The Situation For Bank at Etihad in Jordan, empowerment is everything. That is why they work with individuals, entrepreneurs, local and global businesses, and the next generation of female leaders, so they can succeed in the way they want to. It will always be their...
It is the common experience of trying to drink from a firehose. You may come away soaked with plenty of ideas, but after a few weeks, the learning begins to “dry out.”
Collecting evidence of learning, transfer and impact are challenging enough in the best of situations. When individuals take a training on-demand and on their own time, it may seem quite impossible. There may be no learning cohort, nobody tracking their progress or knowing when they are finished. So, how can we evaluate?
Three small rural communities in Ukhia, Bangladesh where child marriage rates are quite high (most girls are married by or before age 15), was the site of a 5-day workshop I designed and co-facilitated to create interventions to shift social norms that perpetuate child marriage using a tool designed and validated for diagnosing drivers of child marriage.
I recently collaborated with a colleague to design and facilitate a workshop on gender justice for teenagers from Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) youth groups from across the country who were attending a national youth conference. We facilitated the workshop three times and learned more each time—especially how to start strong.
An intentionally designed and facilitated learning experience – grounded in dialogue education principles, naturally – can be a thought-provoking and engaging opportunity. Until it isn’t, because sometimes too much of a good thing is no longer a good thing. As an educator once shared with me, “At a certain point, the sponge is full and students aren’t able to be present to learn.” The sponge is full, and when that happens, the learner struggles to focus on the content.
Most of us have a book or two full of energizers. I have many! They are full of page after page of short activities that are meant to be fun and funny. Sadly, in my experience they often make me feel silly and uncomfortable. Worse yet, they sometimes seem disrespectful. I’m left feeling, “Why are we doing this? When will the learning start.”
As a 30-year experiential education practitioner (think challenge course, ropes course, group initiatives, etc.), I have had numerous opportunities to dig into my experiential toolbox and select an activity to match my group’s energy or need. I say activity intentionally, as these tools are not learning tasks per se, but interjections into the group flow to enhance the learning experience.
These opportunities have taught me to be thoughtful and purposeful in my selection, as the right tool serves to either ease tension and anxiety, get the group ready to learn, or provide a brain-break away from the learning. The wrong tool – used in the wrong situation or at the wrong time – can negatively impact a group’s safety and ability to be present for the learning.
We are so excited to release our workshop series dates for the new year. You will recognize some of your favorites as well as a few new key options! If you have end of the year funding, let us know and we’ll help you invest in your team and your own professional development.
After planning efforts were postponed for 2.5 years due to the pandemic, One Challenge International needed to develop its organization-wide strategic plan to establish direction and intended outcomes for a five-year period. There was a strong need to bring together organizational leaders from across the globe for learning, deep connection, discernment and planning for the future.
‘Take 15 minutes to walk with a partner outside to discuss this question…’ Those words can be music to learners’ ears when we have been sitting a lot or been in a multi-day event.
So, why don’t we see this technique used much? Why do we feel we need to stay in the training space and can only use other spaces during breaks and down time? Why do we keep people in their seats so much where we know they are getting tired and distracted?
‘Take 20 minutes to move around the room with a partner …’ Those words can be music to the ears of many learners when we have been sitting for a long-time training or they have been in a multi-day event.
So why don’t we see this technique used much? Why do we feel we need to stay in the training space and can only use other spaces during breaks and down time? Why do we keep people in their seats so much when we know they are getting tired and distracted?