Principal trainers deliver each training module to teachers in their allocated schools.
Whole-school training
Principal trainers conduct whole-school training to ensure, as far as possible, that all teachers in the school are trained. Each module of training takes around 3 days, and depending on the context, principal trainers may conduct the training during holidays or during in-service training days during term time.
Principal trainers are encouraged to work together, so they can train in pairs if they want. They should also regularly share their experiences and ideas with each other.
The training roll-out focuses on providing good quality training and ongoing professional learning opportunities to teachers. Consequently, it does not reach huge numbers of schools and teachers in a year, like a traditional cascade training approach might, but it provides a better quality of training than most traditional cascade trainings.
Action research element
Principal trainers ensure that action research activities are integral to the training. They usually ask teachers to carry out small investigations in between the training sessions. Teachers can then present their results at the next training session.
Refresher training
Teachers frequently change jobs, move to a new area, etc, so there is a constant need to bring incoming teachers up to speed with the inclusive education approaches used in their new school. Plus principal trainers and teachers may need opportunities to refresh their memories and understanding of some aspects of the training.
A set of refresher materials have therefore recently been added. The materials for each of the 7 modules include:
- facilitation guide for a half-day refresher workshop;
- ‘take-home’ materials – cards and posters – that principal trainers and teachers can keep with them and use any time to remind themselves of key messages.
Again these have been adapted to suit each context. We will share a set of refresher materials online soon!
Further reading
Briefing paper: ‘Innovation in Inclusive Education Teacher Training. Sharing our Experiences’ (2019.) This paper (available in PDF and Word) answers a lot of frequently asked questions about the training approach, including how the training is rolled out.
Learn about other parts of the process.
This project is a collaboration between NAD and EENET.
