Training
Preparation of Training Material
Promotion
Evaluation
- Assets
- Creative activities

The Training
1. Phase I: the pilot training

In 1998, five groups were trained under the supervision of the Swedish expert Ulla Lundqvis

Total

Area

Beneficiaries

Two Groups of experts

West Bank

Gaza

Writers, Journalist, translators, librarians, educators, stakeholder and representatives of Palestinian Universities

3 Groups

West Bank (2)

Gaza

Supervisors and teachers of MOEHE

Phase II: Trainers of Trainers

Aimed at enhancing the skills of 34 trainers of trainers in the Ministry of Education, through emphasis on the training concept, discussing the training material, encouraging communication between trainers and exchange of experiences. A team of 20 trainees in the West Bank and 14 in Gaza Strip was selected from the pilot training groups of supervisors and teachers.

Phase III : Training Trainers

166 Trainers were trained in 17 directorates. Distribution of trainers is as follows:

Hebron	13
South Hebron	10
Bethlehem	6
Ramallah & Bireh	15
Jerusalem	3
Suburbs of. Jerusalem	8
Jericho	2
Nablus	10
Qabatia	8
Jenin	10
Qalqilyia	10
Tulkarem	8
Salfeet	7
Khan Younis	20
North. Gaza	12
Gaza	16

Phase IV: Upgrading Training skills of Trainers:

Monthly meetings and activities for new and old trainers before and during training phase of teachers allowed exchange of experience, development of knowledge around children’s literature, analysis of children’s books, development of new activities and discussion on different aspects of children's literature. The Trainers worked in 6 groups as follows:

Group 1

Group 2

Group 3

Group 4

Group 5

Group 6

Hebron

South of Hebron

Bethlehem

Ramallah

Jerusalem

Suburbs of Jerusalem Jericho

Nablus

Qabatiya

Jenin

Qalqiliya

Tulkarem

Salfeet

Khan Younis

Rafah

Gaza

North Gaza

Phase V: Training of teachers

133 groups of teachers and supervisors were trained between summer 2003 and August 1, 2004. The Training targeted mainly elementary teachers for first and second grades as well as Arabic Language teachers for grades 3-10.

City	Number of Groups	Number of Teachers	Principals of	Number of Groups	Number of Teachers
S. Hebron	11	275	Nablus	12	300
Hebron	12	300	Tulkarem	7	175
Bethleham	8	200	Qalqeliya	6	150
Jerusalem	4	100	Jenin	9	225
S. Jerusalem	6	150	Qubateya	6	150
Jericho	2	50	Shamal Gaza	8	200
Ramallah	12	300	Gaza	12	300
Salfeet	6	150	Khan Younis	9	225
Rafah	2	50
Total	63	1575		69	1725
Total	133 Groups 3300 Teachers

Preparation of Training Material

Phase I: Preparation of the Training Material

The training material (120 pages) is used by the trainers, and focuses on attitudes towards children's literature, on analysis and critique of children's literature as well as on classroom activities for promoting children's reading. Trainees worked thoroughly on 21 children’s books to develop their skills in analyzing children’s literature and developing reading promotion activities.

Phase II: Preparation of a Teachers Manual

The manual of 174 pages is composed of two parts. The first part consists of articles by international authors to provoke discussion, since the articles express different and sometimes contradicting views on children’s literature.

The second part of the manual consists of a series of suggested activities around ten international books and five Arab books that teachers can implement and build on in the classroom.

The activities, which vary from illustration, drama, poetry writing and discussions, aim at improving the classroom atmosphere where teamwork and cooperation, peaceful discussion and skills development prevail.

Examples of activities on children's books:

Encouraging drawing and Imagination

The book "Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak is about monsters. First grade children are asked to give a name to each of the monsters. Then the classroom creates its own monster. Each child draws an eye or nose or foot or hand etc., cutting and pasting the parts to a large skeleton that the teacher has drawn. The monster could have 6 eyes, 7 hands…

Creative Writing

The book “Ann of Green Gables” by Lucy M Macdonald is about an orphaned girl who strives to get her adopted family’s heart. The book is based on chapters, each an episode of the story of Ann from the moment she arrives to the adopted family at the age of ten, until she becomes a lovable, beautiful girl respected and loved by all.

One of the suggested activities is to have the classroom build a similar story of an orphaned Palestinian girl. The class has to agree on the framework and an outline of each chapter. Then each group writes their own chapter and through this, each classroom has a full story of a Palestinian Ann.

Drama, Illustration and Exhibition

“Shadi and the Bird” by Nasri Sayegh tells the story of Shadi who drew a bird with no wings. The bird becomes so sad that he refuses to eat the birdseeds that Shadi draws for him. The bird remains sad despite all the bird friends that Shadi draws. Not until Shadi finally draws the missing wings did the bird become happy again and flies away.

One of the drama activities, which the manual suggests is to imagine a conversation between Shadi’s bird and the other birds that Shadi drew to keep him company.

After discussing the book, the children visit the library or the internet or through artists to look for signs of freedom such as a story’s hero or a picture or carving, and create an exhibition about freedom and invite the local community to visit the exhibition.

