Preparing the ground for materials development

When implementing a materials development project, there are some things that need to be done to prepare for developing the materials. These include:

• becoming familiar with the program context and goals
• learning about the program participants
• collecting relevant authentic real-life print resources
• selecting any relevant and appropriate ready-made learning materials

Context

We start by becoming familiar with the overall context where the materials are to be used - for example, the union, workplace(s), sector, geographic area and the community. This includes getting background information about systems, key players and issues. A lot of this information can be collected during an organizational needs assessment process, if one is carried out. As we learn about the context, we also learn about union goals for the program(s) as well as key themes and issues from a worker perspective.

Participants

As we become familiar with the program context, we also try to learn about the program participants - whether actual or potential. If programs have progressed to the individual needs assessment stage, then we can learn from the participants themselves - who they are, their goals, their location in the larger context and how they are affected by the key themes and issues. In many cases, we may have to learn more general background about potential program participants. This will entail talking to people in the specific settings from which program participants will be drawn, looking at demographic information about the composition of the membership, and so on.