Education across the Caribbean region continues to evolve, and the pedagogical landscape is indeed playing a very significant role in the process. Pedagogy in the Caribbean has shifted from traditional colonial models to a more modern, culturally relevant, and emancipatory approach that emphasises critical thinking, local context, and sustainable development. The research papers in this issue of the ‘Caribbean Curriculum’ not only point to the education challenges that accompany this evolution but also address the transformative possibilities that exist. 

The four dominant major themes that relate significantly to pedagogical challenges teachers face in the Caribbean are: language and culture in learning; equity and inclusion in education; teacher development and pedagogical challenge; and assessment and performance.  Yewande Lewis-Fokum and Schontal Moore confront the long-standing tension in Caribbean classrooms where students speak a Creole language but are expected to write and test in Standard English. The ‘elephant in the room’ is the reluctance to acknowledge Creole as the students’ home language. Barbara del Carmen Constance, Nicha Selvon-Ramkisson, and Iris Hewitt-Bradshaw identify distinct syntactic patters of Tobagonian English Creole and examine how these interact with formal English expectations. Thus, while teachers code-switch, students primarily use Creole. The two articles make it clear that Creole is central to student identity and ignoring it harms students’ comprehension. Grace-Anne Jackman, Lois George, Ian A Marshall, and Brendalee Cato examined gender differences in mathematics performance on standardized primary exit examinations in the Caribbean and found persistent gender gaps.  Javan Parish-Johnson, and Lois George examined the relationship between math anxiety and math performance among girls and found that higher anxiety is associated with lower achievement. The articles point to the need for gender-responsive pedagogy, better early math interventions, and policy changes that address systemic inequities. Rachael Mahabir-Edwards, and Rinnelle Lee-Pigott present the outcomes of a clinical supervision intervention aimed at improving a teacher’s capacity to use student-centred strategies to improve student engagement. Karla Kromberg reports on an action research project in which the classroom teacher attempts to integrate formative and summative assessments to improve teacher and learning practices.  In these two studies clinical supervision and formative assessment boost engagement and performance and contribute to teacher pedagogical growth.  Carmel Roofe and Deandra Scott examine the formal written secondary school History curriculum to discern what content and pedagogies are proposed to be taught about the Maroons as a means of creating understanding. The authors found that the curriculum documents marginalise indigenous and Maroons histories, reinforcing Eurocentric narratives. This article advocates for curriculum reform and emphasises issues related to inclusion, cultural relevance, and historical justice. 

The papers in this issue show the importance of paying close attention to what matters and the value to teaching and learning practices in the classroom, with a strong relevance to Caribbean educational contexts.  The four major issues addressed in terms of what matters are: language, emotional factors, culture, and teacher growth. Indeed, we saw that students learn when their linguistic identities are affirmed. Anxiety as much as skill gaps undermine academic performance. A curriculum that respects students’ heritage supports engagement. Finally, supervision reflection and assessment reform improve learning.  The articles address systemic inequities in Caribbean education and highlight teacher influence on student outcomes. Most of the articles advocate context sensitive pedagogy and several emphasise the role of student identity in learning. Psychological and linguistic barriers are the focus of some of the articles, and others focus on curricular gaps. A mix of quantitative and qualitative approaches gives a holistic perspective.  Overall, the manuscripts complement each other well, offering a rich and multi-dimensional view of teaching and learning in the Caribbean. These studies offer valuable insights for educators, policymakers, and researchers committed to fostering inclusive, effective, and culturally responsive education in the region and provide practical classroom-based recommendations.

Janice B Fournillier

December 2025

Issue DOI: https://doi.org/10.47161/CC.2024.u0007