PSI Material Writing Team Workshop September 23 – 25, 2013 Anguilla
About the workshop
The broad aim is to produce draft material that can be used in various trade union education and training sessions for members and potential members. We will use an in‐house‐approach to develop the trade union education and training material. This method or process is completely responsive to your specific needs. Participants will be using their current knowledge and skills, and at the same time acquiring new knowledge and developing new skills. The process involves participants identifying, drafting, editing and even testing the material prepared. In addition, participants will learn more about education and training methods, the crucial role that trade union education and training plays in the development of the organisation, and the role of the trade union education and training committee. A key aspect of the training is to help participants recognise and appreciate the important links between Trade union education and training, mobilising and organising.
Education and change
Trade union education and training is different from other kinds of education. It is not about developing the skills that will improve productivity or about acquiring skills that will lead to better career opportunities. It is about defending working people and developing the skills, attitudes, knowledge – the understanding, commitment, and confidence to change and improve the world. To make the world a better place, country by country. Trade union education and training is not a new thing. But what is happening now is that in the context of the global economy, of the general attack on the labour movement, financial crises and environmental destruction, we need workers’ education that debates and stimulates discussion on democratic socialism and the political agenda of the trade union movement,. In other words, what are we organising for? Or in some cases, the questions are “Are we still organising? Or are we on pause?”
Self‐sufficiency? “Nearly one hundred years ago, many socialists argued that unions and workers’ education organisation should not accept state finance. Maybe they had a point. Certainly, in many countries and in many unions – both north and south ‐ there is a dependency culture in the trade union education movement that has been entrenched over decades. It is common to meet trade union education officers who explain that they are unable to provide programmes for their members, because they are “waiting for the funding”. In some unions, ‘education officer’ is virtually synonymous with ‘fund‐raiser’. Somewhere along the way we’ve forgotten how to run education from our own resources, as meagre as they may be. Perhaps a new generation of trade union education is emerging – rooted in the traditions of participatory learning, concentrated on building union organising power, built around the big questions of democratic socialism in a corporate world, and based on financial self‐reliance. “ Read the entire commentary at http://www.globallabour.info/en/2012/10/trade_union_education_and_the.html
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Writing for your members – Part One | PSI Caribbean
Why write? The main reason is so you can write for your own movement using your own experiences. No one knows better than you what you and your members experience every day. Writing helps you to develop new skills and you’ll find that in doing this you will also further develop your skills as a trade union educator. And no you do not need to be an expert. Working with others you will be able to draw on different skills and experiences. As you prepare for the workshop, it will be useful if you think about and list skills you want to develop and the knowledge that you want to gain. Skills I want to develop ….
Knowledge that I am seeking …
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Writing for your members – Part One | PSI Caribbean
What are we writing and for whom?
The usual material for trade unionists is a shop stewards’ manual or a manual for union representatives. But materials also include: Study circle books Hand‐outs Leaflets Newsletters Workshop materials Pamphlets And as we live and work in an electronic age we need to develop materials that are not only paper‐based, but also suitable for publication through: e‐mails e‐newsletters blogs and using various social media tools
Organising the writing team
The basic aims of the team are to: Develop materials for use on workshops, Test the materials Revise the materials See that the materials are used.
Active Learning Methods – Learning by doing
Trade Union education and training uses active learning methods. Active learning is a term used to describe education methods which give participants things to do. It encourages discussion of the practical issues which trade union members face every day and ways of dealing with them. This may include solving problems, expressing opinions, finding out and using information. Other names given to this type of approach are: learning by doing student‐centred learning small group methods study circle methods 3
Writing for your members – Part One | PSI Caribbean
Whatever term you use, the basic approach is the same; The learning process starts from the experiences of participants. Those with very different experiences can work and learn together. Workshops are problem‐centred and participants work together to solve common problems Discussion ‘activities’ are used so that participants can share experiences and learn from one another Participants learn and develop confidence by doing things themselves. They acquire new knowledge and develop new skills by working together. A key aim is to help participants to improve conditions at work as well as in the community. This method encourages collective decision making and a democratic approach to problem‐solving. This helps to reinforce the principles of trade unionism.
Why Learning By Doing?
