This was undoubtedly, one of the better training sessions that I attended for quite a while. From 25-29 November 2019, nine of us from SEGi College Subang Jaya joined our counterparts from SEGi College Penang and Kuala Lumpur for the training hosted at our KL college. Trainer Dr Sasheedran Raman took all 20 of us through the modules which covered planning for adult learning, conducting training needs analysis, designing & conducting a competency based training programme, and assessing participant’s competence.

  • Our Trainer Dr Sashee

Dr Sashee kept us engaged through the 5 days – we placed in different groups for brainstorming, discussions and presentations. There was much to think about, to reflect upon and to laugh over. We learnt with and from each other, guided by an experienced group facilitator who generously shared his expertise and experience.

The session culminated in a series of 15 minute presentations by each trainee, on a topic of our interest, displaying presentation techniques we picked up in the training. From 9am to 5pm, we learnt so much from a wide range of topics from physical fitness to care of an aquatic companion, from caring of child with autism to indian classical dance, from green practices to nasi kerabu, from meditation to active listening. We listened to stories, made stuff from clay roses to plastic boats, and took part in stimulating quizzes.

My presentation was inspired by my recent visit to the Anji County in China, where preschoolers were given once again the right to truly play. In my session, participants in 4 groups were given string, newspaper, plastic bottles and scarves, and within seconds they devised games that they could play with children in their homes – be it bowling with the bottles, or blind man’s bluff with scarfs, flying paper aeroplanes or spinning bottle tops with string. It’s easy to play with children! In twenty years’ time, when our children are asked about their fondest memory of play, will they remember running in the park, climbing trees, catching tadpoles, lying in the grass looking at cloud formations? Will their screentime moments be equally cherished? Will they remember fondly their first ipad? What do we want them to remember of their childhood?