• List five different kinds of support materials.
• Describe qualities of good support materials.
• Demonstrate the best use of support materials.
• Find or develop a support material for a given topic.
• Be familiar with all curricular materials available to the program.
• Be familiar with all the curricular materials at their individual sites.
• Describe the location and cataloguing of curricular materials.
• Develop sample lesson plans in response to specified needs using available curricular materials.

5 hours

A. Introduction
B. Barriers to Effective Presentation of Materials
C. Qualities of Good Support Materials
D. Creating and Finding Good Support Materials
E. How to Best Use Support Materials
F. Summary and Review

• Resource Mothers. (1993). Handbook. Sterling, VA: INMED.
• Examples of good support materials (leaflet, booklet, comic book, videos)
• "Speedy Sally" Role Play (Training Aid #1)
• Partners in Learning Program
• Role Play Feedback (Overhead #1)
• Post-Unit Evaluation
• Post Unit Test
• Blackboard and chalk and/or flip chart and markers.
• Video Equipment: video camera, tripod, tape, VCR, and television

• Read the Resource Mothers Handbook, Chapter 17, "Using Support Materials."
• Ask participants to review Chapter 17 and come prepared to ask questions.
• Ask two participants to be prepared to act in role plays for the group. Give them their roles beforehand and let them ask you any questions.
• Write out the following "issues", each on separate slips of paper and put them in a container (a bowl, hat or envelope). Issues include: Reproduction, Family Planning, Child Safety, Infant Care, Breastfeeding, Child Nutrition, Child Growth and Development, Smoking, Child Abuse, Postpartum Care. (Add any others appropriate to your program.)
• Set up site visit to National Center for Education and Maternal & Child Health Clearinghouse for near end of training.
• Have files of materials on a variety of relevant topics available for participants to review.
• Try out video equipment. Set up camera to videotape role plays.

Demonstration and discussion: Begin by giving a demonstration of the importance of support materials. Follow these steps:

1. Give a "lecture" about the importance of safety proofing an apartment where there are young children. Take about 5 minutes but do not use any support materials.

2. Ask participants to discuss what they just heard. Can someone summarize what was presented? What other things might have helped in the presentation?

3. Next, present the same information but this time use pictures of the safety hazards. It would be helpful to have a poster and/or pamphlets to hand out.

4. Ask participants how they feel about the second presentation.

5. Explain that anything you use to help you "support" your communication with clients can be called a "support material". Materials with pictures are often helpful because they help clients form an image of the idea and help them visualize it.

6. Ask trainees how they might include safety advocation in activities with a client: Possible responses include:

Observe the client during infant caregiving and comment on things to be careful about.

Observe the child at play and bring hazards to the mother's attention.

Do a "walkthrough" safety checklist in the apartment.

7. Wrap up this discussion by saying something like this: "Now we will cover some of the types of support materials commonly used in both home and group session and how to use them.

1. Discuss how client's literacy level may affect choice of materials.
2. Discuss how to deal with distractors in the home (TV/radio, other children).
3. Non-support from partner/other family members.

• It's easy to understand.
• Lots of pictures.
• Clear and accurate messages.
• Represent people in their community or experiences with which their community members are familiar.
• Current information and illustrations.
• Reading level is appropriate.

Share with the group several different support materials they might want to use with their clients.

Ask the group to discuss the advantages of using print materials. Possible responses might include:

• They are easy to store and carry.
• They don't need any special equipment.
• They reinforce messages presented verbally during home visits.
• They can be used as reference materials for the client.
• They provide a way of getting standard and accurate information to others, since clients often share their print materials with friends, relatives, or neighbors.
• They can counteract rumors and reduce fears that come from having no first hand experience with pregnancy, labor and delivery, family planning, and/or parenting.

• accuracy
• reading level
• culture appropriateness
• attractiveness

Because you will be using support materials throughout the training, each time you use a different material it can be evaluated by the group as to its effectiveness for future use. [Note: It is important that the PSS view all materials you plan to use in training and with clients, and share their ideas of relevancy.]

Be sure to cover the following points:

• It is important that every PSS view the media before she uses it, so that she knows what to expect, and can pick out some issues to discuss with her clients.
• Make sure the PSS feel the support material is appropriate before sharing it with clients. It shouldn't contradict information they are imparting. For example, old films on labor and delivery often have outdated information.
• Be aware of cultural differences between the characters represented in the material and the audience. For example, some videos may have all white actors/actresses and you may feel it does not accurately depict your clients or vice versa. You may feel this disqualifies the film, or you may be able to discuss this aspect of it and move on to the useful qualities of the film or video.
• If a PSS feels that a video would be useful during a home visit, and a client has a VCR, she may want to watch it with a client so she can discuss it with her.

1. Use the index cards with topics that you prepared and put them in some kind of container. Let the PSS choose a slip of paper from the container. Each PSS then takes 10 minutes to review materials on that topic. As the group comes back together, have each PSS present to the group which support materials, from the many that have been assembled, would be the most appropriate to get across the messages for that issue.
2. Ask if anyone has any other "issues" for which they would like support materials.
3. If any of the trainees show an interest or a particular talent in developing support materials for your program be sure to nurture this interest! Perhaps several of the trainees can get together and share their creativity in order to develop fabulous teaching materials for everyone to share on home visits.

1. Role Plays. Ask the two people who volunteered to act out the "Speedy Sally" role play (Training Aid #1) to come up and do their role play.

2. Ask the group what they see happening. Presumably the group will complain that "Sally" made the following errors:

• She went too fast.
• She made no effort to find out what the client already new about the topic.
• She didn't go through each page of the materials with her client.
• She pointed to the text, and not the picture.
• She disregarded the client's confused expression.
• She didn't ask the client to repeat it in her own words.
• She took the support material with her so that the client could not refer to it or share it with her friends.

3. Ask for a volunteer to demonstrate more effective use of the same print material "Speedy Sally" used. Again, have the group provide constructive criticism.

4. Use cards from Partners in Learning to demonstrate use of these teaching aids.

5. Show a flip chart and explain that this can be an effective way of sharing information. Ask for another volunteer to demonstrate effective use of a flip chart. Remind her beforehand to be sure to hold the flip chart so that another person or a group can see the illustrations; always point to the picture and not the text. Have the group provide feedback to the volunteer.

6. Show a video and explain how to incorporate a video into a home visit. Ask for a volunteer. Remind people to stop the video at key points and get feedback. Throughout the rest of the training, be sure to include the use of support materials during role plays. Be sure to ask for the PSS' input on any videos and support materials that they feel would be good for your program.

7. Show how to use a comic book style material. Ask for a volunteer to demonstrate.

8. Show how to use toys as teaching materials.

1. Refer back to the objectives on the first page of this unit and rephrase them into questions. Have trainees answer the questions. Encourage everyone to participate.
2. Distribute the post-unit evaluation forms.
3. Distribute post-unit test.