secd_summary_ara_0 (PDF)

The Arab Network for Early Childhood Development And The Arab Resource Collective,
launches the Training of Trainers on the Science of ECD – Arabic short course,

This initiative launches a process for building a pool of trainers on the science of ECD in Arabic. It is the first programmatic activity of the Arab Network for ECD (ANECD) and is facilitated by the Arab Resource Collective, acting as the secretariat of ANECD.

The Science of ECD course

The SECD course’s aim is to impart updated scientific knowledge of the development of the child from conception to 8 years, and relate this knowledge to best practice. The course is in five modules:

* Brain Development

* Coping and Competence

* Communication and Learning

* The Ecology of Childhood

* Developmental Health

This content contributes to building up, refreshing and consolidating the knowledge and scientific base for both policy and practice. Designed with rigorous academic standards, the course can target a wide audience: policy-makers, practitioners, teachers, parents, etc.

Red River College originally designed the SECD course within a Canadian academic setup. In cooperation with the AKDN, an international version was developed and is offered in three principal formats:

– An extensive on-line delivery over 13 weeks, which is currently offered by the Aga Khan University and available only in English.

– A short course delivered face-to-face in a week-long workshop, now also available in Arabic.

– More recently, the delivery on-line of the short course in English in 7 weeks has also become available.

https://www.scienceofecd.com/

The Arabic short course

This process of developing a pool of trainers is concerned with the Arabic version of the face to face short course.

ARC carried out the Arabization process through four phases:

– Translation and editing of the five modules by ARC’s technical staff.

– Piloting in a regional workshop attended by 37 participants from several Arab countries, including policy-makers, practitioners and academics, as well as three facilitators of the course from ARC and AKDN (Amman, October 2014).

– A post-course revision of the Arabic version by a selected group of workshop participants (Beirut, January 2015).

– On-going adaptation carried out by ARC’s technical staff, based on the findings of the piloting and revision.

The current Arabic version will remain open for further adaptation, in particular for introducing local contributions to knowledge and illustrative examples of good practice emerging in Arab contexts.

The process for building a pool of trainers

In order to disseminate the use of the short course in the Arab region, ANECD, ARC and partners are taking the initiative to establish and nurture a pool of trainers who can deliver the course at the national level.