Courses for the Education Sector

Listening to Children
Effective Communication in School
Professional Development for Teaching Staff

Rationale

Courses for Teaching Staff encompass the skills and knowledge DfES suggest are necessary for effective communication and engagement with children in School. We take a solution-focused approach with insights from our training in emotional literacy and intelligence.

In addition, verbal and non-verbal communication of thoughts and ideas and feelings through play are intrinsic to this training.

The courses (one-day, two-day or six-day) help staff in their task of working with all children not only those whose social, emotional and behavioural difficulties are getting in the way of their learning.

If you are the person responsible for commissioning training, use the Contact Us form to enquire about the training which we can provide for you.

As well as the courses set out below, we also offer specialist training for Learning Support Assistants.

The Courses are as follows:

• Inset - Course 1: Listening to Children: Effective Communication in School; an Emotional Literacy Model (1-day course for all school staff, primary and secondary)
• Inset - Course 2: Entering the Child's world: Practical Ways of Working with Children (1-day course for staff in infant, primary and junior schools)
• Effective Communication with Children: Finding Solutions (2-day course for Lunchtime Supervisors)
• Effective Communication with Children: Listening to Children (6-day course for Teaching Assistants)
• Effective Communication in School: Listening to Children (6-day course providing professional development for teachers)
• Children Matter: (three-weekend course people already trained in counselling, therapy, social work and teaching who want to learn the theory and practice of working with children and young people)
• Meeting Anger Positively: (one-day workshop for people working in the areas of education, health and social services or therapy and counselling)

1-Day INSET:

Currently, we are offering two major one day INSET courses to which the whole school staff, from School Supervisors to Head Teachers, may be invited to attend. We are able to work with groups of up to 50 to 60 adults; some schools, however, choose to limit the INSET training to teaching staff only.

INSET Course 1: Listening to Children: Effective Communication in school; an emotional literacy model

This course is appropriate to all school staff, primary and secondary.

Aims of the course:

• To help staff understand how an emotional literacy model can assist them in managing their own emotional reactions, thus helping them teach children to manage both their emotional behaviour.

• To allow staff the space to reflect and think about children's behaviour as emotional communication and how we understand and work with it.

INSET Course 2: Entering the Child's world: Practical Ways of working with children

This course is for staff in Infant, Primary and Junior Schools.

Aims of the course:

• To help participants find ways of communicating with children such that they enter the child's world rather than imposing their own.
• To give participants play strategies and creative structures in which to work effectively with children and young people.

2-Day Course for Lunchtime Supervisors: Effective Communication with Children: Finding Solutions

Aims of the course:

• To provide Lunchtime Supervisors with communication skills to enable them to help children manage themselves appropriately in schools at lunchtimes and to find solution-focused approaches to challenging behaviour.

This assessed two-day course for Lunchtime supervisors is ideally delivered with a gap of four weeks between Day 1 and Day 2 in order that supervisors can carry out and write up an assessment. After Day 2 there is another assessed piece of work and when this is completed and marked, there is an ending interview with the tutor; thus there are two days of contact teaching and one hour's interview at the end of the course.

Day 1 of the course is called The Child in the School: Children's Emotional Well-Being & Mental Health, and Day 2 is called Taking a Solution-focused approach.

At the end of the course some Lunchtime Supervisors said:

"The course has made me aware of children's needs and has helped me deal with them in a more positive way."

"As an adult I have little time and I'm under pressure – now I just stand back and listen."

"The course has given me new ideas and experiences to work with and I have more empathy and I don't think the children's complaints are trivial."

"I feel more able to state calmly what I have noticed and to put my opinion across."

"Learning more about the children's behaviour has helped talking with teaching staff."

6-Day Course for Teaching Assistants: Effective Communication with Children: Listening to Children

This assessed course is held over 6 contact days, one day per week. There is a pre-meeting with the training group when the aims of the course and the assessments can be explained so that the Teaching Assistants are prepared for the work.

A month after the teaching has ended, when the assessed work has been marked, there is a tutorial with each person.

Aims of the course:

• To provide Teaching Assistants with knowledge of the emotional development of children and the ways in which the child's experiences affect their ability to manage themselves within the school system.
• to build upon their existing skills and help them acquire new ways of communicating with children.
• to help them develop strategies to support children with emotional needs in order to assist their learning and development.

After their course some Teaching Assistants said:

"I'm very glad I came on this course. The biggest thing for me was thinking about myself. Maybe I don't think about myself enough; I'm always thinking about other people's needs. I don't think I have quality time for myself. I do now. And I find I'm not jumping in to solve the children's problems like I used to do, but I listen quietly and nudge them into solving things for themselves."

"I am definitely able to communicate better with children. I feel I have changed in the way I approach them and let them approach me. And I am a lot calmer. I thought I was a good listener. And it shocked me when I realised I was not a good listener. But I am now."

6-Day Professional Development for Teachers: Effective Communication in School: Listening to Children.

Aims of the course: After completing this course Teaching Staff will

• Have knowledge of how communication works through respectful and trusting yet boundaried relationships.
• Have an understanding of the emotional development of children and the ways in which the child's experiences may affect their ability to manage themselves within the school system.
• Have added to their existing skills in listening and building empathy with children.
• Have explored and understood the power of entering the child's world through play, narrative and creative materials.
• Have developed strategies to support children with emotional needs in order to assist their learning and development.

This assessed course is open to teaching staff in primary, infant and junior schools and it is taught over 6 day sessions. There is an exit interview with the tutor after an interval to see how the experience and learning from the course has affected practice.

The teaching and learning methods are a mixture of short lectures, experiential work, exercises on strategies, small and large group discussion and feedback. There are reading and class presentation assignments and which help the learner integrate knowledge with practice.

After their course, some teachers said:

"I am listening more, talking less, looking below the surface, giving more time to children and I'm feeling calmer."

"I have changed dramatically. Listening is the key. My behaviour management has improved. I am calmer and I am able to help children sort out their conflicts."

"I am able to stay calmer because I have been trying to think what is being communicated."