Empowered Parenting for Special Education with A-Enhanced Strategies

DESCRIPTION

Supporting parents of special education children requires innovative approaches that address both emotional resilience and practical skills. This course is designed to equip parent educators, staff, social workers, youth workers, teachers, and adult learners with the tools and techniques to empower them as individuals, helping them create nurturing environments for their and the children’s unique needs.

The program focuses on fostering parental mental health, resilience, and self-awareness. Participants will explore how personal traumas can unconsciously impact interactions with children and learn strategies to build healthier parent-child dynamics. Through culturally sensitive methods, participants will learn to design supportive curricula tailored to diverse needs educational needs.

Additionally, this course emphasises the integration of AI-enhanced tools like Adobe Firefly and Runway ML, Opus, speechify enabling educators to craft engaging, accessible content. Participants will master storytelling techniques inspired by non-formal education principles and gain practical skills in trauma-informed frameworks, inclusive content creation, and program evaluation.

Learning Outcomes:

  • By the end of the course, participants will:

    1. Design culturally sensitive curricula focusing on improving parental mental health, resilience-building, and psychological support. These efforts aim to empower parents to feel confident and prepared to address the needs of their special education children effectively.

    2. Integrate AI-enhanced digital tools (e.g., Runway ML, Klinga AI, Canva, Adobe Firefly) for creative storytelling and accessible content creation, allowing parents to better communicate and advocate for their children’s needs.

    3. Apply non-formal education methods, including Pixar-inspired narrative techniques, to engage parents and children, fostering stronger family bonds and improving emotional wellbeing.

    4. Implement evaluation tools to measure program effectiveness and parental progress, ensuring parents develop practical strategies for navigating challenges with teachers and their special needs children.

    5. Foster global collaboration through cross-cultural activities and inclusive practices, equipping parents with diverse perspectives and shared strategies to address common struggles and support educational inclusion.

METHODOLOGY

  • Learner-Centered Approach: Hands-on workshops and activities actively engage participants in skill-building and reflection.

  • Interactive Lectures: Concepts such as trauma-informed frameworks and storytelling techniques are introduced through engaging discussions.

  • Workshops: Practical sessions guide participants in designing, editing, and implementing curriculum elements using AI and digital tools.

  • Peer-to-Peer Learning: Collaboration and feedback circles encourage international participants to share perspectives and refine ideas.

  • Real-Life Application: Tangible projects, such as curriculum design and video narratives, prepare participants to address real-world challenges effectively.

  • Experts’ Feedback and Support: Dedicated sessions where experts provide insights and constructive feedback on participants’ work. One-on-one mentoring and group consultations ensure the quality of outputs and foster confidence in applying learned strategies.

    • 09:00 - 09:30: Icebreaker: "Global Perspectives" – Sharing regional approaches to special education encourages participants to share unique insights and personal experiences.

    • 09:30 - 10:30: Workshop: Explore challenges faced by parents of special needs children, focusing on stigmas and cultural nuances.

    • 10:30 - 11:00: Coffee break.

    • 11:00 - 12:30: Workshop: Mental health fundamentals for parents, with group discussions on coping mechanisms and strategies

    • 12:30 - 13:30: Cultural Activity: Explore real-life examples and case studies from diverse regions (e.g., Portugal,  Malta, Turkey, Sweden...).

    • 09:00 - 09:30: Icebreaker: "Resilience Through Connection" – Participants set personal goals for resilience-building.

    • 09:30 - 10:30: Workshop: Understanding personal trauma and addressing it with support from the parent coach. Participants will reflect on unconscious behaviors that may negatively affect children and learn tools to prevent burnout.

    • 10:30 - 11:00: Coffee break.

    • 11:00 - 12:30: Workshop: Designing resilience-building activities, including role-playing and mindfulness techniques.

    • 12:30 - 13:30: Team Building Activity: Group discussions on culturally relevant metaphors for resilience, promoting shared understanding and strategies.

