Modules Structure - SCEJU Learning

Technique	Description
Use Warm-ups and Energizers	Warm-ups and energizers are not training techniques but they form an essential part of training. They are used to change the tempo of a session and encourage participants to move about and relax after spending time sitting in a discussion. Energizers should be active and humorous. Always be aware of the mood of the participants
Use of Questions During Training	The effective use of questions is one of the most important skills needed by trainers. By asking questions, you help the participants to think for themselves and it stimulates a process of discovery. If participants think about a problem and come up with an answer themselves, they are much more likely to remember the information than if you just told them that information as the trainer.
Use Practical Instruction	Practical instruction is used to teach participants a skill, such as how to segregate waste or how to repair a water hand pump. Practical instruction is based on the principle that people learn by doing. Practice time for every participant forms a major part of the training session.
Encourage Brainstorming	There are various types of discussion techniques used in participative training courses. The most common are the paired discussion (sometimes called a hum) and the group discussion (sometimes called a buzz group). A paired discussion involves dividing participants into pairs and asking them to discuss a problem or task such as: List the factors that limit the limit waste segregation at source. During the plenary discussion for both hum and buzz groups you as the Trainer should ask probing questions to stimulate debate, share experiences and encourage participants to come to a consensus on issues, or agree to differ
Use the Debate	The debate is useful for encouraging participants to think for themselves and identify key points for and against a particular issue. The participants also have to work as a team, decide which points to present during the debate and select a speaker to forward their views. An example of a debate can be technology choice between a solar powered or diesel powered water pump.
Come up with Plays and Drama for Participants	Role plays and drama are extremely useful training techniques because they can be used to focus on real-life problems in an active way, especially where participants are encouraged to act out issues themselves. For example problem plays are used specifically to pose a problem or issue. A short play depicting a problem and lasting only two to three minutes is enacted at the beginning of the session. Participants are then asked to draw out and analyze the causes of the problems, discus how it related to their life situation and then to suggest solutions or strategies for tackling that problem.
Use Pictures	Pictures can be used to analyze issues that are difficult to depict in a play. The picture used should show only one problem and should not show possible solutions. It should be a simple line drawing, avoiding too much shading and color, and with no abstract symbols that might confuse the picture.
Give Participants Exercises	Exercises are used to give participants practice in certain skills and knowledge they have learnt. Examples include maintenance of cashbook for waste and water sales, etc. You as a Trainer can prepare hypothetical problems and tasks and then ask participants to work through them. These exercises can be used to test the skills and knowledge of individual participants and so you can ask each person to work alone. When everyone has finished the exercise, these can be discussed in plenary.
Use Training Visits	During training visits, participants are taken to a specific site outside the training venue e.g. a material recovery facility (MRF). Training visits are very useful for putting theory into practice in a real situation. It is important that the visit is well-structured with specific learning objectives.
Use Games	Games can be used to raise issues about behavior and attitudes, such as how people behave in groups, conflict resolution, cooperation and team work. Games can also raise participants’ awareness about how their behavior as individuals and as a group affects others in both a positive and negative way. The session should be structured with clear objectives and key learning points drawn out.
Use of Training Aids	Training aids are used to help illustrate and reinforce key learning points during training. A wide variety of training aids are available such as flip-charts and colored markers, chalkboard and chalk, photographs, pictures, models, computer presentation systems e.g. video, slides and overhead projectors. The choice of training aids depends on many factors such as cost, electricity supply, literacy of the participants, the subject being covered in the training, etc.