b.

Choosing the Methods

You will have to find the methods that allow all community members to
participate in programming and action. The job of designing the program will
be made much easier if you have done enough work at the needs assessment
stage. A comprehensive needs assessment takes the guess work out of
program design and helps you continuously improve your work as you
continue the program planning cycle.
There are many methods and group process techniques that can be used in
such activities. Almost any adult education activity or process can be
successfully adapted to fit community/environmental education situations. We
have selected a few methods that we have used successfully for at variety of
different environmental programs. The methods we have chosen require few
materials and can be adapted to fit any social or cultural) situation.
Most of these methods can be combined with each other and used within
variety of formats. This is by no means an exclusive list look to other adult
education literature for other methods which might also be applicable and
adaptable.
b.1. Nominal Group Technique
Nominal group technique is a process which helps a group identify problems
and solutions and establishes priorities. Generally, the group brainstorms and
then votes to decide which issues have greatest priority. The three most
common applications for the use of NGT are:
•Problem identification
Solution exploration
•Priority setting
It is a single-purpose technique that can only be used for one question at a
time.
Nominal Group Technique (NGT) can be used to: •Identify organizational and
individual needs •Examine goals and objectives •Allocate resources
•Determine specific training requirements Identify and prioritize environmental
learning needs Identify and prioritize a list of environmental issues •Areas in
the community •Identify and prioritize environmental conflict areas
•Generate a list of solutions to an environmental issue or problem
  Achieve consensus on an environmental issue
Materials, Equipment, and Space Requirements
Because NGT is a group technique you will need a space suitable for
discussion. If possible, arrange chairs in a U or round shape around a table so
that people can write easily. You will need the following materials:
• Flip chart or surface for taping paper up so that all participants can see
•Tapes or pins
 Paper,markers,and pens for the participants
 Small pieces of paper or index cards for voting

Method Process
Design the Question
The first step in the NGT process is to design a suitable question to be used in
the process. The way the question is formulated will depend on the purpose of
the technique. If you are using NGT as a needs assessment tool you may
want to ask the group: "What are the learning needs of the community with
regards to water conservation?" If you are using the process to identify
problems, you may want to ask a question such as "What changes have you
seen in your community that you feel are harming the environment?" or "What
are the causes of water pollution in your community?" When designing a
question, make sure that it is clear to all of the participants. You must design
the question prior to the NGT meeting or workshop.
Introducing the Technique
The facilitator's introduction should include a warm welcome to all of the
participants and communicate a sense of the importance of the work that is
about to be done. You should use this initial tine to make sure everyone gets
a chance to know each other and to try and create a warm, relaxing
atmosphere. • Emphasize to the participants that each person's input is
important and a method has been chosen that will help ensure that everyone
gets a chance to share her/his ideas for equal input. •You should explain why
you are using this technique and what you will do with the information you
learn. If, for example, you are using NGT as a needs assessment technique,
you can explain that information will be used to design a training programme.
If you are using NGT to examine, identify, and prioritize environmental issues,
you can explain the information will be used to help look for solutions to these
problems.

