2. Just one skill?

“How can I just pick one skill for my activity? They are all important.”

Occasionally participants will find it difficult to identify a single skill as the focus of their activity. This is not surprising, as many tasks in and away from the workplace require us to use skills in combination. It may be helpful to point out that the identification of one skill is meant to help other educators narrow down their choices and find something appropriate to their teaching needs within the database. Participants can be encouraged to think of the one skill that is most important, recognizing that a great many (or even all) are of some importance. Within the activity itself they can be encouraged to incorporate and to identify the full cluster of skills they wish to highlight.

3. The “sufferer”

“I had no choice, I was told that I had to attend this AWAL session.”

We strongly recommend that participation in an AWAL session be voluntary. However, there are circumstances where either logistics or organizational goals mean that it is more practical for everyone to attend. If you can anticipate who the individuals are that might feel this way, try and partner them with someone who is likely to be more enthusiastic. Most often, that enthusiasm will be contagious. Another tack is to remind the “sufferer” that occasionally they will have students of their own who feel this way and ask, “How would you handle that?”

4. The “expert”

“I’m a co-op teacher. I know all this.”

Be sure to include in your opening remarks something like, “For some/many of you this will be a refresher or a return to familiar material rather than something brand new. Use this time as an opportunity to reaffirm your practice, make new contacts in the workplace, and to gather new ‘real life’ stories for your learners.”

5. The tough questions

“I don't know, but I will certainly find out.”

This last scenario is not for troubleshooting possible participant questions, but is a reminder for you as a facilitator. Occasionally there will come questions that you don’t know the answer to. This is to be expected. The statement above is the best possible answer that you can give: “I don't know, but I will certainly find out.”