Make Learning Fun

It is incredibly important that early childhood professionals in centers and homes be well trained. This is a serious challenge for our profession.  But that does not mean that all training has to be serious.  In fact, from time to time, training can be effective when it is fun. 

I invite you to share your stories of fun and successful training activities by scrolling down and posting a comment below.  You may want to check back in coming weeks to view all the contributions.  Just go to the ExchangeEveryDay section at www.ChildCareExchange.com and click on "View previous issues."

To prime the pump, I will share a quick idea offered by a participant in a workshop I led several years ago for California AEYC.  A director related how she was having a difficult time motivating staff to learn the state licensing requirements that impacted their work.  So she turned it into a contest using the Trivial Pursuit format, and the staff got on board in no time.

What keeps adults learning is the combination of ongoing reading, dialogue, trial and error, skill development, and continual self-reflection. There are always old and new ideas to visit, mentors and models to re-examine, and adjustments to make in one's approach.  The Exchange CD Book Developing Capable, Creative Teachers offers an exhaustive collection of 53 articles in PDF format offering a host of practical ideas and strategies in the following categories:

• Staff Development Basics
• Staff Development Strategies and Solutions
• Team Building Strategies and Solutions

For more information about Exchange's magazine, books, and other products pertaining to ECE, go to www.ccie.com.

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