Teacher Resource Centre

This manual is intended to support the delivery of one full day workshop on the topic of supporting Quality Holistic Learning in crisis contexts through the implementation of asset-based pedagogical tools and activities and through sustaining safe and secure learning spaces. The workshops are the result of the insightful contributions of a committed team of teachers and educators from Kenya, Lebanon, and Niger.

The Quality Holistic Learning Project (QHL), of which this face-to-face workshop is one element, aims to prepare educators to deliver high-quality lessons which support holistic learning for children and youths of diverse backgrounds (refugee, migrant, and/or citizen) within host country, displacement, and crisis contexts. We define quality holistic learning as that which attends to:

• academic, cognitive, and identity development,
• social and emotional learning, and
• mental/psychosocial and physical well-being and which delivers: positive schooling experiences, feelings of belonging and safety, growth and development, and equitable outcomes for all learners.

Play is an easy, natural and universal practice that builds resilience. Play comes naturally to all children- and is a seemingly simple and light-hearted phenomenon. The power of play as a pathway to building resilience needs to be leveraged to provide children with the opportunity to further explore play in their home and school environments.

This toolkit is therefore premised on the objectives to build the capacity of various stakeholders such as caregivers/teachers, school managers, curriculum planners and policy makers who are key actors in the process of growth and development of children. It is also aimed at equipping these stakeholders with the knowledge and pedagogical skills to translate research, policy and curriculum to practical knowledge and activities for children in the school environment. The toolkit offers directions for facilitators who will be working with caregivers/teachers using the materials and resources provided and other relevant materials available in an environment where it will be used.

Reading is a fundamental ability for all other learning activities. Students can learn only when they comprehend, and this requires appropriate reading skills in the first place. Appropriate reading skills support the learning of increasing amounts of instructional content. This is why children who fail to learn to read during their early years of schooling will encounter more difficulties in later grades and a higher risk of drop out. Quality early grade reading instruction is critical in preventing these challenges and risks as well as in protecting children’s rights to education and ensuring better chances of success in their life.

Teachers are at the center of reading instruction and they need to be trained with pedagogical knowledge and management skills in order to provide students relevant and quality instruction. It has however been noted that teachers in many countries, especially low-income countries in sub-Saharan Africa, lack the proper training and support on ways of teaching early grade reading to their students. Therefore, a comprehensive and practical guide on early grade reading is highly needed to bridge this gap.

This guide aims to empower teachers in Africa by equipping them with the knowledge and skills of early grade reading, including the simple identification of the main pillars of reading, lesson planning and classroom management, taking into account the context in Africa. Subsequently, these teachers will help their students build basic reading skills in their early years of schooling.

Art, music and drama have had a pivotal role in the livelihood of human beings. This is clear by the wealth of literature, architecture, fine art, theater and music that define human past, present and future. The inherent creative ability and a yearning to express ourselves is what gives value to art, music and drama as companion components in human evolution. 

This teacher's guide covers art, music, dance, drama, experiential learning, community engagement, and how to integrate these aspects into curriculum. Additionally, this document provides lesson plans for primary school students in these subject areas. 

This resource kit includes several components that provide teachers with information on why and how to incorporate living heritage into their school based activities. It was developed as a result of the UNESCO–EU initiative on cultural heritage and education, under the European Year of Cultural Heritage in 2018, and it builds on projects across a variety of subjects developed by teacher from 10 countries.