Silent Writing of Ideas

During this stage, pose the question to the participants and ask them to
silently generate a list of answers to the question. The standard way of
carrying out the NGT is to have silent writing for about 10 minutes. Usually it is
useful to write the question on a blackboard or piece of paper so people can
refer to it as they write. Sometimes facilitators write the question on a piece of
paper.
The standard way, however, of carrying out NGT is to have silent writing for
about 10 minutes. Usually it is useful to write the question on a blackboard or
piece of paper so people can refer to it as they write. Some facilitators write
the question on a piece of paper. Urge them to be as creative as possible and
list as many answers to the question as they can.
List the ideas for Everyone to See
• Put all the ideas up on a flip chart or blackboard. List every idea. Encourage
each person to tell exactly what they have written down. If they say that
someone has already given their idea, ask them to give it anyway. Very often
there are subtle differences in the ideas even though they maybe similar
thematically. These subtle differences can often be important, particularly
when the method is being used for issue or problem identification. The fact
that the list is written is important; it is more objective than spoken statements.
By putting them in writing, the participants feel that their ideas have been
validated. All ideas are to be given the same weight and importance this is
critical for ensuring group acceptance of the process.
This stage is a critical one for the facilitator and requires skill in synthesizing
thoughts and ideas into one coherent statement to be written on the board or
paper. The facilitator must be able to listen to each contribution and then
paraphrase it, if necessary, in a coherent fashion so that it can be
understood by all. During this step, the facilitator should record the ideas as
quickly as possible and use as many of the actual words of the participant as
possible. . If paraphrasing is necessary then the facilitator can ask the
participant whether changes of the wordings are acceptable. You can use
phrases as this, "Would it be all right to phrase it like this?" •During the listing
stage there is no discussion about the ideas, only listing. While listing, it is
useful to differentiate between the ideas by numbering them. If you have
asked the question about the causes on water pollution, you may have a list
that will look like this: e.g:
Chemicals from agricultural practices
Run-off from manure piles on farm
Household sewage going directly into the river
Cattle walking in the river
Silt from upland farms
Discussion of the Ideas
After all the ideas have been generated, then the facilitator can proceed with
the discussion of these inputs. The purpose of this step is just to clarify the
statements and ensure that everyone understands the ideas and not to have it
accepted/agreed by everyone. The facilitator should be firm about not allowing
conflict to develop. This means that the facilitator must focus the discussion
on the logic behind an idea and what it means, rather than an argument about
whether or not the idea is important.
Clustering and Consolidation of Ideas
Because the initial brainstorming may produce many ideas, it is now
necessary to consolidate these ideas into thematic areas without losing the
subtle difference between them.
In water pollution, for example, you may group the following ideas into:
Chemicals from agricultural practices B Run-off from manure piles on farm
Household sewage going directly into the river Cattle walking in the river Silt
from upland farms If you like, take these ideas and consolidate them: • Poor
agricultural practice (manure, chemical run-off, and livestockproblems) In
making your 'new' consolidated list, use the alphabet letter in identifying each
statement rather than numbers, to avoid confusion. Make sure that when you
consolidate items you do not lose any of the original ideas.
The consolidation will help people during the next voting phase. It is always
useful to keep the original list, if you can, so that you can refer back to it.
