The Rainbow Tree
The Rainbow Tree is a training tool to be used in Teacher Training workshops focused on children’s participation in health education. It can be used alongside, The Rainbow Flower (a tool for children).
Like The Rainbow Flower, this tool contains seven concepts which distinguishes a participatory model from a ‘traditional health education model’. It is specially designed to be used with teachers.
Each of the seven concepts is like a branch of a tree.
The 7 main concepts are:
Within each concept, there are 3 key ideas to remember:
ROLES
Roles of the teachers.
In this work teachers ‘dance’ between 3 ROLES of teacher, facilitator and coach.
WHEELS
Three stages of a project.
The 3 learning WHEELS include: understanding, taking action and reflecting on what has been done.
SKILLS
Skills that teachers develop and use.
Teachers develop and improve the 3 key SKILLS of listening, asking open questions and organising groups.
WORDS
Words that guide the spirit with which the activities with children are done.
All activities are important, relevant and fun!
PLACES
Places where the learning and sharing of information and activities happens.
The activities with children move from PLACES where smaller groups of children learn like a club or a class and to larger groups such as entire schools, and then on to the home and community. The activities will therefore reach ALL children.
VALUES
Values that are at the heart of the activities.
All involved VALUE working together with originality and creativity with a sense of community and with clarity of purpose and shared understanding.
CONNECTIONS
Connections that ensure healthy habits are effective and long-lasting.
It’s not enough for children or their teachers just to know something! Real and lasting changes happen when connections are made between what they know – head; what they do – body; and what they feel – heart.
Download the Rainbow Tree
How to Use the Rainbow Tree
In our training workshops each of the 7 concepts are introduced separately using a variety of methods including discussions, games, movement and choral speaking. The challenges of implementing this new approach are tackled one by one.
After the seven sessions, the 7 concepts get combined together into one unified piece, which participants love. Then the participants work in pairs as they cut out and assemble a craft version the Rainbow Tree, reinforcing their leaning. The Rainbow Trees made by the participants are then displayed in the workshop and taken away by the participants at the end.
Now have a look at our training tool for children:
Please share the Children for Health website with anyone you know who is interested in health education, participatory teaching methods and innovative training and monitoring methods.
Contact Clare (clare@childrenforhealth.org) for more detail on our training or any other aspect of our work.