Mar 23, 2014
Blogger Saba Yassin teaching with GLP Senior Partner, Peter Noteboom, in Amman, Jordan.
Why do we have to create a visual of our learning tasks?
Can’t we just give out verbal instructions?
Why do students need more than that?
I can’t begin to count how many times I have heard these questions from my learners while teaching Dialogue Education courses. I used to explain that the importance of having the tasks in both verbal and visual form helps those who are visual learners, and shows respect by providing the learner with an easy reminder, and . . . much more. I knew it was important, but now I really know why.
I was in the final stages of certifying a group of university professors as Dialogue Education Practitioners in Saudi Arabia (yes, these professors are working to embrace DE at the university level!). As I assessed their sessions using their full learning designs and their practice facilitations, I quickly started noticing big differences. Each candidate who had the learning tasks well-written and presented visually during her class had a very organized, smooth session that was clear to the students; the students easily followed the learning tasks. The dialogue was rich and the learning deep.
On the other hand, some facilitators didn’t reveal the learning tasks visually, and only related them to the students verbally, from memory. While the facilitators clearly knew the learning tasks themselves, they weren’t as clear for the students. I noticed that the sessions were not as organized and the learning tasks were not as well sequenced or presented. There was a tendency towards monologue (where only the professor spoke) and the learning seemed questionable and less authentic.
Wow, what great learning for us all! Writing well thought out written tasks, with all the needed resources, offers us important guidance. It is our “road map” for the session, the gateway to a room full of Dialogue Education practices and principles that lead to meaningful learning.
Now, when my learners ask why it is important to share learning tasks visually with the learners, I have proof. It’s all about the learning.
Saba Yassin is a GLP Certified Dialogue Education Teacher who lives in Cairo and teaches licensed Dialogue Education courses in the Middle East.