Here are some characteristics of a participatory approach:6
- Learners are involved in developing the curriculum at every stage
in the process. Ideally this would mean that learners identify issues to
explore, decide on materials to use, produce their own materials, determine
out comes of the program and evaluate their own learning. However full
participation won’t happen immediately for learners who are used to
teacher-lead learning environments and have little faith in their own abilities.
As learners gain self–confidence, they will gradually participate in
identifying the direction of the group’s learning.
- Needs assessment is an ongoing process. The group analyzes needs,
interests, strengths and concerns as the project progresses. Through ongoing
needs assessment learners take control over their own learning and begin to
examine their own social contexts. individuals receive support from the group
in thinking critically about their situation and moving toward change.
- The classroom is a model. What happens inside the classroom shapes the possibilities
outside the classroom. Making changes within the literacy program models a way of
addressing issues in the broader community.
- The focus is on strengths, not on weaknesses. Learners are seen as experts
in their own lives. They are the ones that decide the content and skills that
are necessary for them to know in their personal situation, not a curriculum
developer. The information that learners research and analyze within the oral history
project is their own knowledge, not the knowledge of ‘an expert’.
- The facilitator’s role is that of a problem-poser rather than a problem
solver. The facilitator guides learners towards finding answers to their own
questions. The facilitator is also a learner; so is not expected to be ‘an
expert’ in oral history. The group explores questions, answers and issues
together. As the literacy group progresses through its examination of the oral history
theme, the facilitator will find ‘teachable moments’ to share language
and literacy knowledge which will help strengthen learners’ skills.
- The content comes from the learners’ social context. For literacy to be
relevant, classroom activities must relate to learners’ lives outside the
classroom. Learners develop literacy skills by speaking, listening, reading and writing
about important social issues that affect their lives. The low will be from oral history
to the personal and back to oral history. When the learners see that the facilitator
builds literacy experiences based on the low of their interests, they will become motivated
to participate in determining content.
- Content also comes from interactions of the group. Negotiating classroom dynamics
and processes is an important part of the content. This doesn’t mean that the
facilitator comes to the class with no plan. But what happens when the facilitator tries
to implement the plan depends on group needs and processes.
- Outcomes can’t be predicted if the content and processes are coming from the
learners. Rather than feeling guilty about not following a ‘lesson plan’,
facilitators welcome opportunities to address real learning as the learners determine
their needs and goals.
- The experiences of individuals are linked to the broader social, cultural and
political situation. Discussion of learners’ personal issues leads to a
critical analysis of why things are the way they are and how they can be changed.