Training course for operation and maintenance of sewerage systems (PARTⅡ）
Jan. 2020
Hajime SUETA‚ Course Leader
Participants with Course leader and coordinator (At the JICA Kyushu Center Entrance)
As a matter of course‚ there is difference in the knowledge of sewerage among those participants and‚ for such reason‚ in the degree of understanding the contents of training.
To level such difference‚ it is necessary that the contents studied in a week are reviewed and that the participants who understood the contents teach the participants who did not understood well through the review work in order to raise the understanding level of all participants.
For this purpose‚ participants have a three-hour supplementary study called “Time to review” every week.
① Personal learning
This method was adopted by the course leader and the coordinator at that time in order to have participants review and discuss the contents of training in the past one week individually or by group and make a presentation of the result.
The purpose of this process is to improve the participants’ degree of understanding by reviewing the contents of training by themselves as well as through discussion with other participants.
More detailed explanation about the method of running the “Time to review” is as follows.
The “Time to review” is composed of four stages: ① a participant solves‚ by himself/herself‚ the questions made by the course leader‚ ② answers of the participant is discussed by group‚ ③ the group representative announces answers as those of the group‚ and the answers are discussed with other groups‚ and ④ the course leader sums up the contents of the discussion.
② Group learning
The course leader picks up about 10 topics which seem to be important from the contents of training in a week and makes them into questions. For example: “What is the purpose of sewerage system improvement in your country?”‚ “Explain the purpose and mechanism of anaerobic-anoxic-aerobic process (A2O process).”‚ “〇〇 Sewage Treatment Plant is provided with energy-saving facilities. What are those facilities?” Each participant solves those questions‚ referring to textbooks.
Details of ②
A group is divided into two teams and‚ after a presentation of each participant’s answers‚ discussion about and correction of the answers‚ and other coordination‚ the group sums up answers as those of the group. In this stage‚ participants make a discussion in a relaxed atmosphere such as eating snacks.
Details of ③
The group representative (to be changed every time) announces the answers of the group and asks other groups for comments.
Details of ④
Comment time: The course leader announces right answers‚ gives comments‚ etc.‚ holds a Q & A session‚ and closes the meeting.
③ Group representative announcement
What I really feel is that many of the participants forget the contents of training in one week.
To solve a question‚ they look up the answer in the textbook but cannot find it easily‚ spending much time.
As a result‚ ④ Comment time is often omitted. However‚ seeing and hearing‚ with my own eyes and ears‚ such scenes as saying “That’s written here.” or “Is this description nearer the answer‚ is it?”‚ I also think that the group discussion itself is very important.
Fortunately‚ the “Time to review” has a good reputation among participants.
I would continue to prepare better methods to have participants gain the contents of training for themselves.
