The Developing Self Education Training Course November 2017 and February 2018




The Developing Self Education Training Course November 2017 and February 2018

By Helen Kearns MSTAT

The aim of the Developing Self Education Training Course is to “equip you with the necessary skills to go into schools and colleges to teach the Alexander Technique”. Over two weekends in November 2017 and February 2018 a group of Alexander Technique (AT) teachers and 9th term trainees were not only given the skills to facilitate this by Judith Kleinman and Sue Merry, but they also introduced us to an expanding and supportive network that is recognising the importance of our work globally across all areas and ages of education. Both these pedagogs have an abundance of experience working with the AT in this field - their experiential style was enormous fun and provided the catalyst for everyone to feel confident taking the ideas and making them their own.



Kate Minogue’s clear and comprehensive review of the first Developing Self Education Training Course is available in the September 2017 issue of Statnews. The content of this second course was very similar with additions such as Andy Smith’s informative talk regarding his experience of working with hypermobile students in secondary education. We were also given a copy of Sue’s book ‘Alexander in Primary Education - A Workbook and Practical Guide to Teaching the Alexander Technique in Primary Schools’*(amazon.com amazon.co.uk and world-wide) which is available through the Developing Self website, and is a must-have for anyone interested in this work.



Amongst the many helpful handouts were a standard curriculum for introducing the AT into primary schools and a 10 week AT course for group work with secondary school students. The importance of having these curricula for schools who are considering introducing the Technique cannot be overstated as they have been devised taking into consideration the National Curriculum requirements relating to student development. In these difficult times where schools and colleges face financial cutbacks and teachers are under ever increasing pressure dealing with red tape, being able to show the relevance of the AT within the context of a modern educational framework can only be beneficial for all parties.



Judith and Sue, along with a dedicated group of AT teachers, are selflessly pioneering this work in a way that is appropriate for the modern world: The Alexander Technique in Education STAT website is now up and running and getting great feedback from across the worldwide AT community; The Developing Self website is an invaluable tool providing both information and resources; The Alexander in Education Forum Group on Facebook** offers a place where ideas can be shared and questions asked. Having such a strong and active Alexander Technique in Education community is essential to give global support to AT teachers who are passionate about bringing the work to young people. Young people who face an increasingly stressful world and to whom this work has so much to offer. 
* "Alexander in Secondary and Tertiary Education" is now available from Amazon world-wide and also given to students on the Developing Self Education Training Course
** Contact Esther for more information on how to join 

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