About this Masterclass

The increasingly complex and ambiguous world we live in today calls for a shift away from what we learn to how we learn. Learners have to be active participants, capable of contributing to their learning and voicing out what they know and need.

A key way to foster active participation is through participatory learning design, a technique that involves stakeholders and learners directly in designing the learning experience. It generates a sense of co-ownership and meaningful engagement early in the process. The value of participatory learning design is not in the outcome; it is the true learning that happens in the co-creation process.

This one-day masterclass introduces the essentials and practice of participatory learning design with an unconventional twist: the use of Forum Theatre-based scenarios. By making space for learners to meet and co-create playful learning scenarios, Forum Theatre effectively generates grassroots-level engagement and participation.

What You’ll Learn

The essentials and practice of participatory design, non-informative education, and meaningful engagement, including:

1. Working with space, place, and people
2. Leveraging grassroots engagement for learning
3. Casting the forum and the commons as participants, and co-designing Forum Theatre scenarios
4. Braving uncertainties with specActor plays

This is for you if:

• You are a qualitative researcher, designer, facilitator, educator, trainer, Agile coach, Scrum Master, community architect, social worker, actor (or you are just yourself and this sounds like something you’d like to do)
• You want a different perspective on how to teach/ facilitate or on how people learn
• You hope to transform teaching and learning in your organisation, and are looking for ways to build up a good case
• You work with people and groups and want to find ways to make your work stronger
• You are open to non-conventional learning design or using improv and theatre formats in your work, but are not sure where to start

About Unconventional Facilitation

Unconventional Facilitation is a series of events and masterclasses hosted by Studio Dojo in collaboration with trainer Francis Laleman. Together, we explore and share unusual approaches to facilitation.

To learn more:

• Read about our community event, Gamesercises, on our blog
• Find out about the previous masterclass, Awareness Design and Exformative Play

About the Trainer

Francis Laleman

FOUNDER, AGILE FACILITATION BEYOND BORDERS

Francis is a designer, writer, educationist, and facilitator. He lived in India and Sri Lanka for nearly 20 years, trying to be a monk, aspiring to be a Sanskrit teacher, and writing the first few sentences of a good 100 imaginary books. Since then, he has taken up social work, teaching, and educational reform.

Francis is currently based in Singapore, where he runs his company, Agile Facilitation Beyond Borders. He is also an active member of the global Systemic Design Association. He teaches at the London Scrum Academy, and contributes to the global Agile and Scrum communities.