Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/mix-and-match-books-videos-and-active-learning-strategies-for-staff-development/5011997/
We tend to appreciate the pace and complexities of the learning process when it comes to children, but our needs for competent caregivers and teachers often has us approaching staff training with less patience. We order and distribute books, videos, and training modules hoping the content will somehow make its way into the minds of those who need it. Time in staff meetings is spent reviewing policies and regulations, and teachers are periodically visited by supervisors bearing checklists and rating scales. This is often what we call our staff training program.I've done my fair share of these activities as a director and a staff trainer. Early on I tried this because I didn't know what else to do; and even when I gained a better understanding of adult learning, I fell into this approach when I got strapped for time or too stressed out to invent something more suitable.
Studying and trying to apply the ideas of adult educators such as Paulo Freire, Elizabeth Jones, Eleanor Duckworth, bell hooks, and Jacqueline Brooks has led me to better results in my staff training. Because I continue to develop books, videos, and checklists as training tools, it's obvious that I think they are ...