We were getting tired of creating new handouts for each of our workshops. And so we asked ourselves, what are the things that all workshop handouts need to contain? Can we put these universal things in a handout, and let workshop participants tailor the content based on the topic we cover?
Our working approach at Constructivist is to start learning from where learners are at. So the first questions are always what can you do already and what do you want to be able to do?
The next stage is to introduce theory. We don’t need to put the theory into the handouts. This is usually transmitted in presentations and in conversation. Expressing theory in your own words is a good way to engage with it. So we have a box for theory, whatever that may be.
The third stage is to put theory into practice. What happens when you take a piece of theory, probably new to you, and try to apply it in the context of a familiar challenge?
The last stage is reflection. As David Clutterbuck says in the ‘Critically Reflective Practitioner’, ‘Reflection tailors the glove of theory to the hand of practice’. So, what happened when you applied theory to practice? As a result, what will you differently from what you did before, and what questions do you still have. This last point sets the stage for another round of learning.
All of the above we have put into the Constructivist Universal Workshop Handout, which you can download here for free – it is available under CC-BY-SA 4.0. If you find it helpful please us know.