Package Learning Materials on Environment (PLANET)Review & Sharing WorkshopPLANET Workshop - Capacity Building for Professional Development
PLANET Workshop - Capacity Building for Professional Development
The participants then discussed a very important issue of capacity building. Now that user-friendly and locally-relevant materials have been produced based on learners’ and local needs, and disseminated widely to reach each and every one of the target learners, capacity building remains as another challenge. Teachers and facilitators play a vital role in maximising whatever available resources they have at hand to ensure learning takes place in the minds of learners. In particular, not only knowledge but also skills, attitude and behavioural change carry weight in environment education and ESD, which has significant implications to teacher/facilitators’ skills in conducting sessions and their selection of teaching-learning methodologies. Furthermore, project managers also need to build their own capacity so as to effectively facilitate organization of learning and provide necessary support to teachers/facilitators, local partners, learners, etc. The following is a summary of ideas on capacity building generated from actual experience of PLANET project implementation.
WHAT SKILLS
*Intellectual/knowledge
- System thinking to integrate an issue into broader context of environment/sustainable development; and to link global issues with local concerns
- Knowledge of different perspectives on selected issues such as waste management
- Language skills (both local and national)
- Scientific and indigenous knowledge
- Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) Skills
- Materials and curriculum development using locally available resources
- Lesson planning (Ex. to divide a big topic into smaller units and integrate into curriculum)
- Facilitation/teaching skills (interactive and participatory methods, how to turn knowledge into action, how to elaborate the materials from the viewpoint of andragogy, etc.)
- Motivational skills
- Communication skills for effective interaction
- Life skills approach
- Effective follow-up after sessions/lessons
- Close interaction with local/community people
- Leadership
- Networking and building partnerships with local government, NGOs, Community-based Organisations (CBOs), Private Organizations, Corporations, etc.
- Social mobilisations
- Advocacy
- Identification of key persons in the community
- Identification of external opportunities and social support system available
- Needs assessment and analysis
- Planning
- Budgeting
- Time-management
- Monitoring and Evaluation, especially outcomes and impact evaluation
- Documentation and reporting
- Respect for and commitment to the community
- Gender sensitivity
- Sense of humour
- Fairness
HOW TO DEVELOP
- Sharing and exchange of experiences/good practices (via workshop, e-mails, websites, intra/inter visitation, etc.)
- Consultation with experts
- Supply of reading and/or reference materials for teachers/facilitators
- Conduct training of trainers, teachers and facilitators
- Mentoring, supervision, guidance, formative monitoring
- Develop training curriculum (E.g. on-line learning modules, field visits)
- Develop knowledge accumulation system based on good practice
- Collaborate with other teacher training initiatives at national, regional and global levels (and integrate PLANET into these initiatives)
- Stay with local people (Eg.. immersion, camping)
- Recognition/Awards of facilitators and teachers (E.g. PLANET facilitator of the year)
- Self-motivation (self-learning)