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Step 4 Training
Training is the most important way to insure the quality and success
of an Aflatoun programme.
Teachers and facilitators need to know the content
and child centred way of learning.
Both are equally important.
Our Regional Master Trainer will train you and your team.
Once you've gone through this,
you need to decide how to train teachers
or other trainers to start your programme.
Listen to how others are doing this.
I must start by saying
that I'm a teacher of teachers, I'm not teaching class,
but I know the field.
Given that it is a programme worth trying,
so we had to identify
and find out who would accept it.
Who would be interested in buying it, for instance.
So it was like that.
Not the directors, or inspectors that teach the teachers...
we also had to identify the ones who serve the teachers.
So those were the ones we had to identify.
Together, we then identify the schools
and the directors who could accept it,
and were already motivated,
and who would then accept the programme.
That's how we've identified 10 schools,
thirteen, on a first survey.
The first phase on the school year of 2008-2009.
And then the second in 2009-2010, and then 2010-2011,
we trained other teachers.
Because the first phase, when we got the 13 schools,
the children showed a different behaviour.
And then the children themselves protested!
There were different schools and they all wanted Aflatoun.
So, the teachers actually came to us,
so in the school year of 2010-2011
the teachers themselves looked for us
and was totally surprised!
So we've trained 84 teachers
so the first ones were there with the new ones,
and there was a mix of recycling, training,
and the share of experiences was a very rich one.
Now we are working on 27 schools.
So one must do everything to implement this programme.
It's in everybody's interest!
The children's, the parents, the country's...
That fosters inclusively the development of the country...
And I think it is such a strong effort
that I'll ask from the new teachers
that they commit from the beginning.
Because when you bring the programme,
if you're not yourself committed, it doesn't work.
And one has to innovate constantly.
Aflatoun is flexible, it gives us a lot,
but some of us, from the difficulties we find,
we must find solutions and go on.
We've developed a lot of initiatives,
we work on the environment!
We are on a Sahelian country, so we promote the environment.
If you get to an Aflatoun school, a lot of children have planted trees.
Each child has a tree!
The first step that we usually do is
we coordinate with the division superintendent
of the Department of Education in a certain province
and we try to get her support or his support
for the programme.
So she or he is the one who promotes Aflatoun in the different schools.
So, upon that approval, we kind of organize the training.
Me and some other NATTCO staff, who were also trained with Aflatoun,
we go to the area and we usually have 6 schools
represented by 6 teachers per school
and normally we have around 30 teachers
for the training.
During the masters training,
we usually ask the partners to give us a copy of the CV's of the participants
and more or less their background
so that it could be easier for us
to also prepare the materials and the programme
based on the understanding and the capacity of our participants.
Like for example...
If our participants are more exposed to social issues,
we don't really dwell much on that,
but rather focus on the financial side of the programme,
the part where they are not really familiar with;
and, of course, if our participants are financial people
who are very much involved and work with the banks
or with the cooperatives,
we try to also tone down a bit on the financial side
because they are more adept to that
and we focus more on the social side,
about rights and responsibilities,
about other core elements of Aflatoun
like personal understanding and exploration
and the UNCRC and the Convention on the Rights of the Child
and all that.
But we are a bit challenged with the financial part,
the financial education part,
because in the Philippines...
I think Filipinos are one of the races in the world
with the lowest savings culture
and it's a bit of a challenge...
... in how to change the mindset of these teachers
and how they teach children about money when they have no allowance at all
when these children go to school without any money
and how can they save without money.
What we usually do at first is a sort of 'consciencialization' process,
so we introduce the programme
and we let them understand about the value of Aflatoun
and that this programme is not only meant to help the children
but also the teachers,
because they will be role models.
They will be teaching about financial education,
so there is a need for them to also have those values in them
about the habit of saving,
so that it will be more effective, more...
How shall I say it...? It's more validating,
if they also practice saving themselves.
So these teachers usually become members also of the cooperative.
So they come home feeling hopeful
knowing that even if they are already mature individuals, or old people...
... they can actually start saving
and it's not too late for everyone to practice that kind of habit.
They find out how beautiful it would be
if they would teach those kinds of values
also to young children while they are still young.
And it would also help if you have a team,
like myself, I am not a teacher, I am not an educator,
but I have with me a co-facilitator.
I have a coach trainer, as a professor.
He is taking care of the educational part,
I mean the theoretical part of the programme,
and I am more on the practical side.
