Comedian wants different approach to teaching

Comedian Dale 'Diego the Cross-Eyed Villain' McKay wants Jamaican teachers to incorporate popular culture such as the use of skits and music in the delivery of lessons to students.

McKay, who is popular for skits and stand-up routines, asserts that not being cognisant of what learning style best suits a student's needs hinders their development and confidence. He reasoned that music and skits can be used to engage students and increase their interest in learning.

"When I used to go school and in class, I used to always a make joke. If teacher come and say something and mi see how mi can tweak it, mi tweak it and make joke. My teachers used to always complain to my parents saying it was better they stopped sending me to school because a joke me take it for. But now it is joke that pay me," he shared.

The Clarendon-born jokester found his calling to the stage after a friend in the barbershop where he worked recommended that he enter comedian Christopher 'Johnny' Daley's open mic night. After winning 14 weeks in a row, McKay decided to pursue comedy full time. Now looking back at his days in school , he believes that his teacher perhaps noticed his challenges but was not equipped to guide.

"Is not every student gonna learn the 'book work' way and is not every student cut out for just the book work. You have 40 students in one class and there is only one way of teaching and then you say some dunce and then you grade dem and talk about who comes first and who comes second. They are killing other students' minds because they are not dunce, but it might not be their way of learning," he said.

McKay, who has his sights set on eventually breaking into comedy spaces internationally, said that more should be done to train teachers to pick up on, and cater to students with varying learning patterns as opposed to labelling them.

"I think we need programmes that scale down things to see the types of learning. How someone ... can post a song and by time dem upload the song, they [children] know it word for word? How then you say him dunce 'cause he not picking up what you writing on the blackboard? It's just probably his way of learning is audio. Take up an audio book with that person and see how it goes," he reasoned.