Digital skills – CLAVIS

Methodology:

    1. The sessions consisted of a combination of parts: a teacher presentation, class discussions and exercises. The teacher presentation would begin the sessions, with the teacher giving the participants an overview of the topics that they were planning to go through that day. Every time the class started working on a new module, the teacher would also present the learning goals to the participants. This way, the participants would know how to direct their attention and what the information would be used to achieve.
    2. The presentations were made to be low on text, higher on visual components. This took some adjustment of the original slides. As the participants also had limited Danish skills, slides with pictures with labels were used to practice vocabulary while providing a visual aide.
    3. Links, videos and infographics were used to provide the basis for class discussions. These discussions would be prompted by the teacher asking a general question, such as: How often do you need digital skills? What apps do you have? How to apply job online? The purposes of these discussions were:
      • To let the participants get more comfortable with the Danish vocabulary surrounding the topics, and more comfortable speaking a language that they weren’t completely comfortable with generally,
      • To activate the participants and make the classroom situation feel more engaging. This also promotes the sociality of the group, allowing the participants to build relationships with each other and to feel more comfortable in the space,
      • To help participants internalise the ideas that they are introduced to in the presentation, the infographics and the videos. This also let them reflect on how these may apply to their own lives.

Individual work such as writing job application guided 1:1 by teacher (and jobcoach/co-teacher from the Municipality)During the module the participants did 10 minutes exercises each session, guided by the teacher and YouTube. These exercises were good for this group of participants, as many of them were dealing with challenges related to injuries or illness. In the classes at CLAVIS we used these two videos as inspiration: Standing break exercises and chair gymnastics

Examples of implementation:

The learning goals for the module of digital skills were presented at the beginning of the module. The learning goals were:

  • The benefits of having digital skills
  • When are digital skills necessary?
  • Jobhunting online
  • Google apps such as Drive, Sheets and Templates
  • Social media – pros and cons
  • How to spot Fake News

The module opened with a conversation on how the participant use their phones and for what – which apps did they have, what did they use them for, tips on practical apps? This led to a conversation on the pros and cons of social media – on the one hand, social media allows us to be connected with friends and family far away, to easily plan and find interesting events, and to know what our loved ones are getting up to. On the other hand, it may cause us to become addicted, give us fear of missing out, be a time sink and replace real life social interaction. These conversations were relatable to the participants and allowed them to consider how their social media habits might be good or bad for them.

The class looked at real job postings online, for jobs that would be similar to the kinds of jobs that they themselves might want to apply for. Participants were supported 1:1 to write their own job application. They were given the opportunity to use the computers at the school – many of them were completely unfamiliar with computers, having only used phones, and did not know how to use a keyboard. This caused the pacing to turn dramatically slower and required the assistance of additional staff to help the participants navigate using a computer. E.g. some participants didn’t even know the “space-button” and how to write numbers (e.g. age).

The participants are downloading Google Drive on their phones. Among other things, to learn how to keep track of their digital documents such as Resume and Job applications.

The library association in Denmark (Biblioteksforeningen) and DR (Danish Broadcasting Corporation) has produced videos about how to spot Fake news: How to spot Fake news? And Did you know this about Fake News?. The video and afterwards, the discussion in class, pointed out, among other things, the importance of checking the source. also produced a video

Feedback from participant(s) or trainer:

The participants:

  • Some has pros and cons. It is good to know how to keep in touch with family and friends.
  • It is very important to know how to use the digital inbox that the municipality, the state, my employer, and my doctor uses to contact and inform me. It is also important to know how to use email.
  • I have become aware that I am spending a lot of time on my phone.

The teacher:

  • Most participants have previously made a flawless application. However, there is a discrepancy between what they have written, what they are able formulate linguistically and what they actually can offer in terms of jobs
  • It is time consuming when the women must write themselves
  • The women have a critical eye on all the platforms they use
  • The target group is unfamiliar with Danish and the materials cannot be very heavy on text, but pictures and videos.