Evaluation of session 6 of Moving Forward with confidence

Today was the final session of the self-esteem course designed for **** College (please note for ethical reasons I have removed the name of the college) and I have to say many seemed very relieved. General comments after the class were that they didn't really find it particularly useful. Their comments also seemed to denote that they found the group discussions with myself more useful than the actual use of the CD, which many seemed to find uncomfortable. They actually said they would rather discuss ways to relax, stay safe, eat healthily in tutorial than listen to the CD and carryout the relaxation exercises. I think the results were very interesting as it was completely opposite to how I had expected it. I thought that the group would respond well to the short course and would create an avalanche of holistic ideas for boasting confidence. Instead I was quite disappointed and found the College's healthy eating tutorial activity seemed to engage the group much more.

I would however say that I would like to try this out on another group and see if they respond differently. I think the results could be varied with younger learners and possibly a different location. The classroom used was a good choice as it was in a quiet location at basement level, without windows. But could have benefited from dimmed light and more comfortable chairs.

Also the group have been together for four terms so they are quite familiar with each other and are good friends. Again I think the results would be very different if they didn't know each other and their teacher (myself) quite so well.

Today’s session just concluded the course and asked students to celebrate what they had achieved. I asked students to write 2 sentences;

What I've achieved is...

What I'm going to succeed with now is...

It’s hard to evaluate really whether or not the students benefited with the short course or not, however next weeks interviews should at least portray a snap shot of their interpretations.

Evaluation of session 5 of Moving Forward with confidence

Wednesday's session was extremely productive and as you can see (in the picture) we used a mind map to get some ideas as to how we can find ways to relax and then focused on looking after yourself by listening to Patricia Cleghorns CD.

General feedback from the group seems to denote that most students rarely have time at home to relax. Many have children and responsibilities in the home. Some younger students have part-time jobs and two have both children and other employment.

Again the students seemed to enjoy the relaxation exercises and one commented that she was looking forward to listening to the CD again next week. However, many other students seem disengaged and one asked how long the track was on the CD, suggesting that she hoped it would be over soon! It will be interesting to see how the interviews vary in a fortnights time.