3-24
Step 6. Balancing the course content
A training course needs to be balanced in both content and learning methods.
• Try for a balance between
preventive, curative, and
community or social aspects
of health care. Add up the
hours in each of these 3 areas.
Consider if the balance is
appropriate in terms of the
people’s needs and concerns.
Adjust the hours if necessary.
• Balance discussion-type learning
(classwork) with learning by doing
(practice), physical work, and play.
STUDY
PRATICE
More and more programs are realizing the importance of learning by doing.
Increasing emphasis is being placed on activities in the community, in the clinic, in
schools, and in the fields as a part of health worker training. Even classwork— some
of which remains necessary—can involve a great deal of active practice in using
skills and solving problems.
Many programs also are recognizing the importance of physical work and play as
a part of health worker training. Physical work serves many purposes— especially
if it is health related (gardening, digging latrines, building equipment). It provides
a change of pace. It keeps health workers close to the land and the working
people. It helps them learn new agricultural or building skills. And in some projects,
the health workers’ daily farm work produces food that helps make the training
program self-sufficient.
Learning through games and play is especially important for occasions when health
workers work with children.
To plan a balance between classroom study and practical activity, you can use the
same worksheet as before. Go down the list of subjects, marking the balance you
think is appropriate for each one. You can do it this way:
Nutrition
Treatment techniques
Round-table discussion
CLASSROOM
STUDY
PRACTICAL
ACTIVITY
This means equal
balance.
This means mostly
practical activity.
This means all
classroom learning.
After marking each subject, look at the overall balance. If too much time is given
to classwork, try to think of ways more learning can take place through practice and
experience.