So it would be good you have a team to help you out in the process,
so that the discussion would be more balanced
and that the teacher can also enjoy and relate more to the learning experience.
Ermira, you're one of our more experienced trainers.
I wonder if you can tell us
what do you think are the main objectives
of our 3 or 4 day teacher training workshop?
The main objectives of the training itself.
First of all, giving another view of the programme
to the teachers itself,
like what is Aflatoun,
where it is implemented, how many countries...
It's a kind of general information about Aflatoun
because it's important, specially new, let's say, areas
the people that come in
need to have a general overview for what it is about,
let's say, Aflatoun.
Then, another objective of the training...
is, first of all making teachers...
... try to see another new approach,
like initiative,
by putting the child in the centre of the activity.
Because it's a basic thing in each activity,
for each of the components that the Aflatoun programme has,
to have a child participatory focus,
that means that the child is in the centre of the activities.
Then, by exploring with the teachers
each of the five components of Aflatoun,
we provide them enough experience
and as well a friendly environment
through mock lessons
to do it between themselves, to see how they can improve the teaching,
to make it more fun for children
and to transfer this new knowledge about self confidence,
about Rights and Responsibilities,
saving and budgeting, planning and enterprises.
During the teacher training workshop, Ermira,
we provide teachers with 5 or 6 opportunities
in which to do a mock teaching session,
so that we can get them constructive feedback.
And you were describing how
in the first of those mock teaching sessions
they really don't demonstrate any ability or awareness
of Child Centred methodologies.
How might the final teaching training session look?
How would you gage that the teachers had made progress?
If the first one is so... let's say, empty,
Let's say you don't feel anything within the lesson they provide.
In the end, they try to use every single detail that they see in the room.
Cups, bottles, whatever there is in the room,
lamps,
notebooks, pens, whatever they find there,
and try to find every kind of resources that are there,
to create a lesson as fun as possible,
to play and to talk less...
and to include "the children" or the other teachers.
If in the first case, in the beginning,
it is the one who played the role as teacher
just talks and talks and talks
while we are all listening,
in the end,
the teacher, let's say, that talked 10 percent is more inviting,
and uses the calling out of names in the group
to come in the lessons.
Ok, and what might be some changes in the behaviour of children
in the first practice lesson
towards the way children are behaving in the final teaching practice?
Of course, more happy, more interactive,
and again, more willing to stay,
not sleepy...!
Let's say, they feel...
Every single detail of them...
If you observe them, they start to feel the lesson with all the part of the body,
with their eyes,
with their speaking, hearing,
touching, because they touch material during these lessons.
So they learn through all the senses
and that is something totally different from what happened in the beginning,
when most of them, they are like sleeping, tired,
and not very interested in what is happening.
How can it be that some of these teachers who are teachers of training,
who have excelled,
and who are wonderful examples, come together and form a group?
How can they actually take the knowledge and experience
and put it in a way that can be used by others?
To create profit.
To me it's how can you create a network of professionals,
who are good trainers
and make that like an association, that provides guidelines and standards,
where we all as teachers can become stronger.
My question is what can school be?
And what can school be and the same possibilities, imperatives
and initiatives for a school in the 21st century
and what they've done is they compiled all these experiences from teachers
who are back and they wanted to show
and they include Aflatoun, because they already know it,
when I'm visiting teachers who are applying it.
So it's great that Aflatoun has found now
all these different ways in which teachers
can be great teachers.
It's important now to have the strength of the devout.
How can I invite others that who are closer to me to get together
so I'm not like myself and we can inspire each other?
I think because there is a structure that's international
that can provide feedback and everything,
it's not like 2 teachers on their own.
They can immediately feel that even in the middle of nowhere in Mexico,
Guatemala or El Salvador
or other countries in Latin America, wherever,
they are part of something.
And I think that's one of the great things about Aflatoun.
I can be in a mountain somewhere 10 hours from the capital,
but I'm part of something, so in a way that's really rewarding.
And I think it would be great for children to say: "I'm here,"
"but there are other people in every part of the world who are part of this".
So in a way numbers become relevant,
because it's good to say "Yes, we're 30 here..."
"...but we are part of 10 million!"
What we do is, when we bring any new activity
we make it palatable so that they love it and they take it with them.
So this kind of participatory fun kind of training...
... is very motivating.
The number of people attending the training is always growing.
We do not rely on the first few days of training.
We always follow an ongoing class,
so we have training people on the ground...
who work with about 10 to 15 schools on a daily basis,
so there is a regular coaching team providing support in the ground.