Prerequisites

For graduates of the FIE Basic Trainers-1 course:

  • Submission of a training report reflecting experience as a Basic co-trainer, including two training session plans (mandatory) and other material about training.

For graduates of FIE Standard Trainers-1 / Trainers-2 courses:

  • Submission of a training or co-training report reflecting experience as a FIE Standard trainer or co-trainer, and submission of two Cognitive Key (FIE Basic) lesson plans.

Candidates must comply with the CPD conditions up until presentation of candidacy, submit a recommendation from either their Feuerstein supervisor, a senior staff member of the school where the trainer taught, or any other person who supervised the candidate’s teaching and professional training activities.

Candidates are expected to be able to take the Cognitive Key Trainers course in English. The Feuerstein Institute reserves the right to reject candidature based on the committee members’ decision that the candidate has not met the established requirements for acceptance.

Course Syllabus

  • Didactics of teaching the theory of SCM and the theory of MLE to early age specialists and primary school teachers;
  • Mediation in teacher training;
  • Didactics of teaching emergent cognitive functions and the Cognitive Map;
  • Differential use of the Cognitive Key program with various populations of learners;
  • Observation and critical analysis of the Cognitive Key training sessions;
  • Supervised teaching of selected topics to Cognitive Key-1 course participants;
  • “Bridging” cognitive principles to kindergarten and primary school curricula;
  • Strategies of presenting the Cognitive Key program to various “clients” (teachers, principals, parents, etc.);
  • Promotion of the Cognitive Key program and the organization of an ATC;
  • Group discussion of participants’ teaching and training experiences;
  • Introduction to the digital version of the Cognitive Key-1 tasks.

Course participants are asked to submit the final paper reflecting their IE Basic teaching and/or co-training experience and present this paper during the last day of the course.

Certification

Course participants who had not attended the FIE Basic Trainers-1 course will be certified as Cognitive Key Trainers after submitting their Cognitive Key co-training reports.

Successful graduates of the Cognitive Key Trainers course will qualify as Cognitive Key Trainers and will be entitled to use their certificate in the following ways:

  • Teaching teachers and other professionals the Cognitive Key courses, on condition that the courses comply with the course provisions as stipulated by FI;
  • Teaching teachers and other professionals is permissible only in the country of residence of the teacher, or in the country(ies) specified in the alliance agreement with the Feuerstein Institute;
  • Teaching teachers and other professionals requires signing an alliance agreement with the Feuerstein Institute as an ATA, ATC (Authorized Training Center), or working as a staff member of an existing ATC.

The certificate is valid for six years from its issue date. Renewal of the certificate depends on renewal training (CPD), consisting of the following:

  • If operating as an ATA, submission of standard training reports as required by the ATA agreement;
  • If operating in the context of an ATC, ensuring that courses taught by you are properly reported in the annual report of the ATC to FI, as stipulated in the ATC contract;
  • Completion of a Trainer’s Renewal Course once every six years (given in the annual Feuerstein Summer Workshops).

Trainers must either sign an agreement with the Feuerstein Institute establishing themselves as an ATA/ATC or be employed by an existing ATC. Trainers are forbidden from teaching the Feuerstein Method without having an existing contract in place.