During this step, the facilitator can ask the group to look at the list of ideas and
try to group any of these ideas together. In the water conservation example,
you can help guide the group by calling out the numbers, assigned to the
statement such as, "Does anyone see anything that is linked to number 2?"
Your final consolidated list should not be much more than 15 items; each
statement should be assigned with a letter of the alphabet.
This consolidation phase is critical in dealing with environmental issues of the
tendency for so many of the ideas to overlap.
Voting on the Basis of Priority
Hand out index cards or small pieces of paper. Ask each person to select the
top five answers to the question that they consider the best and rank these
from most important to least important. In our water pollution example, you
may end up with a list that looks something like this:
Poor agricultural practices
Poor forestry practices
Industrial pollution
Household sewage
Bank and landclearing
Poor road and bridge construction
Poor fishing practices
Poor management of waste oil from garages
Garbagedumping
The participants would rank the above by simply numbering beside their
ranked numbers.
Discussing the Results
Once you have a prioritized list, you can begin many different types of
discussion which could last from 30 minutes to a whole day. You can continue
a workshop investigating solutions using a variety of other techniques.
b.2. Case Studies
Method Background
Case studies can be particularly useful in community/ environmental
education because you can develop a case study which is the most
appropriate for any local environmental issue or related social problems.)
Case studies are normally quite intricate, involving a detailed explanation of a
situation that should resemble something with which the participants are
familiar.
The purpose of the case study is to stimulate discussion about a problem and
look for solutions. A case study can also present different options for
participants to consider scenarios about what could happen. Case studies are
usually written or adapted by the facilitator.
Case studies can be used to:
• Illustrate the many different aspects of environmental and social conflicts
Illustrate different values and approaches to an environmental/community
problem
•Present different scenarios and options for solutions to problems Illustrate
different environmental problems from a historical, ecological, or social
perspective
•Create linkage between environment, economic, and social issues
•Stimulate discussion about environmental issues, problems, solutions, and
actions.
Materials, Equipment, and Space Requirements
Case studies can be done anywhere. Usually the case study is printed on a
paper so that the participants can read it and refer to it. However, the case
study could be presented in a more creative way, such as through drama,
storytelling, or song. The materials required will depend on how the case
study is used to discuss.
Method Process
Write or adapt the case study.
Like water pollution for example. We will look at various steps involved in
writing or adapting a case study.
First, you must collect as many pertinent facts about the situation as possible.
In the example of a case study about water, you will need to have information
on the body of water itself (size, flowage, some of its history) as well as the
human (social, economic, ecological ) impacts. The case study can be
fantastical or realistic. It can be presented in the past, present, or future tense.
The case study should end with a series of questions for the participants to
consider in group discussion. If you are adapting the case study, make sure
that the examples are culturally and socially acceptable. A good case study
for use in environmental education: • Reader must be interested in the topic •
Uses language that is readily understandable • Uses realistic examples that
the participants can identify with • Present many different viewpoints and
ideas • Presents ecological, economic and social perspectives •Provides
readers with basic and important information about the topic • Use humor and
creativity to make case study interesting • Presents thought-provoking
questions

