Finding the Teacher Within

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Finding the Teacher Within

• A Story of
• Learner-Centered Education in California WIC

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ObjectivesBy the end of this session you will
have

• Reviewed factors that led to Finding the Teacher
  Within

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Objectives

• Reviewed key principles and practices of
  learner-centered education and explored how well
  your program(s) uses these.

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Objectives

• Identified ways to adapt CA WICs experience to
  your own program(s)

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Warm up Activity
In the room are several posters with numbers from
0 10. Think about how you would rate your
programs nutrition education. Stand up and go
to that poster.
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Nutrition Education In your Program

• In your groups at each poster and discuss
• Why did you pick this poster?
• What would you do differently if you won
  1,000,000 to excite your clients about learning?

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What isCalifornia WIC?
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California WIC Participant Profile
1.3 million participants/month 75
Hispanic 12 White 7 Black 6
Asian Dozens of languages
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California WIC Education

• Classes
• 2 25 participants
• 20 30 minutes
• Every 2 6 months
• Individual education
• 10 20 minutes
• Every 1 - 6 months

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California WIC Staff Profile

• 3500 staff
• 2000 paraprofessional do most of the teaching
  many non-native English speakers
• 1000 dietitians mainly high risk counseling,
  admin, or supervisory

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California WIC Organization

• Decentralized State contracts w/local agencies
  who serve ppts
• Number 80 agencies
• Location urban and rural - city, valley,
  mountain, desert
• Size 600 to 0.4 FTE
• Design own classes (training)

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Why We Did This
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Why We Did This

• USDAs Revitalizing Quality Nutrition Services
  Susan Miller
• CA WICs Strategic Plan 2000
• Education not consistent
• Previous efforts fell short eg Facilitated
  Group Discussion

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What We Did
What is Finding the Teacher Within?
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What is Finding the Teacher Within?

• Comprehensive project to infuse learner-centered
  principles practices in CA WIC
• Part of overall effort to improve nutrition
  education, including family centered and
  Motivational Interviewing

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Based on Collaboration with Global Learning
Partners (GLP)

• Founded by Dr Jane Vella extensive experience
  w/dialogue education" in 40 countries w/all
  kinds of learners
• Major Influences
• Malcolm Knowles Adult Learning
• Paolo Friere Popular Education
• Kurt Lewin Social Psychology

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Key Learner-Centered Principles and Practices
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Key Learner-Centered Principles and Practices

• Review the learner-centered principles and
  practices on the handout . Circle or underline
  anything that strikes you.
• At your table discuss your thoughts

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Key Philosophy
The most central point of learner-centered
education is that the learner is a
decision-maker. They choose if they learn and
if they will change their behavior. We cannot
decide for them. The learning is in the doing
and the deciding.
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What is Finding the Teacher Within?

• A 1-year project - not just a workshop
• 5 10 Agencies/year
• Voluntary participation
• Intensive partnering w/State and other FTW
  agencies

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What is Finding the Teacher Within?

• Assessment
• Class Design
• Orientation
• Observations
• Training
• Reinforcement

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A Role for Every Who

• Participants
• Teachers
• Class Designer
• Supervisors
• Directors

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The Model is To Model
Inspire by example it feels so good to learn
this way that you want to share it with others.
Modeled in

• Training
• How feedback is given
• Meetings
• How staff are observed teaching
• Staff-supervisor relationships

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Learner-Centered Feedback

• TO THE TEACHER
• What did you like?
• How could have been better?
• TO THE OBSERVER
• What did you like?
• What are your how bouts?

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Sacramento County WIC
One Agencys Story
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Why We Did It?Sac Countys Story

• Key players understood potential for success of
  dialogue education
• Staff felt unsafe using facilitated group
  discussion, that needs a level of skill

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Why We Did ItSac Countys Story

• Staff not excited to teach old classes. It was
  time to do something different
• Old (monologue) vs New (Dialogue) Teaching
  Styles. Eg Enrollment class.

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How We Did ItSac Countys Story

• Planners attended several multi-day GLP workshops
  on Learner-Centered Education
• Began the Finding the Teacher Within project
  staff orientation, developed a new class, staff
  training and evaluation

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How We Did ItSac Countys Story

• Insisted all staff participate
• Director
• Supervisors
• Dietitians
• Lactation Consultants
• Nutrition Assistants
• Temp staff

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Our Challenges!Sac Countys Story

• The time investment is huge!
• Staff will resist change.
• Teachers perceive the new learning style as
  scary. In doing a need assessment, we learned
  the staff feared using FGD in classes.

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Our Surprises!Sac Countys Story

• Need to conduct needs assessment at all levels
  throughout the process
• Teacher safety as important as participant safety
• Must support the staff with on going trainings,
  co-teaching, modeling

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Our Surprises!Sac Countys Story

• Perceived challenges did not become a reality,
  e.g., clients not participating in groups
• The class is evaluated, not the teacher. If the
  class is not working well, it reflects on the
  design
• Recognize classes are never finished

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Our Surprises!Sac Countys Story

• All levels of staff must model learner-centered
  style with class design, staff training, staff
  meetings, and counseling.
• Pilot test the design. The sooner the better.

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Our Surprises!Sac Countys Story

• Let go of content. Teach less and they (client)
  will learn more
• We learned a good process to develop a class

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How a Class is Developed Sac Countys Story

• Idea of class comes from staff and has clear
  purpose (Annual Nutrition Plan or IOM)
• Learning Needs Resources Assessment (LNRA) is
  conducted with staff and participants
• A class draft is written

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How a Class is Developed Sac Countys Story

• A dietitian and paraprofessional pilot test the
  class and give feedback to the class designer
• The class is worked on several times
• The class is rolled out to the staff. Each
  staff member observes the class and team teaches
  the class before teaching it to participants

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Key Learner-Centered Principles and Practices

• Refer back to the handout. With a partner
  discuss
• Which ones does your program do well?
• Which ones does your program struggle with?

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Our Successes!Sac Countys Story

• Participants openly praised the new classes.
• Staff love the simplicity and activity of the
  class especially, the teach less, learn more
  principle.

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Our Successes!Sac Countys Story

• After conducting a two-day workshop on
  learner-centered education, the staff liked the
  new teaching style and were charged up to use
  their new skills
• Learning occurs at many levels

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Quotes from Staff and ParticipantsSac Countys
Story

• We should do a FTW training once a year. It
  reminds us why we are here. (Staff)
• The class was fun. It sure was better than
  watching a video (WIC Participant)

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Quotes from Staff and Participants Sac Countys
Story

• I learned theres a lot of fun inexpensive ways
  to have fun with your kids (WIC Participant)
• I learned ideas for having fun, and without so
  much money, or leaving home and using gas (WIC
  Participant)

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Other Successes

• System wide changes
• Spreading influences outside of CA WIC
• Studying effect on participants

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Plan Next Steps
Consider what you have learned about Finding the
Teacher Within. What one or two things can you
take away to use in your program(s).

• Discuss with a partner
• Well hear a few of your ideas and answer some
  questions

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Questions?
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Contact Info

• Michael Elfant,
• CA Dept of Health Services, WIC Program
• 916 928-8520
• melfant_at_dhs.ca.gov
• Christopher Husing,
• Sacramento County WIC Program(916)
  638-4735HusingC_at_SacCounty.net