DOCUME104RESUME ED 403 012 PS 024 112 AUTHOR Torkington, Kate TITLE Enhancing the Skills of Early Childhood Trainers: Training P
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DOCUME104RESUME ED 403 012 PS 024 112 AUTHOR Torkington, Kate TITLE Enhancing the Skills of Early Childhood Trainers: Training Pack, Parts 1-5. INSTITUTION Bernard Van Leer Foundation, The Hague (Netherlands).; United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Paris (France). REPORT NO ISBN-90-6195-034-1; ISBN-92-3-103130-9 PUB DATE 95 NOTE 240p. AVAILABLE FROM UNIPUB, 4611-F Assembly Drive, Lanham, MD 20706 ($40). PUB TYPE Guides Classroom Use Teaching Guides (For Teacher) (052) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC10 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Adult Education; Annotated Bibliographies; Cultural Awareness; Early Childhood Education; Educational Resources; *Experiential Learning; Foreign Countries; Instructional Leadership; Instructional Materials; Knowledge Base for Teaching; Multicultural Education; *Resource Materials; Teacher Education Programs; *Teacher Educators; *Teacher Participation; *Training Methods IDENTIFIERS *Caregiver Training; Early Childhood Development Programs; Hands on Experience; Learning Groups; *Participation Training; Trainer Role; Training Materials ABSTRACT Intended as a resource for both trainers and trainees in early childhood development and education, and based on the principles of active learning and participatory training, this five-part training pack encourages the incorporation of active learning materials in training and invites cooperation in adapting participatory training materials to specific cultural setting. The first part of the training pack, "Introduction to the Training Pack," introduces the principles of active learning and participatory training; discusses reasons for the development of the training pack; outlines the four main distinguishing features of the training materials; and provides an overview of the contents of the training pack. The second part, "Delivering Effective Training," discusses principles related to the processes of training adults and of adult learning, and details seven effective participatory training methods, including role-play, focused activities, and case studies. This part of the training pack also takes a critical look at the training evaluation and makes some suggestions for change. The third part, "Guide to the Development of the Young Child," presents current scientific knowledge about universal stages of development, and of certain patterns and processes that characterize given developmental stages, regardless of culture. The developmental information is divided by age level up to 6 years. The fourth part, "Rationale for Experiential/Participatory Methods," explores the efficacy of experiential/participatory learning in training of early childhood teachers. This part examines the theories of major figures in philosophy, psychology, and education, and discusses the concepts of knOwledge, cultural difference, and adult learning from a theoretical perspective. The fifth part of the training set, "Resource List," provides an annotated bibliography and list of resources to assist trainers using experiential/participatory learning. (HTH) J,T-1 F ern-Frnff ekiltditr U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY 4EST-COPYAVAMIL TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) s!, PcBcP, o-fi&o, n.q &f nn [fr')D unomaanhponil, EST COPY IA11 BLE qr 0 :.', Acknowledgements This Pack owes its existence to the inspiration and work of many people in the field of Early Childhood Development. First I owe special tribute to Cassie Landers of UNICEF who not only wrote, in such a sensitive-way, the comprehensive Guide to the development of the young child, but also was the person who shared my enthusiasm from the beginning about producing a Pack. Indeed, whenever I felt despondent or unsure about the Pack, it was Cassie who restored my original excitement and enthusiasm. Of crucial importance to the, development of Part 2 of the Pack, Delivering effective training, was a group of trainers who worked with me and my colleague Jim Smale in a workshop in Scheveningen, The Netherlands, in November 1992. These trainers from Foundation-supported projects were accustomed to using some experiential/participatory training methods in their training and were committed to the principles of development work. At Scheveningen, we worked together for five days in a way which reflected the Pack's philosophy: using a non-hierarchical approach, questioning and challenging rather than prescribing and evaluating our own training practice. At the end of the workshop, one of the participants expressed her feelings about the experience in these words: 'This workshop has been wonderful in that it has allowed us to experience practically what we mean by participatory training. It will be good to really disseminate that for other people to know'. After the workshop most of the participants wrote to tell me of different ways they had used the experience in their training. They remained enthusiastic about the pack and they kept my enthusiasm going. The participants were: Gloria Betran, Centro de Investigacion y Desarrollo de la Education (CIDE) , Chile Marge Bridle, Development Education Centre (DEC), UK Margaret. Irvine, Border Early Learning Centre, Republic of South Africa Kamariah Ismail, Training Consultant to Foundation projects in Malaysia Samira Nairukh, Trust of Programmes for Early Childhood, Family and Community Education, East Jerusalem Stephen Ngaruiya, National Centre for Early Childhood Education, Kenya Thelma Perets, Education and Development Project, Israel Ann Schoenveld, Community Education Development Centre, UK Many other people gave me help and support, including my colleagues at the Foundation who formed a Training Advisory Group: Ruth Cohen, Wim Monasso, Paula Nimpuno, Gerry Salole, Rita Swinnen and Liesbeth Zwitser. A special thank you goes to Ruth Cohen for her expert help and advice on publishing and printing; to Professor Karsten Hundeide of the University of Bergen, Norway; to Peter Williams of Peter Williams Associates in London, UK, who gave me thoughtful and constructive feedback on the draft materials; to the editors of the Pack, Elizabeth Block and Brian Cohen of EJB Communications in London. Then I must express my thanks to our co-publishers, UNESCO, and, in particular, to John Bennett, Director of the UNESCO programme, The Young Child and the Family Environment for his support and commitment to the Pack and the joint initiatives which will build on it. Finally I thank all those people in projects supported by the Foundation and those supported by other international organisations whom I have visited and whose practice and observations have helped me so much to clarify my thinking. Kate Torkington, November 1994 Con.ftmto tE1111`).1Z.7.0 Soecinra Preface Introduction 1 Why we embarked on the Pack 1 The context: a love of learning The principles: effecting a continuum of change 2 What is different about these training materials? 3 The Pack's target group 4 Can all trainers be facilitators? 4 Aims of the Pack 5 Contents of the Pack 6 Use of the Pack USING THIS TRAINING PACK This Training Pack is intended to persuade, not to prescribe. We want readers and users to take from the Pack whatever fits comfortably with themselves and their work, to use the suggestions if and when it suits them, and to be creative in adapting the ideas to their own circumstances and inventing new ones. The Pack can be used by individual trainers or by groups of trainers. It will probably be most effective if a group of trainers meet together to discuss issues raised in the Pack and try out the activities. It can also be used by individual trainers as a selflearning pack. © Bernard van Leer Foundation/UNESCO 1995 Any part of this book may be copied, reproduced or adapted by individual persons or organisations as part of their own work or training without permission from the publishers provided that the parts reproduced are attributed to the publishers and are not distributed for profit. For any reproduction by profit making bodies or for commercial ends, permission must be obtained from the publishers. ISBN 92-3-103130-9 (UNESCO) ISBN 90-6195-034-1 (Bernard van Leer Foundation) 0 -P©VM Tar Early childhood development programming is now viewed by research and professional bodies as the first and essential stage in the basic education process. Recent world conferences testify to a growing appreciation of the crucial importance of the child's earliest years, and the need to support families and communities in their role of providing an environment supportive of the child's overall development. Improving children's health and nutrition is a first duty, but increasingly, in a situation where fourteen out of fifteen of the world's children survive the vulnerable infancy period, governments and civil society are turning their attention to the psycho-social and cognitive development of children. There is ample evidence to show that healthy children who have experienced good early development and learning programmes are much more likely to remain,in primary school and achieve worthwhile life goals. In addition, countries that succeed in mobilising government, local authorities,