Department of Language and Cultural Studies
Ms. Wilkinson is currently Lecturer II in the Department of Language and Cultural Studies at the University of Guyana. Between 1977 and 1983 she completed tertiary studies in English (B.A.) at John Carroll University, Ohio, USA and Windsor University, Ontario, Canada (M.A) respectively, then returned to Guyana and worked briefly in journalism and amateur theatre. Later, she taught English and Social Studies in secondary school and English at the University of Guyana (1983—1985). She left Guyana for the US Virgin Islands and taught English and Theatre at the University of the Virgin Islands for one year. She later pursued post graduate studies in Educational Theatre at New York University (1989 to 1991) while working as a graduate assistant in a dropout prevention research programme and teaching English to international students. Returning to Guyana in 1995, she met with a near fatal accident which temporarily derailed her career, and which took her to Jamaica for medical support. She remained in Jamaica to teach secondary school, and later completed a Diploma in Education at The Sam Sharpe Teachers College. Ms. Wilkinson returned to Guyana in 2008 and resumed her teaching career. She is a founder member of the Guyanese Languages Unit Working Group and is actively involved in language rights advocacy. She envisions playing a significant role in the development of the Guyanese Languages Unit at the University of Guyana.
PROFESSIONAL / ACADEMIC BACKGROUND
2007 – present University of Guyana, , Dept. of Language & Cultural Studies, FEH- Lecturer II-
Introduction to Writing Creolese
Use of English
Modern Poetry
The English Novel
2007 – 2008 Media Services Unit, Ministry of Education, Jamaica—Language and Literacy Consultant, Writer
2001 – 2003 Sam Sharpe Teachers College, St James, Jamaica—
Diploma in Education
1997 – 2000: University of the West Indies Press—
Copy Editor and Proofreader
1995 – 1996: Caribbean Examinations Council—
Assistant Examiner, English A
1990 – 1993: New York University—Post-graduate student in Educational Theatre, Graduate Research Assistant and English Instructor
1987 – 1988: The Catholic Standard, Georgetown Guyana—Journalist,
1985 – 1986: Visiting Professor, Univ. of the Virgin Islands—
English Skills
Introduction to Theatre
1983 – 1985: University of Guyana:
Lecturer, Use of English
Caribbean Examinations Council—Assistant Examiner, English A
1981 – 1983: University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada—M. A. (English)
1977 – 1981: John Carroll University, University Heights, Ohio, USA—B. A. (English)
ADMINISTRATIVE POSITIONS
2011 – 2012: Chairperson: University of Guyana Entrance Examination Committee
2011 – 2013: Co-Chairperson: African Studies Research Group, Department of Language and Cultural Studies, FEH, Turkeyen
OTHER UNIVERSITY ACTIVITIES
Sept 2016—present: Faculty Representative to the University Senior Staff Association
May 2016: Creator and director of one-act play, with the Buxton Arts Theatre—‘Who is speaking like that’, an interrogation of teacher language attitudes in Guyana, for the Independence Jubilee Symposium under the theme, ‘What can we become?’
May 2016: Coordinator of teach-in, African Studies Research Group, UG—‘Our Story, Our Future – A Celebration of the Life of Ivan Van Sertima,
November 2013: Coordinator of teach-in, African Studies Research Group in Collaboration with the University of Guyana Student Society and the Department of Law—‘A Forum in Defence of the Human Rights and Dignity of Haitians and Haitian Descendants in the Dominican Republic and an Appeal to our Caribbean Community’
PUBLICATIONS
REFEREED ARTICLES
October 2015: In Caribbean Journal of Education—‘Teachers' Language Attitudes in Guyana: Preliminary inquiries in the primary schools’
October 2013: In Gafoor, Ameena. ed. 2013. The Arts Journal, Volume 8—'Towards a Retrospective on Language and Power'
April, 2011: In Faraclas, N., R. Severing, C. Weijer, E. Echteld, and M. Hinds-Layne. eds. 2011. Anansi’s Defiant Webs: Contact, continuity, convergence and complexity in the Languages, Literatures and Cultures of the Greater Caribbean . Willemstad: University of Curaçao and Fundashon paplanifikashon di Idioma. 123-130—‘Meditation on a student’s journal page’
January, 2011: In the UWI Quality Education Forum: 53-73—‘Against the grain: A window to curriculum reform in language education at the tertiary level’
OTHER PUBLICATIONS
January 2015: Insight, Volume 2, Edition 3: 18 – 19—‘Literacy Education and Creole-speaking Children’
December 2014: Newsletter of the International Centre for Caribbean Language Research
(ICCLR), Vol 1.5—’Guyanese Petition for Democracy’
