This past week, I met with a small group of people with whom I am creating some technology lessons for LiteracyNJ.org. It's a daunting task, to boil down the technology we use every day, into relatable, sequential, useful mini lessons for the uninitiated learners who desperately need to use it. As we brain stormed on how to create these classes, we invented stories to propel the learners to use the facets of technology they learn, in a realistic setting. We had fun with our characters Ana and Anish. They are going to have two separate stories that eventually merge.
I had been thinking about how we were going to write this curriculum for some time before our meeting. Each time I mentally visited the topic, I changed my mind about what I thought before. I'm an organized and logical person and I have decades of experience teaching. Still, I was in a stall. Ana and Anish's scenarios were key for me and for the group with whom I am working. Now, we're inspired. Our inspiration should translate into a great course and in turn, tremendous success for all the tutors we train to teach their learners.
If you are working on any ESL or literacy projects, try the scenario approach. You may find it the perfect glue, to hold all the bits and bobs in place, and keep your lessons in your students' minds.
