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(This document started on 19 Sep 2003.)
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Agenda for PAL sessions
We plan to offer each week to our facilitators a recommended agenda to
use in the sessions, while making it clear they can do a quite different one
themselves. Whatever they use, how it went should be discussed in the weekly
mutual feedback sessions.
Each week's should have some different specific items on; in particular the
deep learning questions and hot topics emerging from the clients will change.
But here is a possible outline: specific items could be slotted into this
framework. Some items will perhaps be featured and used only in one or two
weeks e.g. "auto-PAL" and extended discussion about study skills.
Policy statement to facilitators
There are about eight potential kinds of benefit to the clients from PAL
groups. Covering all of them is a remote ideal. Focussing the time on
whatever is of most value to the particular group on the particular day is the
aim; while any session that is spent on any of them is worthwhile. It needn't
be narrowly about psychology course content: wider aspects of being a student
may turn out to be what they need to discuss.
Do not feel you either must or should answer the questions yourself: if the
group can't find the answer among them, at most you should give pointers to
where they can look for the answers afterwards (we'll supply you a reference
sheet for this).
This generic agenda is most relevant when a specific topic has been
advertised in advance (e.g. the coursework essay). The idea here is that
besides the explicit agenda that was advertised and is the main reason the
clients come to the session, there could be some tacit or implicit items that
are good for clients in reality but that might not be a reason for them
choosing to come, and anyway would usually be very short.
- As clients come in, ask them what their current deadlines are; then what
they are doing about it. [Implicit agenda: simply by reminding, get them in the
habit of reviewing this regularly, and so take step one towards better time
management planning.]
(If they don't know what their deadlines are, don't tell them: get them to ask
each other and check in the course handbook.)
Perhaps, if you like the idea or clients ask for it, could at some point
do a longer session on this: on planning for an essay or lab report.
I gather from learning advisors, that the key point to get across (probably
not by lecturing but somehow by getting them to discuss) is the very simple
one that such activities are not one indivisible lump, but have subparts; and
each part can and should be done at a different time, may well be of different
difficulty (for instance I have to be at my best for creating an essay plan;
but I can do reading when less than best, and can do fixing typos when really
pretty tired).
- Then ask them what their last (psych) lecture was about. Possibly smile
and bet them they can't remember. [Implicit agenda: get them into the habit of
doing brief overviews/reviews of lectures, preferably every day there is a
lecture. An aspect of this, is to run self-checks on whether they are
understanding and keeping up as they go along.]
Step 2 would be co-construct a few major headings; and step 3 to store that as
a plan to use later in revision and/or readings.
Perhaps, if you like the idea or clients ask for it, could at some point
do a longer session on this. The longer version would be to co-construct a
detailed outline of the lecture's ideas. And beyond that, to discuss quite
deeply what the ideas are and further implications and examples.
Here's a list of generic items, perhaps particularly relevant to a dropin
session where the topics are decided by the clients on the spot, rather than
in advance.
- [integration]: nameplates and re-introductions.
(Remember, this can be MORE important in groups with many regular attenders:
if you don't do introductions for newcomers, they feel they don't belong.)
- [Agenda] Agreeing the rest of the agenda with the group. ("Has anyone
brought any issues or items they particularly want the group to help with this
time?") In particular, adding items, re-ordering them. Agreeing whether (a)
to cover all items or (b) just to see how far the group gets down the list.
Having the agenda on a flipchart where all can see it throughout the meeting
can be handy.
- ["Contract"] It may sometimes be helpful to explicitly discuss and agree a
"contract": what the rules are for this group. E.g. no calling me stupid,
do/don't stick to academic topics, not talking about individuals outside the
group, ...
- [PAL] Any course admin. items anyone wants to ask the group (e.g. times,
dates, ....)
- [PAL] Any basic course content items. Possible prompt (if you want to spend
time on this, but the clients don't volunteer any): "Summarise in a sentence
the most important overall point of the last lecture".
- [deep learning] Introduce one of the current week's "deep learning"
questions. Or improvise: "What is, what defines, psychology?" "Is it worth
studying, and if so why?" "How is it different from what you expected? from
what you wish you were learning about?" "What is the most interesting issue
touched on in the last week? (and why do you think it is interesting)"
- [mentoring] Anything about being a student on this course you want to ask
me about? What is your experience of it like so far? Unsolicited advice from
the facilitator e.g. don't leave the essay until the last week ...
Also: issues about being a student in general, ....
- [reflection, study skills] How well do you understand the material so far?
How do you know this? What did you do to check you understood it? Set a quiz
item for the rest of the group...
- [Auto-PAL] Do you discuss course issues with other students apart from in
this group? Do you think organising a private study group would be useful? ...
- [feedback] At the end, if you can bear to, spend 2 minutes asking for
feedback on the session.
- How useful: E.g. "On a scale from zero (no use at all) to
10 (couldn't have been better), how useful do you feel this session was for
you?" and go round each person quickly. Then "Any suggestions about what to
do differently next session?"
(This only gives you a rough idea, but it does help especially when you
notice differences from session to session. It also encourages clients to
make suggestions about what they would like to cover, and lets them know you
are listening to them.)
- Or ask each person to say what they each got out of the
session i.e. instead of a value number, to reflect and discuss briefly what it
was. The point of this (besides feedback to the facilitators) is to encourage
them to recognise consciously what the session does for them, which may
encourage them to return.
- Ask for feedback not on the value of the session for them, but on
how good/bad your chairing was.
Good for improving the skill of chairing itself. (Especially good if you
rotate the chair to share the practising with the clients.)
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