Chris Sowton
Materials Writer: 'Language for Resilience' Teacher Trainer and Manager Courses
As the next step of their Language for Resilience initiatives, I was commissioned to write development materials for both teacher trainers and institutional managers. Other writers of these materials included Tony Capstick and Marie Delaney, the authors of the original report. The overall purpose of these modules was to support professionals working in marginalised and post-conflict societies, primarily with refugees, and upskill them more effectively for the challenges of working in these environments.
The first module area is focused on how to make the classrooms a safe space for learners. The module explores a range of common practices which contribute to learners not feeling safe in their learning environment, and looks at how teachers can change these practices so that all learners feel included in the learning process.
The second module area looks at the different ways that progress can be measured in an educational context. The module explores how the term is currently understood, and how it can be understood in different ‘non-academic’ terms. It also develops the participants’ understanding of key ideas such as ‘distance travelled’ and ‘self-assessment’, and provides them with the opportunity to apply this knowledge with their own learners in their own classrooms and schools.
The modules will be made available later in 2019.