Aim: to create a basis for successful group work using different aspects of group dynamics.

Intended Learning Outcomes (LO)

At the end of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1: Understand Group Work

LO2: Understand Active Participation within a Group Setting and How to Develop a Group.

LO3: Understand how to to establish the importance of gradual trust building and the sense of vulnerability.

Example Exercise – 4UP

The participants sit down on chairs and form a circle. The basic rule of the game is that 4 participants must stand up at once, but nobody should stand up more than 10 seconds. They are not allowed to communicate with each other in any other way but observe the others.

Each participant must carefully observe the situation and the others, try to understand/communicate with the group without words and take care, that no more than 4 persons at the same time stand up. As restrictions of physical nature are to be respected – the game can be performed in a circle, but without standing up and using the “raising of one’s hand” up in the air whereby the rules from the first version do not change. Conduct the activity to the extent, where it is noticeable, that each participant had the chance to stand up/raise the hand and when it is noticeable, that group is starting to communicate efficiently. Afterwards, conduct a smaller feedback from the group, preferably each participant on the following matter: how did they know when to stand up? Did they put effort into being noticed? When was the time when they felt they were a part of the group cooperating with others?

AIM: Knowledge of identity, (intentional/personal) storytelling (dominant narratives) and their consequences (on individual and society)

Intended Learning Outcomes (LO)

At the end of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1: Understand Identity and Aspects of own Personality

LO2: Understand Identity within a Group

LO3: Understand the Difference between Storytelling and Narrative When Working with Stories

LO4: Understand Dominant Narratives

LO5: Understand the impact and possible applications of stories

Example Exercise – Emotional Histogram

“Think about a moment in your life when your emotions changed (happy, sad, angry, satisfied etc). Try to express these emotions in colours in a histogram (show example) from cause to effect, and final state.”

Invite participants to look at their ‘emotion histogram’, think of the story behind and (individually) write down their insight / learning experience from that story. Then tell the story behind the emotions (What happened etc. and finish with the insight/learning). Then invite to conversation what they think what happened in their minds.

AIM: Knowledge of the role of the listener in working with stories. 

Knowledge of the impact of the (visible) behaviour of the listener on the teller.  

Knowledge of the ability to take the perception of the other (empathy) to be able to help him/her with his/her story. 

Realizing that ‘disempowering’ yourself (stepping back) is already empowering others.

Intended Learning Outcomes (LO)

At the end of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1: Understand Empathic Listening

LO2: Understand Empathic Listening and Behaviour

LO3: Understand Questioning and Stepping Back

Example Exercise 

Interested and bored: Awareness how our listening behaviour affects one another. This activity should be fun for participants.

Group is divided in two parts. One group is instructed by the facilitator about the rules of the activity. Participants sit in pairs, one is the teller, the other the listener. The teller picks up a subject (not too serious) he/she cares about or is interested in. Listeners, the instructed persons, listen intently for prearranged duration until facilitator gives a sign (clap, cough, walking close) and then show gradually more boredom.  Form groups of four or six people and discuss how it felt. Share in plenary.

Aim: Learners will learn how to properly run a narrative inquiry.

Intended Learning Outcomes (LO)

At the end of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1: Understand Questioning Attitudes Using Narrative and Circular Questioning Methods

LO2: Understand How to Externalize Conversations

LO3: Understand How to Compose and Craft a Question Using Narrative Inquiry Methods

LO4: Understand Narrative Enquiry in the Context of Storytelling Skills and working with Stories

LO5: Understand Skills and Values Applicable to Solution Building

Example Exercise – Externalization Questions

1. How would you call the problem affecting your life?
2. If you could describe it, how would it be? Would it be a male or a female? Would he/she be young or old? Does it speak? If yes, what does it say?
3. When did the problem appear in your life for the first time?
4. What are the aims the problem has for you and your life?
5. On a scale from 0 to 10, where “0” means that the problem does not affect your life at all, and “10” means that the problem affects your life completely, where would you put the problem in your life?

AIM: The learner will know how to adapt for any specific context and cultural differences.

Intended Learning Outcomes (LO)

At the end of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1: Understand Different Educational and Professional Backgrounds

LO2: Manage Safe Settings

LO3: Use Common Language Structures

Example Exercise – Arrange Safe Settings

Participants are grouped together in line with idiosyncrasies of their communities/beneficiaries. They brainstorm on the physical characteristics of the “third space” to work with their community. Invite them to identify specific issues or additional circumstances that need to be taken into account both with regards to the physical space as well as the correct environment, such as culture, tradition, age, gender, etc.

AIM: Learners should understand the essential elements of a story and apply them to crafting a new story. They should be able to communicate their own story to listeners.

Intended Learning Outcomes (LO)

At the end of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1: Understand How to Visualise a Story

LO2: Understand How to Select Key Details from a Visualisation and Communicate Them

LO3: Understand Story Structure

LO4: Craft New Stories

Example Exercise – A Simple Story with a Beginning and an End

Recall a place outdoors, somewhere you have been. Imagine that you are standing in the middle of that place (it may help to close your eyes).

Look around you. What can you see that is far away? What can you see that is close to you? What can you hear that is close to you? What can you hear that is in the distance? What can you smell? What emotions do you feel?

Imagine you are leaving the place. Pick your own form of transport. You are travelling. How does that make you feel? Are there particular landmarks along the road? You meet someone. What is the interaction? What are the emotions you feel?

You travel on, by the same form of transport or another. Do you take the person you met with you or leave them behind? How do you feel looking back at the interaction?

You arrive at a different place. Look around you. What can you see that is far away? What can you see that is close to you? What can you hear that is close to you? What can you hear that is in the distance? What can you smell? What emotions do you feel?