The size of your audience should have no impact on your choice of learning activity.
If a learning activity is the best one to achieve the desired level of learning, use it.
Just adapt how you facilitate the activity if there are time limitations or if the number of participants is huge.
Let’s consider two learning activities that can be time-consuming: questionnaires and role plays.
We can adapt how we handle a questionnaire, depending on the situation:
- Participants read the questionnaire, discuss it with their small groups, and take turns with other groups in reporting their answers. [Lots of time and/or a small number of participants]
- Participants discuss a questionnaire in their small groups and then take turns with other groups in reporting their answers. [Less time and/or a medium number of participants]
- Participants use their thumbs to signal their agreement or disagreement with each question as the facilitator reads it, then volunteers explain the rationale for their response. [Limited time and/or a large number of participants]
We can handle a role play in a variety of ways:
- Triads, with two players and an observer, take turns conducting the role play, then each triad reports their experience back to the entire group. [Lots of time and/or a small number of participants]
- Members of small groups take turns conducting the role play in their group, then a spokesperson reports their experience to the entire group. [Less time and/or a medium number of participants]
- Two volunteer participants conduct the role play while the large group observes, and then the facilitator debriefs it with the entire group. [Less time and/or a large number of participants]
- The facilitator conducts the role play with a volunteer participant while the large group observes, and then debriefs it with the entire group. [Limited time and/or a large number of participants]
So, don’t be afraid to use the learning activity that will accomplish the desired learning level. You always have a choice as to how you facilitate that activity.
P.S. Which is the biggest challenge for you: time limitations or a large number of participants?
May your learning be sweet.
Deborah
#learningactivities #questionnaire #roleplay #laurelandassociatesltd #learninglevel
