Introduction to the DAFNE course

One of the most important sessions of your DAFNE course is the first session: introduction and organisation. This session allows you to set the climate for the course. In this session your group first get to know the venue, you and your co-educator, each other and what the course holds for them. The introductory session allows the group and the educator to:

  • take the first step in establishing an environment conducive to effective learning
  • begin to understand participants’ motivations, orientation and readiness to learn.

View the introduction to the DAFNE course for tips on making the most of your introductory session below.

There is accompanying audio so ensure you have your headphones or speakers on. Click on the square icon below the video to watch in full screen.

Click 'Start' to begin.

Active content not displayed. This content requires JavaScript to be enabled.
Copy this transcript to the clipboard
Print this transcript
Show transcript|Hide transcript

Transcript

Slide 1 narration:
Participant experience on first entering the room and meeting educators and other members of the group can set participant expectations for the course. For this reason, it’s important to create a positive experience by being welcoming, friendly and putting participants at ease, encouraging interaction between group members as soon as possible.
Slide 2 narration:
At the pre-course appointment, or soon after, make sure you give participants clear instructions about the venue and the room being used for the DAFNE course. Not being sure which room to enter or being faced with a closed door may increase participant anxiety and create a barrier to engagement. Signposting your room clearly and keeping your door open shows participants they are welcome.
Slide 3 narration:
Make sure you arrive at your venue in plenty of time to set up the room for the day before your participants arrive. Make sure you’re prepared for your session so that you have time to welcome group members as they arrive and point them in the direction of refreshments. Make conversation with your participants so you can further put them at ease and so you’re aware of their journey to the course and how they’re feeling. Introduce group members to each other and highlight common experiences if you can so they can chat with each other. Provide a selection of hot and cold drinks that will be available at the beginning of the day and at break times, and reassure participants that they can help themselves to drinks at any time.
Slide 4 narration:
Participants need to get to know each other so include an ice breaker that you feel comfortable using, such as people bingo or pick a card and talk about why you picked it – ideas for ice breakers are included in the lesson plan and you can find many ice breakers online. Set the scene for working in pairs and small groups by explaining that you’ll be using different methods of pairing up participants or dividing them into groups – you might use a deck of playing cards and group all the Kings together in one group and all the Queens as another group, or you might divide the group into four pairs by giving them each a name and asking them to find their partner e.g. Starsky and Hutch, Posh and Becks or Ant and Dec; alternatively, you might allocate either the number one or the number two to each participant and group all the number ones together and all the number twos together. Whichever method you use, you can plan ahead to ensure that different people work together throughout the course or you can make the allocation to a group or pair completely random.
End transcript
 
Interactive feature not available in single page view (see it in standard view).

A downloadable version [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)]   is also available in a PowerPoint format.

The social and emotional environment

Group agreement