4-14
STUDENT COMMITTEES
The day-to-day preparations, organization, and running of a training program are
a lot of work. If students can take charge of some of these responsibilities, a great
load is taken off the instructors and shared by everyone. Students and instructors
become working partners. It also gives students a chance to learn leadership and
management skills.
Several student committees can be formed to take on the different responsibilities.
This can be done during the first days of the course. If instructors serve on these
committees, it is important that they take part as equals, not chiefs, and do the ‘dirty
work’ along with the students.
You may want to consider any or all of the following committees:
PLANNING COMMITTEE: decides what the daily and weekly schedule will be,
which classes will be given when and by whom, etc. (Having instructors on this
committee is very important. But if a few students also take part, it is a valuable
learning experience.)
CLEAN-UP
COMMITTEE: makes
sure that the meeting
and working areas
used during the course
are kept clean and
neat.
THE RECREATION COMMITTEE CAN HAVE THE GROUP PLAY
SHORT, ACTIVE GAMES BETWEEN CLASSES.
RECREATION
COMMITTEE:
organizes group
games, short
stretching exercises
between classes,
joke telling, riddles,
songs, and field trips.
Plan some activities
for free time before
or after classes,
on weekends, or
whenever the group
has been sitting still
for too long.
For example, draw circles on the ground-one fewer than
there are players. The person who is ‘it’ calls out an article
of clothing, or a color. Everyone wearing that clothing or
color has to run to another circle. Whoever does not find
an empty circle is ‘it’.
EVALUATION COMMITTEE: leads the group in constructive criticism of the course
in general, the content of classes, the instructors, The teaching, everyone’s learning
attitudes, etc. The committee helps to straighten out problems, improve the
ongoing course, and make suggestions for future courses. (Evaluation committees
are discussed further on page 9-15.)
RECORDING COMMITTEE: takes notes, makes copies, and distributes sheets of
important information not covered in books. (Participation of instructors is valuable
here, too.)
In a 2 to 3 month course, responsibilities can be rotated every week or so. This
gives everyone a chance to work on each committee.