PLANNING A SESSION

If you are only to plan a session as part of a larger education programme and you are not responsible for the overall planning of the programme, you are perhaps just looking for a guideline on how to plan a single session.

However, you should note that the planning of a session follows the same planning steps as the planning of the full programme. The difference is that you as a presenter at a session do not have to conduct a full analysis, but should expect to get most of the information from programme managers or in a dialogue with them.

To prepare the planning of your session you should ensure to get from the programme manager the answers to the questions listed in the human rights education planning checklist presented at the beginning of this chapter. This ensures that you will then receive a list of participants well before you finish the planning of your session, as well as receiving the programme learning objectives, information on how your session is supposed to contribute to them, and a draft programme.

Discuss the objectives of your session and the participants’ background and how they interrelate with the programme manager:

You are the specialist and will probably have a more detailed knowledge of the subject. Also, discuss the learning methods that will be used during the programme and, if possible, which of these can be expected to be used in the sessions before and after your own session, and what teaching aids are supported at the venue.

Enquire about what type of education materials will be shared with the participants, and how you could contribute to that, and in what way the programme will be evaluated. Decide whether the planned evaluation of your session is sufficient to allow you to develop your

session further, or discuss with the programme manager whether you can include your own mini-evaluation during the session.

1. Get the background analysis from the programme manager, i.e. programme context, participants’ backgrounds/list of participants, learning objectives (see Annex 3 for the format)

2. Define session objectives

3. Make a list of sub-topics and main learning points (max. 7) for your session

4. Decide the order of the sub-topics and learning points based on the learners’ logic (see Step 5 and section 1.4)

5. Choose learning methods, activities and teaching aids that will support your session and ensure variety (see Step 6 and Chapter 4 Activities)

6. Make a session plan with a rough draft of the timeline (see Step 5 and Annex 5: Session Plan)

7. Develop the details of each section of your session with notes or manuscript

8. Go through the session plan again with a critical eye: Have you set aside sufficient time? Are the methods varied enough, without overloading participants? Is the logic clear?

9. Produce and collect teaching aids, material for activities and education material

GUIDING QUESTIONS FOR THE PLANNING OF A SESSION

When planning your session you should structure it in three overall blocks: a) Introduction & Opening, b) Content &

Substance, c) Conclusion & Closing, just as the overall programme, as introduced in Step 5. See also section 3 for inspiration on how to unfold the structure and guidance on how to manage the session in practice.

The three-block structure is often described as the ‘communication fish’, with the small head standing for the introduction, the body representing content & substance and the small tail the conclusion and closure.

The session introduction should be short, but create interest in and motivation for the topic and introduce the session objectives and how they relate to the overall programme and possible module objectives. It should help to create a safe environment that is conducive to learning by making the participants feel welcome and giving them space to take the floor. It can be useful to start with an example, a case study, a presentation of yourself and your work and experience with the topic, a quote or a question, and to ask the participants for their experience with the topic, their

expectations and concerns about it. Avoid initiating your session by apologising about your lack of teaching experience, or the fact that you do not know enough about the subject in question. If you do that, you are in effect telling the participants that you are about to waste their time and that it is not worthwhile for them to listen. Remember that at this specific time, in this place, you are the best at presenting this topic. You do not have to be the world’s leading specialist in the topic – and remember, sometimes specialists are not the best educators and transmitters of their own findings. You just need to be good at highlighting the main learning points and structure and presenting them in a way that is meaningful to the participants, as well as

building on and utilising the experiences they already have.

The body of the fish, the content & substance of the session, should occupy the bulk of the total time available. Here you should address and unfold your main learning points, elements of theory and field experiences, reflections, issues and examples, as well as interactive elements which address the participants’

own experiences and issues. Time should be allocated for dialogue and to allow the participants themselves to work with the substance of the topic. Remember to vary your learning methods and arrange for short breaks.

The tail of the fish, which represents the conclusion & closing part of the session, only takes up a short part of the total time available in the session. It should contain a summary

‘Introduction’

- Initially, I will first…

- First of all I will….

emphasise - The first

argument

‘Middle’

- I believe that…

- I argue that…

- The main argument of this case is…

‘End’

- I can conclude that…

- Summarising, it can be said that…

- Overall, it can be said…

- My arguments, thus point towards…

2

of the main points, which can be given by presenters or participants or both together.

Include ideas about how to implement what has been learned and sum up how participants can act upon what has been presented to actively engage in human rights, share literature and provide links for further reading and contacts.

Refer back to the learning objectives presented at the beginning and mention how they have been addressed and take feedback from participants. You might also find is useful to conduct a short a evaluation on if and how the objectives have been reached.

You can vary both the order of the elements and how you choose to implement them at the start, depending on the length of your education programme, the participants and their contexts. But don’t be afraid to try something new and more complex than you are used to – you will feel the reward in terms of participants’ enhanced interest and thinking out of the box. In this section we will introduce things to remember at the opening of an education programme, including the opening elements. In Chapter 4 Activities you will find detailed examples of opening activities.

Like any good host you are responsible for creating a welcoming physical environment and for being prepared for your ‘guests’. This includes having the venue ready for when the participants arrive, with chairs and tables in the best order; whiteboard and PowerPoint ready; the room tidy and aired; programme, educational material, paper and pens on the tables; directions to the venue, welcoming signs and the title of the education programme on the doors; flowers and water on the tables, coffee, tea and biscuits ready, etc. Having these things ready will also allow you to be relaxed and composed when participants arrive, and show that you have done your utmost to create a good atmosphere and an environment conducive to learning. As presented in section 1.3, these preparations show that you respect your learners and indicate that you take your role as educator seriously and intend getting the most out of the time you are to spend together.

3.1 OPENING THE PROGRAMME –