Example workshop
- introduction of the workshop/ leaders/ project
- quiz about Europe
- energiser
- Brain Walking: what do you think of when you hear Europe?
- Students get a piece of paper and have to write one word on it. Then they have to pin it at some flipchart/ screen
- When this is done, the group leaders asks one of the students to read out loud what is written
- putting everything into thematic clusters together with the help of the students
- What topics are going to be dealt with?
- Ask students to place a sticker/ make a sign/ raise arms to their favourite topic. Make clear that the two most voted topics are going to be discussed later on.
- Construct a hypothesis
- ask students to construct a hypothesis based on the two topics ( so you get two different ones), help to formulate if needed
- Group division
- separate group into 4 ( 2 for each topic: one is against the hypothesis, one is in favour)
- Group work
- the four groups are working on their topics
- make clear that it does not have their own opinion they are going to present. They just have to pretend to represent this view for the "game" (imagine you are the president of...)
- encourage them to think about the counter-arguments of the other group and how to confute it
- Discussion
- one person (the speaker) of each group presents the results (start with one topic). After that the two speaker can have a discussion and/or the group is allowed to add ideas and/ or questions from the plenum can be answered
- suggest to give the people other names, or, if possible in your language, to use the polite form of addressing each other (avoids personal offence)
- Conclusion
- tell the students what the aim of the exercise was
- encourage them to become active in their spare time
The structure of the workshop is the only thing that is strict. The topics for the discussions are based on the interest of the students and on their knowledge. If they know they are going to talk about the topics in detail before they choose, you avoid exhaustion.
Every step should make clear that it is up to the students what is going to be dealt with and that they can acitvely decide. Also make clear that the group leader is just there to organise/ give the next step/ support if needed/ maybe give some cause for thought.