Conflict and prejudice management at group level, in a playful way

• It's a long learning process to be able to work well with each other, in community. And the learning process necessarily implies that conflicts between children are frequent in the kindergarten-school setting, which, if not resolved, can lead to aggression. Conflicts are inevitable, but the ways in which children learn to resolve them depend to a large extent on the behaviour and reactions of adults.
• The prospect of punishment is enough to reduce symptoms for the moment, but real solutions require an understanding of the nature of the conflicts and the involvement of those affected.
• As everyone experiences the same situation differently, there is no absolute truth, and if there is, the participants in a conflict often find peace not in understanding their own emotions and reactions, but in being able to accept the other party's point of view. The stories of others can help in this.

What is the Persona Doll method all about?

The Persona Doll method is specifically for professionals working in early childhood development. Born in the UK and used with great success around the world, it is an effective, fearless and playful way to address stereotyping and equality, and an innovative tool for dealing with conflicts between children, not just those caused by prejudice.

A method focuses on a life-like doll, which is given personality traits by the teacher: family background, characteristics, favourite foods, objects, etc. "visits" the children, and can help educators talk about sensitive issues through baby stories that they may have been reluctant to raise before. The method helps children to turn teasing and exclusion into respect and caring. The session should be held every two weeks and in between sessions, teachers should collect stories from the group's life that cause a lot of noise in everyday life, that arise repeatedly as problems or conflicts (teasing, bullying, booing, fooling around, sharing toys, boy-girl conflicts, etc.) and where occasional verbal warnings are not effective.

Persona Doll is not a magic wand, but it is athe recurrent conflicts are reduced, and children are given a framework to make their voices heard in an accepting environment about situations that affect them, to formulate their own solutions, which, precisely because of the involvement, they tend to follow more easily than adults. As children become attached to the baby as a result of regular activities, it is worthwhile for all staff in the nursery who work with children to be aware of the baby's existence, and it is also worth informing parents, as children half treat the baby as a classmate and can tell stories about it.

What will you gain by taking the Persona Doll training online?

• You will learn about the Persona Doll method, which is an effective, fearless and playful way of working with a doll to explore conflict and equality, and an effective tool for dealing with problems that arise.
• You will learn tools and strategies within the method to help break down barriers to communication and cooperation. You will experience and understand the dynamics of minority-majority functioning and be able to incorporate these into your daily activities.
• The Persona Doll method is specifically designed for pre-school and primary school teachers, but is equally suitable for teaching assistants, pre-school and school social workers, and pre-school and school psychologists.
• In the one-day training you will learn the basics of the method.
• You will have the opportunity to see a demo and create your own doll personality together.
• After the training, participants will be able to use the method.

Apply by 3 November! The training starts with a minimum of 8 participants. Maximum group size is 15 participants.

You do very important work, dear teachers and other professionals working with children, so we have designed our training to really serve your needs, with as much practical knowledge as possible, at the lowest possible cost. We think it's important that your ability to take part in our courses shouldn't depend on your finances, so as an education and social sector worker you can apply for an instalment plan - if you need one, contact kepzes@partnershungary.hu!