Active learning methods are particularly relevant when developing on‐going educational programmes. From experience, practitioners have found that: 1. Active learning methods are well received by trade union members because the collective approach to solving problems strengthens trade union values. 2. Active learning methods are easily learned and can be used for recruitment and campaigns on trade union issues. 3. A programme of membership education based on active learning methods can increase members’ involvement in the union’s work. 4. Active learning methods can be used for low cost education programmes for large numbers of trade unionists. This is particularly applicable in small unions with minimum resources. 5. Active learning methods help to develop a range of practical skills which improve the overall effectiveness of trade unions. 4
Writing for your members – Part One | PSI Caribbean
The Language We Use You will note that we try to use language that is inclusive and gender neutral. In trade union education and training we often use different terms to explain our work. In traditional language the terms we use can cause divisions. In trade union education and training, we try to use terms which help create a co-operative setting for learning. For example: Instead of Teacher Pupil Lesson Classroom Textbook
We say Discussion Leader or Educator Workshop member or participant Workshop meeting or session Meeting Place or Venue Workbook/Guide/Educational Materials
By thinking about how we use language, we can, as trade union educators set the tone for workshop democracy which is an essential aspect of this education approach. We do not use Chairman but prefer Chair or Chairperson. We want to encourage both women and men to get involved. We want all participants to feel that their contribution is valid. Changing the language we use to encourage higher levels of participation is an important step in trying to achieve this.
Things to do
Think about other words, terms and phrases you use. How can we change them so that the are more inclusive and politically correct – or just plain kinder and more sensitive ways of saying things. 5
Writing for your members – Part One | PSI Caribbean
What Is An Activity?
In trade union education and training, people learn best by doing. Trade union educators use activities to help people learn. These are small group discussion exercises. An activity is made up of a set of aims and a task or a number of tasks. The aims of the activity are specific. They tell you what the activity is trying to achieve and what skills will be developed. The activity may help participants to develop a skill, organise a task, think of solutions to a problem or find and use information. The task(s) tell the participant, in detail, what the group should do, including how to report back to the workshop. The task helps the participants to achieve the aims set in the activity.
Types Of Activities
All group work is not the same. There are different activities which require and develop different skills. You will have to decide the kind of activity to use on any occasion. The different types of activities are: 1. Reviewing Experiences This type of activity is used to identify issues and problems. Members will develop the skills of sharing and examining experiences. 2. Attitude Questions This type of activity gets members to respond to attitude statements about issues. This will help members to think again about attitudes to problems and to put arguments. 3. Problem Solving Workshop participants will be asked to describe problems at the workplace and will work in small groups to try to find ways to solve these problems. These activities develop the skills of working together and finding solutions. 4. Finding Information Members will be asked to find information on union policy, workplace agreements or labour laws. The activities will assist members in finding out and using information. 5. Discovery Activities These activities help workshop participants to find information about the workplace. They will also be asked to talk to members about their views and ideas. These activities will also help members to find out information and will develop interviewing skills.
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Writing for your members – Part One | PSI Caribbean
6. Role Plays Participants will be asked to act out various situations. These activities will give members the opportunity to report to the workshop meeting, debate and talk to members about issues or problems. Participants will also develop skills in giving reports, taking part in meetings and presenting a case. 7. Things To Do Workshop members may also have some tasks to carry out before or after the next session. These activities will help to promote action by members and will also help to further develop members' skills, knowledge and attitudes. 8. Follow‐Up Activities These are activities will further build on the skills, attitudes and knowledge of members. They may be given after the workshop is over as post‐workshop activities. Sometimes you may have a number of additional activities which you may use depending on the circumstances and the needs of the members. These activities will further develop the skills, attitudes and knowledge of the workshop participants. 7
Writing for your members – Part One | PSI Caribbean
Pre‐ workshop Activity ‐ Building a writing profile
Aims
To think about who you are writing for To see how this may affect the way you write
Task
Draw up a profile of the trade unionists/members you are writing for. In your profile include; 1. How old they are 2. How many are women and how many are men? 3. How many are young women and how many are young men? 4. The education they will have received 5. The kind of jobs they have 6. How active they are in the union 7. The skills and knowledge they will need most 8. The action that you would like them to take to help strengthen your union
Report back
A spokesperson from each union will present a report on behalf of their union.
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Writing for your members – Part One | PSI Caribbean