2. Working With Minors | Presentation
Julee P. Farley
Teachers and subject matter experts are involved in OER development processes, but the ultimate audience for some OER will be PreK-12 students themselves. Some projects may feature direct involvement with PreK-12 students. Others might not. This section provides background knowledge on requirements for working with students under age 18. Before proceeding with in-person work with minors, make sure to complete any training required by your institution.
Learning Objectives
Learners should be able to:
- Identify legal requirements and best practices for working with minors.
- Deliver this presentation to faculty/students who may in the future be working with minors.
- Identify how to obtain training required of faculty, staff, and students who work with minors.
- Articulate ways to make working with minors safe, fun, and educational.
Assignment
- View the slides titled Working with Minors [PPT][1] and transcript below.
- Summarize these in a series of talking points and next steps useful for others at your institution.
- Identify the office at your institution responsible for training faculty, staff, and students who work with minors.
- If you plan to work directly with minors, sign up for training with your institution.
Working with Minors: Training for Working with PreK12 Teachers and Students
Google Slides: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1xqMqIIHUOuz_hVKHLCrb9l9EumS2NwdSwL6i1XHEsMk/edit#slide=id.g10d0b519b24_2_115
PowerPoint Slides: http://hdl.handle.net/10919/112264
Slide Deck Transcript
Welcome to “So you want to do outreach: Training for working with K-12 teachers and students.” This training was based on materials originally created by the Center for Educational Networks and Impacts at Virginia Tech.
The priorities for informal education may differ from formal education in that the goal of informal education is to inspire and interest students rather than focus on acquiring facts. These priorities [safe, fun, and educational] for informal education were created and pioneered by Dr. Phyllis Newbill at the Center for Educational Networks and Impacts at Virginia Tech.
Always remember that safety is the number one priority. If people do not feel safe or comfortable, then they are not able to focus on learning or feel inspired. You must ensure that you are creating a space that is both emotionally and physically safe for your learners. When you are leading an activity, you are in a position of responsibility, and children and even teachers will look to you for help.
The topics we will discuss are: ensuring you and anyone you are working with are never alone with a minor and how to determine if you are legally bound to report abuse or neglect.
Never be alone with a minor in a physical or virtual space (e.g., Zoom) and do not allow others on your team to be alone with a minor. This policy protects both the minor and the adult.
Consider this scenario and what you should do in this situatio