Once you have worked through introductions and ground rule setting at the start of a workshop, introduce the course briefly. Provide a few explanatory comments on each of the topics to be covered then move onto the following activity:
Hand each learner a sheet of flipchart paper, prestik, a pad of shapes (clouds, or rectangles) and a pack of markers. Task learners to think about the topics that you will be covering on this course and to write their thinking, feelings, comments or questions about each topic onto a shape, one topic per shape. For example, they can write comments such as “Bored and indifferent” or “Excited” or “I need to know X and Y about this subject.” Invite learners to paste all the shapes onto their flipcharts, and then to stick it up on the wall.
Use these flipcharts to pick up useful start-up information about your learners such as:
- Their feelings about the course and the topics (positive or negative)
- Their enthusiasm for coming on course
- Their experience in each topic
- What motivates or demotivates them
- Their language levels
- Their creativity levels, etc.
As a closer to each topic, ask learners to reflect on their learning, and to capture their thinking about that topic now, at the end of the learning period and to stick them up on their flipcharts. This is a wonderful opportunity for learners to have visual evidence of their learning
At the end of the course invite learners to review their flip charts and to draw a picture or graph of their learning. Or use the flipcharts to draw your own graph of learning progress.
This is a great tool – thanks to Greg. And enjoy using it!
Karen Gray