Book Presentation

The teacher reads a paragraph from “The brothers Lionheart” by Astrid Lindgren. In this paragraph a child who is believed to be asleep, hears his mother talking to her neighbor about terrible news. At this point, the teacher interrupts reading and asks if it ever happens that children pretend to be asleep and eavesdrop. The teacher then asks what they think the bad news could be and after some discussion, the teacher reads additional lines and gives just enough information about the story to encourage the children to read the book.

Phase III: Preparation of the second Teachers Manual

The content of the second manual includes Palestinian articles on children's literature and on the project’s achievement. It also includes new activities under 20 new local and international titles. Those activities were developed by the 166 Trainers in the different Palestinian directorates; they also take into consideration the more innovative activities developed by teachers in their classrooms throughout a year and a half of training.

3. Promotion of the Project

For better implementation of the project on the national level and for better mobilization of the local community the following activities were realized:

Through videoconferencing, an introductory workshop was organized simultaneously in Gaza Strip and West Bank, in the presence of the main partners, media, librarians, trainers, as well high ranking staff of both ministries, the meeting took place in February 2003 at the Ministry of Education. The total number of participants exceeded 100 and the project was described by most as extremely important.
In the directorates, book exhibitions and festivals took place at the end of each semester on the occasion of the distribution of certificates to the trainees.
A booklet presenting the project (in Arabic and English) has been published
Specialist and international and local media conducted field visits to the schools where they attended classes and applications of the reading promotion activities.
A logo was created to express children’s literature as a constant reminder of the importance of reading and creativity.
A poster was designed and distributed to schools and libraries.
A short seven-minute film illustrates the project's different activities.
Prizes were distributed to the more performing schools within this project.

4. Evaluation of the Project

Confronted by a large echo and reputation of the project since the implementation of the first training groups program, the main actors within both ministries felt the necessity to constantly following up in order to measure the real impact of the project.

A first evaluation meeting was held at the Ministry of Education in Ramallah, communicating with the Gaza Strip via video conferencing. The purpose of the meeting was:

- To report on the distribution of books within each directorate

- To present the criteria for selecting teachers to participate in the training program

- To discuss the best way for following up the training program

- To discuss the importance of the examination paper, which trainees have to present at the end of each training group program.

During the discussions held, the coordinators of both ministries and the teachers and trainers presented the achievements and impact of the first training groups. They all agreed on the enthusiasm this project was provoking.

· Evaluation reports were produced at the end of each training group program. Trainees, trainers as well as coordinators would evaluate the training.

· A second similar evaluation meeting was held at the Ministry of Education with video conferencing. Discussions evolved around strengthening positive aspects and dealing with difficulties faced, but mainly centered on presenting the achievements of the trainers, the teachers and the students.

· A Swedish independent evaluator visited schools and attended the second evaluation meetings at the Ministry of Education Hall.

· Trainers and coordinators presented reports of the monthly meetings, and the ministries responsible attended all these meetings

· A local expert presented an evaluation of the project

Assets

Children’s literature books are being distributed to school libraries and used by teachers and students as a curriculum support, mainly in Arabic language
Weak readers improve their reading skills
Methods of teaching has been improved by using children’s literature to explain and fix concepts
Students link and identify with heroes and characters of stories. Characters like Peter the rabbit, Pippi or Burhan became companions to both the children and the teachers in the classroom.
By implementing a whole panel of diverse activities around the book, teachers acquire new skills in developing innovative activities and presenting new methods, such as displaying the story and reading it on the computer
Being introduced to international children’ literature widens teachers’ and students’ horizons as well as their understanding of different cultures including their own.
Teachers and students are being introduced to analyzing illustrations
Interest in folk stories is reactivated
Some schools have already introduced children’s literature classes to their regular curriculum and work plan for the year.

Creative activities

Teachers and students write, draw and design new books and enrich their classroom library
Competitions on the best implementation of the project are conducted between schools
Exhibitions of books and products of classroom activities are organized in all directorates
Workshops with specialized institutes are conducted around creative writing for interested teachers and students
Puppets, figurines and masks are used in adapting a book on stage for storytelling, puppet shows and theater
Wonder boxes are fabricated for story telling

They said about the project:

In Hebron, a trainee wrote in his evaluation: “This training gave me the opportunity to discover treasures in myself that I did not know before…”

A teacher, Ms. Nabali, was on the way to attend a training class when she was blocked at an Israeli checkpoint. Officials at the ministry evaluating the situation as extremely difficult advised her to turn back, but instead, she decided to take the long dirt rout under the blazing sun to attend the workshop. Ms. Nabali explained that she could not have missed the training of such benefit on both the personal and professional levels.

The teacher Ms. Amina from Betunia, on her way to retirement, said: “All through my life I was trying to think of ways to encourage my students to read and I finally found what I was looking for within the Children’s Literature training program.”

The child Farah Abu Baker from Yaabad Primary School, a 3^rd grader, wakes up happy every Thursday morning and says, “I have Children’s Literature today.”

The mother of Haya Atatra, from the same Yaabad Primary School says, “The only day in which I have no problems waking my daughter for school is Thursday because it is the day of Children’s Literature class.”