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6 Important Questions to Ask Your Next SHSM Workshop Provider

9/22/2017

Are you looking for an awesome speaker for your SHSM program? Students have to complete workshops – some mandatory, some elective. Once you’ve found a potential presenter, you’ll want to check them out. The following 6 questions will start great conversation and will help ensure your presentation will be a winner!
In general, a 10- or 15-minute phone call should be enough to get an idea of whether a presentation is a good fit for you and your school. Here’s what to ask and what to look for.

1. “What’s your experience with student workshops?

Ask some specific questions about how many workshops they’ve done and how many years they’ve been presenting. Ask if they get repeat business.
Consistent, frequent SHSM experience means that they have had time to adapt their presentations to all kinds of audiences and situations. Look for testimonials.

2. “How do you make your workshops engaging?”

Ask what they do to keep students engaged. How do they define a successful presentation? Ask about the experience of the specific presenter and if you can speak to that person ahead of the workshop.
There are lots of ways to make a presentation engaging, including using interaction, activities, enthusiasm, demonstrations, humour, surveys or self-assessments, and storytelling. The message in the workshop should be simple, impactful, and memorable. There’s no “formula,” per se, but an experienced youth presenter will use lots of tools to win-over resistant participants and make sure students stay interested.

3. "What are the logistics involved?"

Ask about where the workshops take place. If it’s at your school, ask what sort of space is needed and what setup is required. Are the dates flexible or fixed?
The Beanstalk Project comes straight to your classroom, but some other programs host at their venues, while some even offer online certifications. Any way can work, but make sure the workshops are accessible for you. Some presentations may require lots of special setup, but others require nothing at all. You’re likely busy, so take convenience of booking and flexibility of dates into account.

4. "What is your pricing model?"

Ask about whether it’s flat-rate or per-student pricing. Find out about when they need registration totals, minimum registrations, and any deposits or added fees. Ask if they can present for multiple SHSM majors at once.
This is important. You want to get the best value for your budget, so look for groups that are forthcoming about fees. Take transportation and venue costs into account too. If they’ll combine SHSM majors, consider splitting the cost. Depending on your numbers, either flat-rate or per-student pricing can work, but make sure you ask in advance and avoid surprises.

5. "What is your organization all about?"

Ask about organizational biases. Ask about how their mission shows up in their workshops. Find out how they handle questions when values conflict.
Some workshop providers are affiliated with religious groups, community organizations, or other companies. This CAN be great, but it doesn't always mean you'll be a perfect match. Be sure that their activities outside of SHSM align with the mandate and values of your school. Ensure you’re satisfied with how they handle conflicts of values so your school can present a unified front.

6. "What other benefits can you offer?"

Ask what else the workshop provider can offer. Ask what else they think you should know. Ask if there’s a way to partner to offer more opportunities to youth.
In addition to doing what they need for workshops – like providing certificates and including an evaluation component, SHSM providers should have young people’s best interests in mind and consider them an important part of the community. Check to see if they help students in other ways - for example, through volunteer opportunities, conferences, co-op connections, or local initiatives. Perhaps there are unexpected benefits!

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Keep Tabs on Student Progress with a Simple Per-Student Tracker

9/1/2017

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Many SHSM teachers tell us that they have trouble tracking student achievement within the SHSM program. Once they get students enrolled, they need tools keep them on track to earn their red seal!

There are two kinds of tracking we recommend: Overall tracking and per-student tracking. Overall tracking systems should help you monitor broader objectives and measurables - enrolment numbers, attendance at events, placement schedules, etc. At a very basic level, a few simple attendance sheets would fit the bill.

The second tracking system is our focus here – the Per Student Tracking System. This system allows you to monitor the progress of each student individually – a sort of checklist for both you and the student to show the requirements they’ve completed and the ones that are still outstanding. Of course, there is the official SHSM Record – an online tracking tool, but it’s not the most convenient for regular check-ins and visualization of your progress.

We advise creating your own simplified tracking form for you and students. There are lots of ways you could create this, but the important thing is that it’s simple enough to be usable. Keep your students on track and accountable!

Here are some key things to consider when tracking individual students through their SHSM program:

Start early. Have a template ready to go right away. Think about how you will set up regular meetings with your students to check in on their progress.
Make it simple. Make the tracking form a visual account of the progress – with boxes to check off. Keep it to one page so it’s easy to understand at a glance, and easier to file.
Make it comprehensive. Be sure that your tracker takes into account ALL of the things students need to earn their SHSM Red Seal – Courses, Certificates, Reach-Ahead Opportunities, Experiential Learning, and Essential Skills. Make it as simple as you can without leaving anything out.
Have students own it. While keeping a copy for yourself will ease YOUR mind, ensure students also get a blank copy of the tracker when they first start the program so they know where they’re headed. Make sure they know how to keep track of their progress and let them know that you’ll check in regularly.
Make it customizable. Your tracker is only useful if it takes into account the specific needs of the student. Customize the template to take into account course combinations, specific workshop electives, contacts for reach-ahead opportunities, etc.
Start with paper. When you create your template, draft it on good ol’ fashioned paper. In fact, it might be easiest to draw it by hand and just photocopy it rather than mess around with computer images. Don’t worry if it’s not perfect – you can refine it as you go. Limiting yourself to a single page allows you to get all your ideas in one place. Once you’ve used it for a year or so and worked out the kinks, you can do it up on the computer if you want it to look fancier.

If you want an example, we’ve drawn up a very rough draft template that might inspire yours. It’s simple, visual, and it leaves spaces for course names, workshop titles, and descriptions of relevant experiences.

Most importantly, remember that ANY system is better than no system. If tracking is a challenge right now, consider how you could make a very basic system to reduce your stress and help more students complete the program!

Do you have tips you can share? Got a great idea for how to track student success? Comment below!

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The Better Education Blog

6 Important Questions to Ask Your Next SHSM Workshop Provider

Keep Tabs on Student Progress with a Simple Per-Student Tracker

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The Better Education Blog​

6 Important Questions to Ask Your Next SHSM Workshop Provider

Keep Tabs on Student Progress with a Simple Per-Student Tracker

Authors

Archives

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The Better Education Blog