Lesson Plan on Ten Seed Participatory Needs Assessment: Community Workshop
The Ten Seed Technique
DEVELOPED BY: Dr. Ravi Jayakaran- World Vision China
Level of workshop leader: Promoter
Level of Workshop Participant: End-user; Community Member
Duration of Workshop: 9 hours including lunch
Workshop Leader: Workshop Assistant:
Date: Lesson number:
Workshop Level: Number of Participants:
This is a partial Lesson Plan. To view the complete Lesson Plan PDF.
BACKGROUND FOR LESSON PLAN
Workshop Position in Progression of Workshops:
- This workshop: Participatory Community Wide Needs Assessment.
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Next workshop options:
- To be selected based upon needs assessment
Assumed Knowledge
The community has agreed that a Community-wide needs assessment will be beneficial.
Anticipated Difficulties/Problems
- Information may not be well received due to cultural differences between workshop leaders and participants.
- Community members may be resistant to behavioral changes.
- Strong personalities may dominate workshops.
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Stakeholders with vested interest may want a needs assessment favorable to them.
Solutions
- It is important that the promoter is from the same culture and speaks the same language as the participants.
- Drawings and illustrations should be appropriate for and familiar to the community members.
- Strong personalities may be able to be reasoned with in order to understand the importance of the participatory process, given projects that will occupy them, or taken aside for a key person interview.
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Stakeholders with vested interest may be taken aside for a key person interview.
Useful Internet Links:
This lesson plan has adapted information from The Ten Seed Technique by Ravi Jayakaran and CARE’s Household Livelihood Security Assessments. A Toolkit for Practitioners.
PURPOSE
Goal of Workshop/Purpose: What workshop participants will be able to do as a result of the lesson.
The purpose of the workshop is for community members to assess and to prioritize needs within their community and to discover sustainable solutions.
Objective 1: Participants will work in an environment where they feel safe discussing community-wide needs and develop a needs list.
Objective 2: Illiterate villagers will be enabled to participate in discussions relevant to their situation analysis.
Objective 3: Participants will use a tool like the Pocket Chart Tool or the Ten Seed Technique to prioritize the listed needs.
Objective 4: Participants will discuss the findings and agree upon a prioritized needs list which is most appropriate for the community.
MATERIALS
- About 15 drawings of community needs traditionally identified by community members.
- Large sheets of newsprint.
- Colored pens or marker pens.
- Sticky tape.
- Colored markers.
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Seeds for voting
BRIEF SUMMARY OF LESSON:
Introduction:
Activity 1. Introductions
Introductions. Ice Breaker: Sing a song or play a game.
Statement of Purpose: Tell the participants what they’ll be able to do as a result of the lesson.
Guided Practice:
Activity 2. Open discussions about community need and prioritizing a list of problems and needs.
Activity 3. Discovering underlying causes to problems and needs.
Activity 4. Discovering solutions.
Workshop Conclusion
Activity 5. Conclusion.
Activity 6. Follow Up.
BEGINNING OF LESSON:
INTRODUCTION
Activity 1. Introduction
Purpose
- To help build a feeling of team spirit and mutual understanding.
- To generate group self-esteem and creativity.
- To understand the purpose of the workshop.
Time
1.5 hours
Materials
- About 15 drawings potential problems that are found in communities. Think carefully about the conditions in the community and adjust your drawings to the local situation.
- Large sheets of newsprint.
- Colored pens or marker pens.
- Sticky tape.
What to do
Introduction:
Workshop Leader & Workshop Participants
- Introductions. Ice Breaker: Sing a song or play a game.
-
Introduction: Tell the participants what they’ll be able to do as a result of the lesson.
15 Minute Break
GUIDED PRACTICE:
Activity 2. Open discussion about Community Need and Prioritizing Problems and Needs.
Purpose
Participants will openly discuss problems and needs within the community.
Time
2 hours
Materials
- Paper.
- Colored pens or marker pens.
- Sticky tape.
- 10 seeds for each participant.
What to do
Workshop Leader & Workshop Participants
Guided Practice
- Ask the group to imagine all the problems and needs that are faced by the community as a whole.
- Include all of the problems and needs discussed by the group in a large drawing that is placed (or drawn) on the ground.
- Give each individual in the group ten seeds.
- Ask them to place the seeds on the problems they feel are the most important (their ten seeds can be placed over one problem, or spread among several).
- Once all of the individuals have placed their seeds, ask the participants to discuss the results.
- Summarize the resulting information on a sheet of paper.
Workshop Participants:
Take 5 minutes to discuss the process. Talk about what you do and don’t understand, what you do and don’t like.
Notes
Active participation can be enabled by giving everyone an equal chance to share views. For example, two groups might be formed out of the community – one of women and one of men – so that women can feel comfortable participating in the discussion.
Sometimes it may be necessary to “filter out” the over dominating people in the group, so that others can participate.
It is almost mandatory that the facilitators carrying out the 10 seed technique listen with a positive attitude. This essentially means being open to new perspectives and ideas without pre-assumptions.
Ideas for Drawings:
- Low income; poverty
- Not enough seed to plant
- Poor irrigation
- Many diseases
- Bad road to community
- Lack of education among villagers
- No school
- No access information and training on improved agricultural methods
- Unsustainable environmental practices
- Lack of potable water
