3. A personal dictionary

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Students should be encouraged to take some responsibility for their learning. The student can determine the help needed in relation to vocabulary, comprehension and resources. There should be continual discussion in relation to what is too difficult, too easy or just challenging enough. The activities that follow are designed to suit students at different levels of abilities, so that students can do individualized work when they are having difficulty.





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You could bring in community resource directories, available from social workers and other services providers, but usually not available to the general public.


* Into the tool kit goes a notebook to be used as a personal dictionary for students to keep track of their individual spelling and vocabulary words. Students should be encouraged to look up unfamiliar words they find in their everyday world, and to bring new words to class to challenge their classmates. These words could then be put on the board for the day. Students could be encouraged to find further examples of the use of these words.

4. An address book

* Into the kit goes an address book which should contain numbers and addresses for frequently used phone numbers and addresses.

* Give instructions and help with using phone books, alphabetization and so on, according to the needs of the students.

5. A resource book

* Into each tool kit goes a small binder in which students can keep important sources of information and help.

* Have students gather all the resources they can think of, for example, telephone books, government brochures, etc.

* Brainstorm three or four topics which students want more information about.

* Break students into three or four groups, according to their interests, and assign a topic to each group. Some questions to consider:

  • What do I need to know?
  • What do I want to know?
  • Where can I get answers?
  • What people do we know who have information? What organizations? What books or pamphlets? What TV or radio shows?

* Ask them to list sources of information, with relevant phone numbers, etc.

* Ask the group to make a list which can be placed on a wall for others interested in the information.

* Share all the posted lists, and allow time for students to record resources and information relevant to them in their personal resource books.

* Students might want to do individual exercises in relation to resources they would like included in their kit. Again, invite them to post a list so that they share their information with the group.

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Students may need help with organizing the information under headings or topics so that they can look up information when they need it.

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As well as copying the information into their own resource book, students might be interested in pooling all the resources they find to produce a small book which could be photocopied for everyone. In this case, be sure to leave lots of blank spaces for students to add new information as it comes along.





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Use these lists to create exercises around public speaking, being more assertive, being a good listener, setting goals, communication skills and so on, according to the interest expressed by the students. (Some of these areas are dealt with in other chapters of this book, and further along in this chapter.)


6. Making contacts

* After organizing their resource books, ask students to look at how they might make contacts.

* Set up role plays in relation to making phone calls, going for visits, conducting interviews, inviting guest speakers in.

* Ask them to write letters or send faxes. They might share information that comes back through oral presentations or posters.

C. Self-Image

Our self-image is the way we see ourselves, based on the messages we have received in the past. Very often society and culture dictate how we should look, dress and act. This pressure can cause us to think we are not as good as someone else when we do not match the images being projected.

1. Self inventory

* Ask learners to complete the self inventory
(pages 147). This is to be done in confidence.

* Ask them to look at their answers to question 4, "List some things you'd like to get better at," and choose two or three things that they would like to work on in class. Ask them write down these two or three things and hand the list in, with no name attached.

Self Inventory Self Inventory
Self Inventory


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