I have just completed my first week of teaching for my Caribbean Dialogs course and I am excited. After numerous month of preparation and a trip to Trindad (see we seem to off to a good start. I have seven seniors who are working from various points in the USA. So far, they are coping with the new technology and getting the hang of working on the Caribbean Dialogs wiki. During the next six weeks we’ll be looking at the region’s history and art related to slavery, tourism, nationalism, crime and protest, as well as the African Diaspora and festival celebrations.
Last week, a fellow teacher here in Jamaica questioned me about whether a course of this type is likely to succeed, especially with Caribbean students. She suggested that in the Caribbean, physical contact and classroom/studio exchange is essential to the process of learning. I argued that what’s needed is intellectual engagement rather than physical contact but are we all in danger of becoming just talking heads?