Aim of the course

The aim of the course is to provide mid-career professionals with up-to-date knowledge and expertise of a wide range of children’s issues, from child rights to the use of picture books in a classroom setting. There is an increasing need among this group for enhancing their understanding about children, upgrading their skills, staying in touch with new developments and obtaining access to new and high-quality networks in Europe, this all with the objective to create an ECD momentum in their country. Therefore, the course should be relevant to their work and issue oriented. To this end, the course will give ample space for discussions, field visits, exchange visits, including a study visit to the Netherlands, and practical work.

The Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC) forms the basis of the course with special attention to its articles pertinent to diversity and inclusion. Furthermore, participants will receive the latest information on practical activities with young children which stimulate their development on different levels (motor skills, cognitive, socio-emotional).

Set up of the course

The course will be given by specialists from The Netherlands and Turkey; they will take up some fifteen ‘face-to-face’ working days, stretching out over eleven months (5 series of three days). They will contain a theoretical part, visits to exemplary practices both in Turkey and the Netherlands, joint sessions with foreign counterparts, as well as a concrete ‘end product’ created by each participant.

The course will be given at the NIHA building in Ankara.

All activities will be based on sharing of expertise and generate new knowledge and practice. Participants will be considered as resource persons, not as ‘students’ or ‘learners’.

The participants will be required to write assignments on issues pertinent to their work and professional aspirations. They will be supervised in this work, which will also be graded. This, together with their participation record, will be used to decide whether the person is eligible for a course certificate.

Course topics

-ECD in international perspective
-The Golden Triangle: formal, non-formal and informal ECD
-Child Protection Policies
-Child rights and ECD
-Hidden Issues (abuse, neglect, violence)
-Sensomotor development
-Computer and media in ECD
-Language development (Oral proficiency, emergent literacy, vocabulary)
-Language and Diversity: multilingualism
-Social emotional development
-Power of Picture Books in ECD
-Parent involvement
-Classroom Management and Organisation
-Inclusion and Diversity
-Children as Researchers
-Parents and teachers as researchers in ECD
-Play and play development
-Common Street Games and ECD
-Children’s multiple talents
-Math and Science in young children