Planning Individual Sessions

Planning a good training session is very important for the effective learning experience of its participants. What goals do you have for the participants? How will the session effectively engage the participants and ensure that the goals for them are met? How will you assess whether the participants have benefited from the session?

Careful preparation for a session helps to build the confidence of the facilitator and ensures that participants have the best possible learning experience. Each session is like a mini-workshop in itself and requires thought and planning (USAID 2001). This includes the following actions:

• Decide the subject and aim.
• Identify the two or three key points to be discussed.
• Decide on the different parts of the session: a) Include an introduction to the subject of the activity and how it links with previous sessions. b) Select a teaching methodology to be used; consider the relative importance of having time for sharing and discussion. c) Decide how the activity will be concluded. Also consider whether energisers or icebreakers will be necessary.
• Allocate time for each part of the session. To ensure that learning is achieved in the best way for the subject of the session, some subjects need a lot more practice and others need more time for discussion.
• Prepare materials. Make and organise the materials that the participants and facilitators will need during activities.
• Rehearsing sessions. Read (very carefully) the chapters and sections those are designated for the sessions.
• Conduct research (as needed) in order to be appropriately informed about the topic. Make any additional notes, including supplemental information from your own research, in the training outline.
• If you are working with groups, make sure that the instructions for small group work are clear. Decide on the size and composition of the groups. Use different activities to divide people into groups (BENS 2005). Depending on the objective of the activity it may be necessary for people to work on their own, with people from the same organisation, or in mixed groupings (see also group works).
• Organise materials according to their order of use in the session. Well before the session starts, organise all prepared flip charts, posting those to be used during the session, hiding those to be introduced later.
• Make sure the seating arrangements are appropriate for the planned activities and exercises (e.g. small-group seating arrangements or adequate moving space).

It is good to keep “session plans" when you plan for the sessions. So called “learning logs” help trainers to know what participants have learned and how they can apply it back to their work. This supports you in creating the session plans and delivering them effectively (TSHIULA and MARYANNE 2005). Session Plans can be developed taking into consideration the following aspects (adapted from SINGH et al. n.y.).

• Who: The learners (think about their skills, needs and resources) and the trainer(s).
• Why: Overall purpose of the training and why it is needed.
• When: The time frame should include a precise estimate of the number of learning hours and breaks and starting and finishing times each day.
• Where: The location with details of available resources and equipment and how the venue will be arranged.
• What: The skills, knowledge and attitudes that learners are expected to learn;the content of the learning event (keep in mind the length of the training when deciding on the amount of content).
• What for: The achievement-based objectives;what participants will be able to do after completing the training.
• How: The learning tasks or activities that will enable participants to accomplish the “what for” (SING et al. n.y.).

When the session comes to an end, make sure that you have either covered all points that you wanted to, or that you make clear that you will take them up in the next session. Try to summarise the most important points. Allow some time for questions, and be clear about possible assignments.