    • 09:00 - 09:30: Icebreaker: "Shared Stories" – Participants share anecdotes about overcoming challenges to foster mutual understanding.

    • 09:30 - 10:30: Workshop: Introduce trauma-informed support frameworks, emphasizing proactive approaches to parental engagement.

    • 10:30 - 11:00: Coffee break.

    • 11:00 - 12:30: Tool Training: Using Da Vinci Resolve, participants learn video editing techniques to create accessible, parent-friendly content.

    • 12:30 - 13:30: Cultural Activity: Adapt storytelling techniques for local languages and idioms, ensuring inclusive communication.

  • 09:00 - 09:30: Icebreaker: "Emotional Arcs" – Participants reflect on and share impactful parenting moments.

    09:30 - 10:30: Workshop: Apply Pixar’s "Story Spine" technique to craft compelling educational narratives.

    10:30 - 11:00: Coffee break.

    11:00 - 12:30: Tool Training: Explore AI analytics tools such as SurveyMonkey Genius and ChatGPT for program evaluation and feedback analysis.

    12:30 - 13:30: Peer Review Activity: Cross-cultural feedback on crafted stories enhances inclusivity and communication.

  • 09:00 - 09:30: Icebreaker: "World Connections" – Sharing aspirations for global collaboration.

    09:30 - 10:30: Final Project: Design a three-session curriculum integrating learned tools and methods.

    10:30 - 11:00: Coffee break.

    11:00 - 12:30: Tool Training: Learn to use collaborative platforms like Miro for global resource sharing and peer review.

    12:30 - 13:30: Cultural Activity: "World Café" – Rotating discussions on regional challenges and best practices.

RESULTS

  • Develop and apply emotional resilience strategies to strengthen parent-child relationships in families of special needs children.

  • Gain the ability to design culturally sensitive and inclusive curricula tailored to diverse parental needs.

  • Acquire trauma-informed frameworks to address unconscious behaviors and create healthier family dynamics.

  • Master the use of AI-enhanced tools such as Runway ML and Adobe Firefly for creating accessible, engaging, and visually rich content.

  • Learn to craft and share compelling narratives through storytelling techniques inspired by Pixar frameworks and non-formal education.

  • Build practical evaluation skills to assess the effectiveness of parental training programs and track measurable outcomes.

  • Enhance media literacy by learning video editing, content creation, and publishing using tools like Klinga AI, Canva and Opus Clip.

  • Foster international collaboration through peer reviews, shared learning, and cross-cultural activities to address common challenges.

  • Gain confidence in mentoring and supporting parents of special needs children to navigate challenges effectively and advocate for their children’s education and wellbeing.

Course Format

  • One-week length: two weeks or other formats are available on request.

  • 4-5 hours per day: from Monday to Friday, with excursions planned during the training.

  • Fully fundable: Meeting the Erasmus+ KA1 budget criteria.

  • Flexible: change courses, locations, or dates without fees

Audience and requirements

Courses are structured around the collective sharing of participants’ experiences, therefore all courses are in English. For participants with a very low English level, we advised to come with a translator in the team.

We provide tailored courses for school roles like teachers, principals, and staff, as well as for different levels of IT skills. Our programs are designed to meet the unique needs of professionals such as adult educators, language teachers, youth workers, and social workers, ensuring they have a meaningful impact in education and social work.

€80/ day

Our services include:

✔ Infopack about the location

✔ Pre-arrival information.

✔ Tuition & training materials.

✔ Coffee break.

✔ Training Certificate.

✔Europass Certificate.

✔ Admin & organisational costs.

Additional Services:

✔ Accommodation options, including hotels and self-catering apartments

✔ Half-day and full-day trips

✔ Cultural experiences and local activities

✔ Airport transfer services

✔ Local transportation arrangements

Our Pricing:

100% funded by the Erasmus Plus Program

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