How the case study is written will largely depend on your overall objectives?
Generally, case studies are no more than 1-2 pages in length.
ii Test the case study
Once you have written or adapted your case study you should "test" it by
showing it to colleagues or experts. These "testers" should give their opinions
on what other information should be included and tell you how well you have
met the requirements of a "good" case study. Testing a case study before it is
used usually means that you can produce a final case that is more stimulating
and accurate.
iii. Use the case study in a workshop or another setting.
Usually a case study is used as part of a workshop programme. It is given to
individuals to read either independently or in small groups. There are two
common ways of using the case study:
• The participants read the case study and participate in a plenary discussion
moderated by the facilitator.
• The participants read the case in a small group then records their
discussion in some way to bring back to the plenary session, the different
groups compare and discuss their comments and observations.
b.3. Role-Playing
Method Background
Role-playing can be an effective technique for helping people to understand
the complexity of community/environmental issues and for participatory action.
Role-plays work best when the learners act out roles that are different from
the ones they normally play within a society. During the role- play, a problem
may be given which the players need to solve. Keep in mind that problem-
solving exercises not only increase knowledge, commitment, and
understanding about environment, but also enhance critical thinking skills.
Role-plays, like case studies, are usually designed by the facilitator or
adapted from existing materials. Keep in mind the general rules of social and
cultural applicability when adapting any material. There are two kinds of role-
play activities that can be used in environmental education activities:
a) Structured b) Unstructured
In structured role-plays, the facilitator controls the basic scenario, script and
roles. You may also choose to do unstructured role-plays where the
participants themselves invent the roles and scenarios as they go along.
Usage Examples Role-plays can be used effectively to: • Help participants to
understand the environmental values and views of other members of their
community; Illustrate the different roles of community members and the
impact they have on the environment; Illustrate potential areas of conflict in
environmental decision making and education; Help participants build skill,
consensus building and conflict resolution; • Give the participants an
opportunity to practice various new roles and new behaviors related to the
environment; Inject a tone of reality into learning environment.
Materials, Equipment, and Space Requirements
You will need an indoor or outdoor space that allows everyone to see and
hear the role-play as it is acted out.
Method Process
Creating the Role Play - The role-play is written or created on a very similar
fashion as the creation of a case study. When you first begin writing the role-
play, you should determine your goals and what skills you want the
participants to practice. Design your roles and story to focus on giving the
participants an opportunity to practice these skills or behaviors. Next, you
must decide the basic story, the number of players, and the types of roles they
will play. Sketch scenarios for each role that you are developing. Keep the
roles and scenes as realistic as possible.
An example of a useful role play around water issues might be a role-play of a
public meeting to decide how water will be allocated in the community. You
should develop roles for farmers, home owners, business people, government
experts, scientist, local leaders, and anyone else who might be interested in
the decision that is going to take place at the meeting. You should describe
what meeting is hoping to accomplish and give guidelines for each role. For
example, you might tell the person playing the mayor of the community that
he/she is in favor of more irrigation and wants to take some action to do this.
The role of environmental activist might illustrate the exact opposite position.
However, do not directly write scripts for the players. The fun of the role-play
is the way that different people interpret the roles. Role-plays can involve as
few as 2 participants, but usually in role-plays related to the environmental
issues, you will involve many more people. Sometimes in role-play situation,
you may want to give the people different instructions and information.
For example, in the water management situation the information for the mayor
might contain information about a new federal strategy for water irrigation that
the environmental activist does not have a scientific output outlining the
dangers of too much irrigation that the mayor has now seen. By giving people
different sets of information, you are mimicking real-life situations in
environmental decision-making and management.
Usually there is a decision to be made about the environment, there are many
values to be taken into consideration and these often lead to conflict.
Typically, when people approach a conflict they do not always reveal all of the
information that they have available to them.
Facilitating the Role Play - During this step, it is important for the facilitator to
encourage activity and have a sense of fun. Very often, assigning a role that is
directly opposite to the participants' normal behavior provides the learner with
many new insights. For example, in the public meeting role play, you may
want to assign a government official to play the role of an environment activist
and vice versa. This often can provide everyone with insights into how these
roles are viewed by others in society.
At this time, you have to use your skills as a facilitator to make sure that
everyone feels comfortable participating. Try to find a role for these individuals
that is non-threatening. You can involve the whole group or have some
members of the groups act as observers or writing down comments in
response to questions you have pre-structured.
Discussing the Role Play- The way you structure your discussion will depend
on your desired outcome and whether or not you have engaged in a
structured or unstructured role play. Like the Case Study approach,
discussion can take place in plenary sessions or small groups. Part of the
discussion which should take place is how participants felt while playing the
role.

