Course description

For foster carers and social workers caring for Caribbean-heritage children, and anyone who hears these languages at home, school or in music

For many Caribbean-heritage children, the way they speak at home carries their family, their history and their sense of who they are. In this course, you'll learn what these languages are, why they matter, and how to value them in your home.

This interactive e-learning course has 5 short modules:

• Module 1: What Jamaican Patois Is
• Module 2: The Continuum and the Caribbean
• Module 3: Patois in Britain
• Module 4: Identity, Pride and School
• Module 5: Everyday Words and Your Response

It includes narration, practical scenarios and a final quiz of 12 questions (80% pass mark). You can learn at your own pace on any device, and you'll receive a certificate when you complete the course.

What will i learn?

• Explain what Jamaican Patois is, and why it is a language, not 'broken English'
• Describe the creole continuum and how speakers move along it
• Recognise other Caribbean languages, including Bajan, Kwéyòl, Haitian Creole and Papiamento
• Explain how Caribbean languages shaped Multicultural London English
• Understand code-switching, identity and the harm of 'correcting' children
• Use everyday words respectfully and support children at home and at school

Frequently asked question