by Agnes Ferrao
KUWAIT, OCT 23, 2018: An in-house teaching skills training was organised on October 12 and October 19 by the parish of Saint Thérèse of Child Jesus, Salmiya, Kuwait to enhance the teaching skills of 12 new catechists and to ensure that the faith is taught with integrity and in a manner that caters to the needs, learning styles, cultures, and other special characteristics of those in their care.
The in-house training was conducted by one of the experienced catechists of the parish, Christopher Pereira, who is an instructor by profession. On the first day, the catechists were introduced to fundamental training skills, preparing for a catechism class, sourcebooks, and resources.
Skills for questioning, listening, engaging learners, and most of all dealing with children were also addressed as ‘a child can ask questions that a wise man cannot answer’. The interactive approach used by Pereira made the learning enjoyable and all enthusiastically participated in activities, quizzes, and brainstorming sessions where new ideas emerged.
“The session was extremely informative, fun, and above all enriching. I look forward to putting into practice at least some ideas and techniques if not all,” Flavia Cardozo, a participant, said.
On the second day, each catechist was given the opportunity to present a lesson taken from their respective class syllabus, keeping in mind the required format of the lesson plan that includes human experience, faith experience, and life application.
Each catechist was rated according to their perf
ormance based on preset criteria. The hands-on experience helped the catechists in building their confidence while assessing their strengths and weaknesses. The training concluded with personal development planning.
The techniques and methods used on how to make the class interesting and keep the students engaged were implemented all through the course. “We will adopt these means and techniques for our respective classes which will help build our own faith as we impart it to our future generation, ” Maria Coelho, a catechist, said.
“The in-house training course was indeed an insightful, informative, enriching and empowering one.”