Summary

Choosing the right methods for community participation in

programming and action is crucial for effective program design. A
comprehensive needs assessment helps in continuous improvement.
Various adult education activities and processes can be adapted to fit
community/environmental education situations. Some methods are
selected for various environmental programs, require few materials, and
can be combined with other methods. Seek other adult education
literature for more adaptable methods.
Nominal Group Technique (NGT) is a method used to identify
problems, establish priorities, and explore solutions. It is a single-
purpose technique that can be used for problem identification, solution
exploration, and priority setting. It can be used to identify organizational
and individual needs, examine goals, allocate resources, determine
training requirements, prioritize environmental issues, and achieve
consensus.
NGT is a group technique that requires a suitable space for discussion,
possibly with U or round-shaped chairs. Materials needed include a flip
chart, tapes or pins, paper, markers, and pens for participants, and small
pieces of paper or index cards for voting.
The NGT process involves designing a question to assess community
needs and identify problems. For needs assessment, ask about water
conservation needs, while for problem identification, ask about
environmental changes or water pollution causes. Ensure the question is
clear to all participants and design it before the meeting or workshop.
The facilitator should introduce the technique by welcoming participants
and emphasizing the importance of equal input. They should explain the
purpose of the technique and its use, such as designing a training
program or examining environmental issues.
The information gained will be used to identify solutions and create a
relaxing atmosphere. This ensures everyone has a chance to contribute.
The NGT involves participants silently writing a list of answers to a
question, usually for 10 minutes. This process can be done on a
blackboard or paper, with facilitators also writing on paper. The goal is
to encourage creativity and list as many answers as possible, ensuring a
comprehensive understanding of the topic.
To facilitate an idea-sharing process, it is essential to list all ideas on a
flip chart or blackboard, encouraging everyone to write down their
thoughts. This helps to validate and give all ideas equal weight and
importance. The facilitator must synthesize thoughts into a coherent
statement, listen to each contribution, and paraphrase it if necessary.
Record ideas quickly and use as many participant words as possible to
ensure group acceptance and understanding of the process.
The facilitator can ask participants for acceptable wording changes
during the listing stage, which involves listing ideas without discussion.
Differentiating between ideas by numbering them can help differentiate
between them, such as chemical emissions from agricultural practices,
run-off from farm manure, household sewage, cattle, and silt.
The facilitator should clarify ideas after generating them, ensuring
everyone understands them without consensus. Focusing on the logic
behind an idea, rather than argument, prevents conflict and ensures
everyone understands the input without causing disagreement.
Consolidating and clustering ideas is crucial for addressing
environmental issues. In a brainstorming session, group ideas into
thematic areas without losing their subtle differences. For example, in
water pollution, group ideas into chemicals from agricultural practices,
run-off from manure piles, household sewage, cattle walking in rivers,
and silt from upland farms. Use alphabet letters to identify each
statement, avoiding confusion.
Keep the original list for reference and guide the group in grouping
ideas. A final consolidated list should not exceed 15 items.
Vote on the top five answers to water pollution, including agricultural,
forestry, industrial, household sewage, bank and landclearing, road and
bridge construction, poor fishing practices, poor waste oil management,
and garbage dumping, ranking them from most important to least
important.
Using a prioritized list, initiate various discussion types lasting 30
minutes to a day, and continue a workshop by investigating solutions
using various techniques.
Case studies are useful in community/environmental education as they
provide detailed explanations of local environmental issues or social
problems. They stimulate discussion, search for solutions, and present
various scenarios. The facilitator usually writes or adapts case studies.
Case studies illustrate various environmental and social conflicts, values,
approaches, scenarios, solutions, historical, ecological, and social
perspectives, create linkages, and stimulate discussion on environmental
issues, problems, and actions.
Case studies can be conducted anywhere, either printed on paper or
presented creatively through drama, storytelling, or song, with the
required materials depending on the discussion method.
The process of writing or adapting a case study involves collecting
relevant facts about the situation, such as water pollution, and presenting
it in various tenses. The case study should end with questions for group
discussion and ensure cultural and social acceptance when adapting it.

A successful case study for environmental education should be

engaging, use easily understandable language, provide realistic
examples, present various perspectives, provide basic information, use
humor and creativity, and present thought-provoking questions.The
length depends on the objectives.
Test the case study by showing it to colleagues or experts to ensure it
meets the requirements of a good case study. This will produce a more
stimulating and accurate final case. Use the case study in a workshop or
other setting, either by reading independently or in small groups, or by
recording discussions and comparing them to bring back to the plenary
session.
Role-playing is a technique that aids in understanding community and
environmental issues by allowing learners to act out different roles. It
enhances knowledge, commitment, and critical thinking skills. Role-
plays can be structured or unstructured, depending on social and cultural
applicability. They can be designed by the facilitator or adapted from
existing materials.
Structured role-plays involve a facilitator controlling scenarios and roles,
while unstructured ones allow participants to invent roles. They help
understand community values, illustrate roles and impact, identify
conflict areas, build skills, practice new behaviors, and inject a realistic
tone into learning environments.
The role-play is a method similar to creating a case study. It involves
determining goals, skills, roles, and story to practice. The basic story,
number of players, and roles are then decided. Sketch scenarios for each
role, keeping them realistic. For example, a role-play around water
issues could involve a public meeting to decide water allocation.
Different roles, such as farmers, homeowners, businesspeople,
government experts, and environmental activists, can be interpreted
differently. Role-plays can involve as few as two participants, but often
involve more people. Different instructions and information can be
given to mimic real-life situations in environmental decision-making and
management. Conflicts often arise when people don't disclose all
available information.
Facilitating role plays involves encouraging activity and fun, often
assigning roles that are opposite to participants' normal behavior. This
can provide new insights into societal views. Using facilitation skills,
ensure everyone feels comfortable participating and find non-threatening
roles. Discussions can be structured in plenary sessions or small groups,
focusing on participants' feelings while playing the role. The goal is to
provide new insights and understanding.