Name
Pedagogic principle: Integrating awareness and assessment of soft skills within a group activity
Topic
Institutional and Legal framework of irrigation schemes
Learning time
11 hours
Designed time
11 hours
Size of class
40 (M/F=31/9)
Description
Integrating the development of soft skills alongside subject-matter knowledge is an important step to prepare students for employment. To achieve that, it is important to integrate teaching and learning activities that provide students with opportunities to practice and get feedback on a range of soft skills. In this example, students have a chance to use a range of skills within a context of a group activity, while at the same time learning how to conduct an organizational assessment of a water users’ association.
Mode of delivery
Location-based
Aims
I would like my students to be able to conduct a water users' organisational assessment in order to strengthen existing farmer groups involved in irrigated agriculture. This knowledge and these skills, on graduation, students will be inspired to take on a leadership role in the formation of self-sustaining and gender response water user associations.
Outcomes
Application, Uncategorised
Editor
askawild
Derived from
Review of A TLA sequence for a pedagogic principle: provide opportunities for authentic formative assessment by diana
Edit
Agricultural water management institutions - Creating the interview protocol
180 minutes)
  • Collaborate
    60
    5
    0
    In your groups of 5, develop an interview protocol that will enable you to find out the organizational structure, group activities, challenges faced and, feedback and accountability mechanisms of a chosen water users’ association.
  • Collaborate
    15
    5
    0
    Swap your protocol with another student group. Use the checklist provided by your facilitator to evaluate the design of a protocol created by your colleagues.
  • Discuss
    15
    10
    0
    Get together with the group you have swapped your protocols with, discuss feedback you gave and received.
  • Collaborate
    15
    5
    0
    Come back to your group of 5 and implement changes to your protocol based on feedback you received
  • Practice
    60
    10
    0
    In your group of 5, get together with another group for this practical activity. You will engage in a role-play to test your protocols and practice interviewing skills. One group will take the role of water user respondents and the other group will take the role of interviewers, testing the key elements of the protocol through role play. Then you will swap the roles. This exercise should strengthen your confidence in conducting interviews before going to the field to conduct the actual interviews.
  • Discuss
    15
    40
    0
    Let's discuss the previous exercise. What worked well and what could be improved in terms of both the design and implementation of your interview protocols? How did you feel as an interviewer? What did you do well? What could you do better> How did you feel as an interviewee? What could the interviewer have done differently?
Notes:
Resources linked: 0
Institutional arrangements water management institutions
240 minutes)
  • Investigate
    120
    5
    0
    In your group, you will conduct field visits to various existing water user associations. During this visit, they will map out key informants who you would like to interview. The mapping should be based on the information required from the interview and focus on areas covered by your interview protocol. Due to the fact that the majority of irrigation activities are conducted by women on the farm, the composition of the interviewees should at least be 60% female water users. Your facilitator will be with you on the site and will give you verbal feedback on the mapping exercise.
  • Practice
    60
    5
    0
    In your groups, conduct guided structured interviews with the key informants using the interview protocol you have developed. Your facilitator will be present to observe and give you feedback on this task
  • Collaborate
    60
    5
    0
    On return from your field visits, in your groups write a reflective piece capturing: 1) the challenges and light bulb moments you experienced 2) any of your own assumptions that surfaced, 3) how you felt during the visit and interview process 4) what you would do differently next time, and 5) what you felt were your strengths and weaknesses during the visit and interview process. Your facilitator will provide you with written feedback on your reflective piece based on their own observations made during the visit.
Notes:
Resources linked: 0
Turning around water user associations
240 minutes)
  • Practice
    60
    5
    0
    In your groups present to the whole class your findings and conclusions from the previous field trip and interviews. Highlight any organisational gaps that you discovered as well as propose a range of options for improvements. Make sure to articulate the roles of males and females in the running of the water user organisations. You will be expected to incorporate any feedback you received from your facilitator of learning during the field trip, interviews and on the reflective piece of writing you submitted.
  • Practice
    90
    5
    0
    In your groups perform a role play based on your recent experiences of interviewing water user association members. Highlight the main challenges and provide some solutions within your role play. For the groups observing the role play, you will have the opportunity to stop the role play at significant points to ask questions of clarification and provide additional suggestions. After each role play the facilitator will lead a short debrief in plenary by posing the following questions: How did the respondents feel during the process? How was your experience during and after the interview process? What learning have you acquired from conducting the interviews in the field through to the role play you have just performed? What better way could you carry out this activity if given the opportunity?
  • Produce
    90
    5
    0
    In your groups, you will also be provided with two separate rubrics to self-and peer-assess the earlier presentations and role-plays. The criteria being assessed for the presentations will include: presentation visuals, group coordination and participation, style of delivery, quality of content and critical reflection, quality of written or support information, audible voice, and knowledge of the subject matter. The criteria being assessed for the role plays will include clarity of speech, expression of empathy, use of body language, the accuracy of the role, quality and appropriateness of options shared etc. Once your group has finished the assessments, you will share your own self-assessments with the class verbally and your peer groups will share their peer-assessment in written form with your group. The facilitator will add any final points not covered in the self-assessment discussions.
Notes:
Resources linked: 0

Learning Experience

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