teachers are assessed in teams.

UWISpace, 2019

Venezuelans currently fleeing from the political and economic hardship in their homeland often se... more Venezuelans currently fleeing from the political and economic hardship in their homeland often seek refuge in other Latin American countries and the Caribbean although a great majority head to the United States, some coming to Trinidad & Tobago in-transit to other destinations as an opportunity to learn English as a Second Language (ESL). The conceptualization of Trinidad for English-language learning corresponds with its strategic location. While it is acknowledged as a hub of economic activity across the two hemispheres, Trinidad has, interestingly, also earned its reputation as a site for illegal immigrants, a convenient location between the production and consumption of drugs, as well as a human trafficking destination.

A fair, valid, and reliable instrument of assessment is essential to ensure quality teaching in h... more A fair, valid, and reliable instrument of assessment is essential to ensure quality teaching in higher education. This study seeks to evaluate the consistency of the current rating scales used for the assessment of peer-to-peer Foreign Language Interactive Speaking Performance (FLISP) for the Spanish Programme at The UWI, St. Augustine Campus. The sample population consists of 57 Year 1 Spanish Majors/Minors. A multi-method approach underpins this investigation. The data collection instruments include students' tests scores and recorded speaking performances, questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and students' journals, as well as focus groups with raters. The analysis of the rating scales draws from the performance data-driven and the measurement-driven approaches. The collected data allowed the identification of pitfalls/drawbacks and gaps of current rating scales. The analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data suggested changes of band descriptors to tailor rating scales to the specific teaching context and course content. This investigation highlights the importance of feedback and self-assessment as contributing elements to raise students' motivation and awareness of their learning process. The findings of this study have implications for the reconstruction of appropriate interactive speaking assessment rating scales and, therefore, the operationalisation of the construct of interactional competence. These findings will enable the researcher to further develop and validate a framework for the assessment of FLISP. Implications for pedagogy and classroom assessment are also addressed.

Teaching Documents by Romulo Guedez Fernandez

This report presents the findings of the Mathematics Committee with respect to the investigation ... more This report presents the findings of the Mathematics Committee with respect to the investigation of the factors that contribute to high failure rates in some mathematics and mathematics related (quantitative) courses. This investigation was focused on those courses pursued by undergraduate students of The UWI, St Augustine campus (Trinidad & Tobago). The objectives of this investigation were to: a) examine the challenges encountered by students and academics regarding the teaching and learning of mathematics and mathematics related courses, b) examine student performance in these courses over the past five (5) years, and c) provide recommendations to address these challenges.

Conference Presentations by Romulo Guedez Fernandez

Of the approximately 40,000 Venezuelan migrants estimated in Trinidad and Tobago, 84% are categor... more Of the approximately 40,000 Venezuelan migrants estimated in Trinidad and Tobago, 84% are categorized as asylum seekers and 14% as refugees (UNICEF-USAID, 2020). The National Child Policy of Trinidad and Tobago (2019) acknowledges the large migrant and refugee population and notes that “pending legislative reform, [migrant] children in this context are unable to access public education unless a student permit is obtained...” It is against this backdrop that two organizations, the Living Water Community (LWC) in partnership with the PADF1 applied for and received permission to accept migrant children into “Child-Friendly Spaces” (CFS-LWC), while the Catholic Education Board of Management (CEBM) in partnership with.
This action research project reports on findings from the process of validating a curriculum (CLIL approach) and a CLIL Supplemental Guide for the National Primary School Curriculum of Trinidad and Tobago. The study was conducted in two centres: UNICEF-Child-Friendly Spaces-Living Water Community (CFS-LWC), thereafter LWC project, and the Catholic Education Board of Management public Primary Catholic Schools (PCS-CEBM), thereafter CEBM project. A total of 24 primary teachers from both centres and 9 facilitators participated in piloting and review of the Curriculum guides. This action research combines quantitative and qualitative methods in the analysis and interpretation of findings. Datasets were collected using the Teacher Feedback (TeF) form and the Observer Feedback (ObF) form. These forms were designed using closed-ended questions (4-item Likert scale) to measure 6 constructs. Findings showed that teachers who received training in CLIL and were provided with the Curriculum aligned to the CLIL approach implemented the CLIL approach.

Drafts by Romulo Guedez Fernandez