The closing of your workshop is when you provide time for participants to reflect, synthesize, and consolidate what they have learned.
Guidelines:
- Provide a summary of the main points (either you or your participants can give a brief recap).
- Hold a short discussion on the workshop effectiveness and processes.
- Debrief: Hold a short discussion on workshop effectiveness and processes. Consider asking questions to the group that induce reflection from participants follow the ladder of inference: 1. What? (i.e. what happened), 2. So what? (i.e. why is this important), 3. Now what? (i.e. What actions to take next?)
- Take time to recognize contributions. Acknowledge effort and achievement.
- Let participants know how they can continue their learning and follow up if they have questions.
- Thank participants and provide instructions for filling out the feedback form.
- Remind participants that the workshop is a part of the SKILLS21 program and is recognized on the co-curricular record, accessible through myInvolvement.
Additional Strategies to Consider:
Exit Cards
- Prepare a prompt that you will ask participants to respond to in the last 5 minutes of the workshop and write it on the board, a chart paper, or on the screen, or in the chat for a virtual workshop.
- Some sample prompts could include:
- “What were three key points or ‘take-aways’ from today’s workshop?”
- “What is a question you have about what we discussed today?”
- “What did you want to learn more about?”
- “Create a quiz question based on today’s discussion.”
- “Which topics from today’s workshop do you think would be important to include in an end-of-module quiz?”
- Ask participants to respond individually. They can write on paper, create a drawing, or post their response to an online poll you create beforehand. Anonymous submissions are possible.
- Have participants submit their responses and then exit the workshop.
- Review participants’ responses.
- Decide whether to summarize results for sharing with participants. This may depend on whether or not you told participants their responses were confidential.
- Decide how participants’ responses may inform your facilitation of future workshops.
Note to Future Self
- Ask participants to write a letter to their “future self” that describes their current thinking on a workshop-related topic or concept where participants need to see progression of thinking.
- Collect the letters or ask participants to email them to you.
- Redistribute the letters to participants in the workshop at a later date.
- Ask participants to read their letters and reflect on how their thinking has changed.
One-sentence Summary
- Ask participants to summarize the topic in one sentence that incorporates who/what/when/where/why/how, as appropriate. You might choose to ask them to do this task independently, or with a partner.
- Ask participants to share their sentences with the group.
- For a virtual workshop, ask participants to do this task independently and share their sentences in the chat.
Harvesting
After an experience or activity in the workshop, ask participants to reflect on and write down:
- What they learned.
- So what: why what they have learned is important, and what the implications are.
- Now what: how this learning can be applied.
- Have participants share their responses in small groups or with the whole group. In a virtual workshop, responses can be shared in breakout rooms or in the chat.
Get One, Give One
- Ask participants to fold a piece of paper in half and write “Give One” on one side and “Get One” on the other side.
- On the “Give One” side, ask them to write four insights from today’s material.
- Have participants stand up and find a partner. Each participant shares one idea from their “Give One” side of the paper and writes down one idea on the “Get One” side of the paper.
- Have participants continue finding new partners in an effort to fill their “Get One” side of the paper with new ideas.
- For a virtual workshop, give participants a few moments to reflect and take note of their "Give One" response. Ask participants to join breakout rooms and share their "Give One" responses and take note of "Get One" ideas.
