LIFE SKILLS EDUCATION TOOLKIT FOR ORPHANS AND VULNERABLE CHILDREN IN INDIA• 45
CHALLENGES IN USING PARTICIPATORY AND
ACTIVE METHODS OF LEARNING IN SEXUAL
HEALTH AND HIV/AIDS PREVENTION
Many programs for children find it difficult to
use active learning methods.
- Activities take too much time!
Yes, they do take time. But children enjoy activities
and learn best from them. One can shorten the
time of the session by simply providing
information, but it will not be useful or relevant,
as children learn the least by this method. The
amount of time assigned to the activity depends
on a number of factors such as size of the group,
age of the children, the topic under discussion and
experience of the facilitator. If children are
interested, they will not notice the time. Some
groups need more time than others. One way of
handling this problem is to plan for enough time
right from the start. Also, some activities may be
broken up into more than one session.
Remember that children have a short attention
span, and it is always a good idea to split an
activity into smaller manageable time slots. There
must always be time for a recap at the beginning
of the next session when this strategy is adopted.- Preparing and coordinating activities take
too much time.
The job of the facilitator is to prepare both
information and materials. Get more help if it
is required. If planned well, these activities
actually take less time. - These are only games; what do children learn?
Interactive learning is necessary to promote
learning, but games and activities must be
followed by group review and reflection. Only
then will learning take place.Activities are followed by “Linking Learning to
Life” to ensure that they are anchored in real life
situations. “Linking Learning to Life” comes at
the end of the session and should not be
ignored. At the next life skills session, the
facilitators and children can use a “Group Check
In” to follow up on the previous session with a
discussion about how they have applied their
“new learning” in real life.- Children will be noisy and undisciplined
Children should be free to talk, so some noise
is normal. If it becomes too loud, refer to
ground rules. When children are silent, they
do not learn, or are probably bored! - Children will be bored and uninterested
This will not happen if activities are well
planned, and the facilitator is trained and
enthusiastic. Initial responses from the children
may be lukewarm, but they will change once the
children become familiar with the process and
gain confidence. Sessions also move more
smoothly as the facilitator develops rapport and
gains competency in group processes. - Talking about and conducting activities on HIV
and sexual issues in a group is embarrassing.
Children will be more comfortable if the
facilitator is not embarrassed, is of the same
gender and discusses these sensitive issues in a
matter of fact manner. Remember, children are
usually eager to learn about anything having to
do with growing up and sex! The activities
provide suggestions on what to do using single
sex or mixed sex groups. Since the content in the
activities for all sessions contain a gender
component, boys and girls learn to respect
each other.