Often ICT training seems to be done as an end in itself, without regard to how it will be used. It was refreshing to encounter training that was purposeful and designed to change lives. The Women’s Electronic Village Hall (WEVH) in the centre of Manchester is housed in what was a massive printing works. Now it is a hive of media companies, Web designers, small innovative groups and new media companies.
Cath Dyson has worked in the voluntary sector since she left university. She has a particular interest in community development and the way that ICT can be used in that area. As part of her role as ICT information officer for the Women’s Information and Community Outreach Project, Cath has set up and run a teacher training program for volunteers at WEVH.
If there is such a thing as a distinctive female approach to ICT, this is it and we all have something to learn from it. The way that ICT is approached is subtly different. If WEVH is to reach those women who have been deterred by more conventional approaches, they have to work to a different pattern. All courses are designed to meet the needs of women. A great deal follows from that. Flexible training programmes are organised around school hours and holidays with support for childcare. Training groups are small (8-10) to ensure the women get support and guidance and the opportunity to learn in a comfortable environment.
One of WEVH’s revolutionary steps is that people actually talk about learning styles before they talk about megabytes and are asked to assess their own learning style so work can be individual. You begin to wonder whether ILT (Information and Learning Technology) is not a better acronym than ICT. The course techniques they use vary from “snazzy to basic” and are focused not on the ICT but where they will take people.
Many who come to the WEVH have been deterred by other forms of training. Cath believes that the people she works with benefit from “the integratedness” of it all.
Cath goes well beyond the usual cliches about learning; she includes identification of learning styles on the courses. The work challenges and is fitted into people’s lives and helps participants to understand their own learning needs. Underneath the caring is a rigour that is both reassuring and impressive. Cath’s working style is painstaking and thoughtful and her course materials are assembled with care and sensitivity to the needs of the individuals on the course. Her teaching style encourages learners to develop autonomy and expertise in ICT.
There is also rigorous assessment including some fun ways of doing self-assessment. They use reflective journals as well as discussion. ICT and ILT training is rarely done with the kind of depth, commitment and panache that you find here.
Jack Kenny
