Checklists

Contents

• Before the first group meeting
• At the first group meeting
• Before every group meeting
• At group meetings
• After completing the chapters

Before the first group meeting

• Identify needs for training at your institution.
• Decide which need is the most urgent (you can get input from other staff members here).
• Choose an appropriate Bettercare course.
• Draw up a training budget.
• Get stakeholder buy-in.
• Advertise the course.
• Hold a preliminary information session about the Bettercare course you will run.
• Sign up group members (about 5–10) and get their contact details.
• Organise how you will read the books (online for free or order print versions).
• Contact everyone to say when and where the first official meeting will be held.
• Start a ‘Facilitator’s File’ (a flip-file is an easy and neat option) where you keep copies of templates, notes and important documents.

At the first group meeting

• Let group members introduce themselves.
• Introduce and discuss what decentralised learning means.
• Make group rules that everyone agrees with.
• Establish goals that everyone shares.
• Explain how the learning programme works.
• Explain your role in the group (not a teacher, but a facilitator).
• Decide how, when and where future group meetings will happen.
• Decide if you will write the exam at the end of the course (you can change your mind).
• Choose a treasurer (who will monitor the budget and finances).

Before every group meeting

• All group members must read the relevant chapter.
• Create the lesson plan (see Chapter 4: How to run a Bettercare group).
• Make sure you have all the resources you need for the meeting.
• Organise someone to demonstrate the skill if needed.
• Send out a reminder SMS to all group members of session venue and time.

At group meetings

• Discuss difficult sections of the chapter you have all studied the previous week.
• Go through the chapter case studies.
• Have a demonstration and discussion of the relevant skill.
• Everyone does the post-quiz for the chapter you have studied and discussed.
• Everyone marks and records the pre- and post-quizzes.
• Everyone completes the pre-quiz for the next chapter.

After completing the chapters

• Decide who will write the exam (including yourself).
• Contact Bettercare to request the exam paper.
• If you will be writing the exam, organise an exam invigilator.
• Write the one-hour, 75-question exam.
• Notify Bettercare of the participants’ results.
• Receive certificates.
• If 80% of your group are successful in the exam, you will receive a facilitator’s certificate.
• Arrange a certificate handover ceremony if possible.