November 2011 Stabroek News, History This Week, with Kencil Banwarie, ‘The Charter on Language Policy and Language Rights in the Creole Speaking Caribbean – Implications for Education in Guyana’
December 2000: Jamaica Observer Literary Magazine— Short Story, ‘Why Anancy lives in the ceiling and dark places of people’s homes’
PAPERS READ AT CONFERENCES AND SEMINARS
February 2018: ‘Nat wan bleed a graas; nat wan word go laas”: Presentation at International Mother Language Day Observances – Creolese Writing Certificates Ceremony
June 2016: ‘Elite Closure, Classroom Politics and the State of the Nation: Teaching Reading and Writing in English to Creolese Speaking Children’, Ninth Annual Research Conference, Guyana Institute of Historical Research, Georgetown, Guyana
April 2016: ‘Writing Creolese in Guyana: Where do the Children stand?’ Faculty of Education & Humanities, UG
October 2012: ‘The Charter for Language Policy and Language Rights in the Creole Speaking Caribbean’, School of Education & Humanities, UG
July 2012: ‘Discussions towards a language pedagogy for the 21st century’, Research Day, UG
March 2012: ‘Language and Power: Some considerations about how power is negotiated in the language classroom’, Faculty of Education & Humanities, UG
July 2011: ‘The Implications of Language Policy and Language Rights for Education in Schools in Creole-speaking situations--with special focus on Guyana’, Research Day, UG
Nov 26, 2010: ‘Language Policy and Pedagogy – Discussions towards a rethinking of the Use of English Programme at the University of Guyana’, with Kencil Banwarie and Camanie Khedaroo, School of Education & Humanities, UG
Nov 4-6, 2010: ‘Against the Grain—A Window to Curriculum Reform at the Tertiary Level’ 13th Islands in Between Conference, UG
Oct 2008: ‘Naming our language; writing it down: Implications for teaching and learning’, School of Education & Humanities, UG
WORK IN PROGRESS
2014—present: Founder member of the Guyanese Languages Unit working group for Language Policy and Language Rights in Guyana in the process of advocating for a Guyanese Languages Unit at UG
PUBLIC, PROFESSIONAL AND EXTRA-DEPARTMENTAL SERVICE
February 2018: Introduction of Mother Language Day Observances to the University of Guyana with members of the Guyanese Languages Unit working group.
July—August 2016: Coordinator of Colloquium 2016, University of Guyana — ‘Languages of Guyana – Theory, Policy and Practice in Education and Beyond’
May 2016: Presenter of Memorandum to the Minister of Education: Language Rights, Language Education Policy and Curriculum Reform
March 2016: Creator and Facilitator of Workshop in the writing system for Guyanese Creole, University of Guyana— ‘Writing Creolese the Creolese Way’
October 2015: Presenter of submission to Minister of Education for a proposal for a national language policy for Guyana from Professor Hubert Devonish, of the International Centre for Caribbean Language Research, UWI, Mona
August, 2015: Presenter, Essequibo Region Teachers' Union Meeting— ‘Language Learning and Language Teaching in the Guyanese Linguistic Context’
Jan-March—2015: Tutor, Creolese language workshop for UCLA Graduate Student
March 2014: Guest on TV Mini-Series— ‘Haiti Stands: Solidarity with Haiti after 210 years since the Haitian Revolution and 10 Years since the UN occupation’
2013—2014: Activities in Village Revitalization during Sabbatical year, Dartmouth, Essequibo, Guyana—
- Presenter at Workshop in language awareness, Eight of May Secondary School
- Emancipation Camp Coordinator
- Coordinator of Village meetings on
- Food security and Environment with Dr Simpson Da Silva
- The Village Movement in Guyanese History in collaboration with Dr. David Hinds and the Cuffy 250 Committee
- The State of Education in Guyana with guest speaker, the Hon. Minister of Education, Rupert Roopnaraine
July 2013 Moderator, Cuffy 250 Committee workshop on the state of Education in Guyana, Critchlow Labour College, Georgetown, Guyana
May 2012: Stella Maris Primary School: Teachers Workshop in teaching composition skills
June —July 2011: Facilitator for Red Thread, Guyana: literacy workshops in Guyanese Creole in after school programme
October 2011: Discussant in the final drafting of the Charter on Language Policy and Language Rights in the Creole-speaking Caribbean, Jamaica
Aug 8—12, 2011: Facilitator in UNESCO-sponsored workshop, National Library, Guyana, Writers in Concert (WICK)
2007: Health and Environmental activism (Le Repentir Dumpsite closure campaign; Anti-Gardasil Vaccine campaign)
2000-2007: Workshop Facilitator—Teaching English language and literacy in Creole situations Ministry of Education, Jamaica