ExchangeEveryDay Past Issues

"In the simplest terms, a leader is one who knows where he wants to go, and gets up and goes." —John Erskine

CHILDHOOD MEMORIES AS A TRAINING TOOL

In their book, Training Teachers: A Harvest of Theory and Practice, Margie Carter and Deb Curtis, suggest using teachers childhood memories to help them learn:

"Because one of our primary goals is to help teachers become observant and self-reflective, we are constantly designing training strategies that promote these positive dispositions and cultivate the necessary skills. Awareness tools are exercises we use to provoke memories of past experiences and acquired knowled ge, as well as alertness in everyday environments and events. Bringing up memories of everyday happenings often turns ordinary encounters into extraordinary encounters into extraordinary insights for effective teaching...

"To begin a discussion or training on any early childhood topic, suggest participants think back to a related childhood experience. For instance, if the topic is 'building self-esteem in children' ask, 'As a child what was the consistent message you got, verbally or non-verbally, about yourself?' If the subject is child guidance, you might ask them to remember the consistent message in their childhood about how to handle conflict. Remind participants they can be as light or as serious as they'd like.

"Ask people to get up and walk around the room introducing themselves by repeating to each person their name and a phrase which captures their childhood message. We then clearly hear the different things we were taught. 'Hello, I'm Deb and I need to stop being so moody.' 'My name is Margie and I know it's important to keep quiet when disagreements arise.'

"During the debriefing of this activity, we ask people how they feel about themselves after repeating this phrase over and over again. We explore their responses to how others have introduced themselves. If there are any messages that reflect conflicting values, its useful to consider how these could lead to staff tensions."