Planning Focus Groups for Tuesday 7/8/12

Planning Workshops/ Focus Groups:

I will not be there in the afternoon as I have a meeting at college – but you will be fine and Ashrita says she’ll be around to help. I have told Ashrita that you will divide yourself into pairs and plan workshops for standard 8 children in the post lunch slot (the same children you did the drawing activity with).

The children will be divided into 4 groups so you will get about 12- 13 children in a group.  Each ADP pair needs to run one workshop for their group of 12-13 children.  This workshop or focus group can be used to ask the children questions around value education, English, examinations, career plans etc. according to your research question.
One group can focus on English, one can focus on exams and so on.

Just remember that you will need to plan activities for 50 minutes.  Children get easily bored so  have 2 different activities including an introduction and conclusion.

Example: Career Plans

Introduction 10 – mins

Start by introducing the topic and explaining to the children what you are going to do. Ask them what they would like to do when they grow up.  Ask then to close their eyes and see themselves grown up.

Guide their imagination with cues - what are you wearing, where are you working, what does your home look like.

Body: 25- 30 minutes

Ask them to draw themselves when they are grown up i.e. what they saw when they closed their eyes.  What are they doing, what sort of house they will have, their office – all these can be in the drawing.  Be encouraging and assure them that their don’t have to draw ‘nicely’.

Walk around the group ask each child about her/ his drawing – why they drew what they did. Praise, admire. 

If  a child has drawn a doctor ask what they have to study to become a doctor, do they know any doctors, why they want to be a doctor, does their family know that they want to be a doctor – what do their parents say about their ambition?  

Similarly ask questions about their picture of their house or office. 

Conclusion: 10 minutes

Collect the drawings and ask the children what they would need to do to become they want.