Reflective Questions

What can I do if my learners don’t co-operate by sharing their experiences, or they won’t participate in group work activities?

• Ensure your tone and your own personal participation creates trust in a safe environment.

• It takes time to create real trust. Don’t assume that trust will be automatic or instant.

• Explain the instructional approach you are taking. Share with your learners what educators know about adult learners.

• Provide them with the reassurance that they have knowledge and that their experiences are valid and important to the unit of study.

• Develop “permissions and protections” or ground rules for group discussions.

• Start with work in pairs and then small groups.

• Begin with familiar topics until learners’ comfort levels have increased.

How do I get started?

• Be clear about the skills, strategies and products required in the curriculum.

• What are you presently doing? How does that connect to the expectations in this curriculum? What are the gaps, the areas that need to be strengthened, and the areas that need to be changed?

• Gather resources to meet the needs of the curriculum. Identify the resources you already have and those that you will need to add.

• Consider resource materials from a variety of sources in addition to commercial publishers – resources from the community and the work place. Start files for these resource materials.

• Determine which Communications learning outcomes could be integrated with and developed through other subjects.

• Plan learning and assessment activities.

• Talk to others who are implementing the curriculum – share ideas and activities.

(Refer to “Basic Education Redesign Task Team – Update # 3, November, 2002” for additional suggestions.)