Activities for Session 1

Activity #1 – “Is it union education?” scenarios for discussion

Case 1

In a Health and Safety workshop the facilitator talks about the rules around health and safety committees. One participant says that women should not be on health and safety committees because they get too emotional about the issues. Another participant agrees with him and no one in the rooms says anything. Since nobody is complaining, the facilitator lets it go and moves on with the material.

Is it union education? Why?

Case 2

In a notetaking workshop, a participant shares a story about a time where he was helping a new Canadian understand her collective agreement. A few participants start to talk in a negative way about new Canadians. The facilitator politely interrupts the comments and asks if someone has a different view. As no one says anything, the facilitator mentions that if we are not Indigenous, we are all new Canadians, and that the diversity in the workforce is what brings us strength. The facilitator also invites participants to notice how the employer takes advantage of this divide between us to better rule us.

Is it union education? Why?

Case 3

In an International Solidarity workshop, two participants start to laugh at a participant who takes up a lot of space in the workshop (talks a lot, answers every question, always gives very long answers).  They have sidebar conversations and at break, subtly laugh and point at her. The facilitator ignores it because the workshop, other than that, is going great and they also agree that this participant is taking a lot of space.

Is it union education? Why?

Case 4

In the middle of a Stewarding workshop on grievances, a participant points out that there is a strike in one of the CUPE locals just a block away from the workshop. The facilitator decides to take an extended break of 30 minutes to go out with the class to support the workers on the picket line. After coming back to the classroom, the facilitator takes 5 minutes to ask how people felt about this experience and what they learned.

Is it union education? Why?

Activity #2 – Descriptions of learning styles

A learning style is a person’s preferred technique to approach learning. Some learners have a dominant style and others are comfortable in more than one. There are different theories on learning styles, this is a classic one.

Learning in different ways – watching, feeling, doing and thinking
Read these descriptions and pick the one that best reflects your approach to learning:
Doers
  • Values active experimentation
  • Pragmatic, practical, functional
  • Good problem solvers, work well with others
  • Constantly active, doesn’t like being idle and gets frustrated with too much talking
  • Learn by experimenting, trial and error
Feelers
  • Values concrete experience
  • Learn through gut intuition
  • Aware of similarities and differences of experiences
  • Need concrete exercises to see how it feels
  • Often inward looking, help them learn to look ahead
  • Will loose interest if instruction is too analytical
Thinkers
  • Values abstract conceptualization
  • Analytical, logical, thorough, and theoretical
  • Can be loners, dreamers, meticulous
  • Learn best by using cognitive abilities
  • Focus on why something works
  • Provide rationale for activities
  • Try to involve them in solving problems and discussing conclusions
Watchers (visual learners)
  • Values reflective observation, want to see the picture
  • Most attentive when presented with visual information
  • Good listeners who are introspective and contemplative
  • Tends to hang back to study other’s performance
  • Likes to follow behind the instructor