Teaching Adults to Teach Children about Food Safety Food Safety Professional Development for Early Childhood Educators

Teaching Adults to Teach Children about Food Safety Goals –Introduce ideas to help you effectively communicate with others –Introduce you to some tips for dealing with culturally diverse audiences –Introduce several ways of promoting parental involvement –Introduce some things that could make your presentation/workshop completely ineffective –Give tips for effective workshops and presentations

How do adults learn? Three Powerful Principles of Adult Learning Adults bring a lot of experience with them to workshops, and therefore have something to contribute and something to lose. Adults want workshops that focus on real-life here and now problems and tasks, rather than on academic situations. Adults are accustomed to being active and self-directed.

Something to Learn and Something to Contribute Every person learns at their own pace and in their own way. Adults have a lot invested in their experience. If adults are expected to change, it must be of their own volition. Workshop leaders cannot FORCE change.

Real-life, “Here and Now” Situations Adults see learning as a means to an end, rather than as an end in itself. Learning is voluntary. It must have personal meaning and it must be of direct and immediate value, or adults just won’t be interested.

Active & Self-Directed Learning The best learning is based on experience. Aim for a cooperative and collaborative process that supports participants sharing their experiences.

Matching Adult Teaching Strategies with Your Audience (Know Your Audience) Who are they? Why should they listen to you? Can they relate to you? Are you adequately addressing cultural differences?

Analyzing Your Audience Demographic information Audience attitudes, values, and beliefs What do they know and when did they know it?

Why should they listen to you? Tell them what to expect Highlight the benefits

Can your audience relate to you? Create common ground Localize and customize your remarks Push their hot buttons

Speaking to Cross-Cultural Audiences Do not fall for stereotypes Do not assume your humor will work Do project humility Do not greet the audience in their language if you do not speak it

Creating Rapport Acknowledge what the audience is feeling Share something that helps the audience know you Do not whine about your problems Identify and address audience audience subgroups Identify influential audience members Express your feelings Focus on their needs, not yours

Emphasizing the Importance Of Food Safety Content Why should I listen to you? How does this relate to me? What is my benefit from listening? How does this apply to my current circumstances?

Identifying Developmentally Appropriate Information & Children’s Knowledge Base What do they know and how can we build on that?

Communication Process Verbal and nonverbal messages Reactions to role Emotional responses Personal factors

Communication Leads to Involvement (Six Levels) Parenting Communicating Volunteering Learning at home Decision making Collaborating with community

Family-Friendly Schools Welcome parents visually and emotionally Accommodate diverse family situations Make it easy to get involved Demonstrate that parental opinions and involvement are important Create spaces for parents Provide assistance and resources

Effective Communication Methods Telephone calls Written communications Communicating through technology Visual communication Home visits Parent meetings Parent-teacher conferences

Factors Influencing Quality Involvement Written policies Administrative support Training Partnership approach Networking Evaluation

Benefits of Teacher-Parent Partnerships for Children, Parents and Teachers

Benefits for Children Security Self-worth Guide and nurture a child’s development knowledgeably Gain academic skills and verbal intelligence

Benefits for Parents Support Gained knowledge and skill Parental self-esteem

Benefits for Teachers Increased knowledge (get history of children) Self confidence Parental resource to supplement and reinforce their efforts in providing an enlarge world of learning

Barriers to Teacher-Parent Partnerships

Barrier Caused by Human Nature Fear of criticism Fear hidden behind a “professional” mask Parent reactions Fear of failure Fear of difference

External Barriers Time “Busy-ness” Old ideas of parent involvement Administrative policies Personal problems

The barriers can be broken by “a bit more relaxation, a bit more empathy, a bit more recognition of the many complex factor that shape life for all of us”

Tips for Effective Workshops (Eight Steps to Effective Training Events) Step 1. Define purpose of the training and target audience Step 2. Determine participants’ needs Step 3. Define training goals and objectives Step 4. Outline training content

Tips for Effective Workshops (Eight Steps to Effective Training Events) Step 5. Develop instructional activities Step 6. Prepare the written training design Step 7. Prepare participant evaluation form(s) Step 8. Determine follow-up activities for the event

Critical Requirements For In-Service Training New skills and knowledge must be presented to improve the employee’s usefulness in their assigned job Training activities must develop employee understanding of their assigned job and the responsibilities incumbent upon them Information must be available and skills must be present to enable the employee to review, update, and upgrade their knowledge necessary for his assigned job

Critical Requirements For In-Service Training Training activities are immediately applicable to the job assignment Training is provided for promotion to greater responsibility Training and activities provide an opportunity to broaden general work knowledge

What Have We Learned? How to identify with your audience How to create a relationship with your audience How to promote parental involvement How barriers will impede your success How to plan an effective workshop