Effective learning requires that learners be involved in the process.

This requires that the

facilitator makes effective use of teaching and learning methods that are learner-centred

methods. These methods, also known as the participatory methods, gives the learner an

opportunity to be more involved in the learning process. Participatory methods put the learners at

the centre of all the learning that will be taking place in the class. During teaching practice, the

writer made use of participatory methods in teaching Health and Life Skills (HLS). Therefore,

this paper is going to explore methods that were used such as the class discussion, role play,

debate and field trips. It is going to highlight how these methods were used to effectively teach

the learning, and why the writer chose them. Key terms, participatory methods and health and

life skills are going to be defined.

Participatory methods have been defined by Gravoso, Pasa, Labra and Mori (2018) as teaching

approaches that involve an active learning style and the integration of learning programs

according to the learner's own learning rhythm. In concurrence, Collins and O’Brien (2018)

describe participatory methods as strategies through which the facilitator ensures that learning

remains in the exploratory world of young learners, allowing for the child to develop skills at his

or her own pace. Therefore, one can simply say that participatory methods are strategies that

teachers use whereby they provide learners with opportunities to learn independently and from

one another and coaches them in the skills they need to do so effectively.

According to Hillside (2022), The Health and Life Skills Education is a compulsory subject

which aims to provide accurate, comprehensive and up to date information on health and

contemporary issues through awareness campaigns, dialogues and workshops. Alberta (2021)

says Health and Life Skills students acquire knowledge and develop skills, attitudes and habits

that contribute to their physical and mental well-being. Therefore, it can be simply said that

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Health and Life Skills is a learning area in the primary school syllabus that equip learners with

the abilities to deal with issues of their wellbeing and day to day life challenges.

One participatory method that was used in the teaching and learning of HLS by the writer during

teaching practice was the discussion method. As noted by Ormrod (2016) the discussion

approach enables open communication among the learners as well as between facilitators and

learners. Marrs and Novak (2014) explain that it involves free flowing conversation, giving

learners an opportunity to express their opinions and ideas, hear those of their peers and the

facilitator. This is very necessary in HLS since the topics are designed in such a way that

requires open class discussion. If properly planned and structured, the discussion method

involves learners in higher order cognitive skills such as analysis, synthesis and evaluation.

In the case of the writer, when teaching HLS, the discussion method was used when checking

what had been learnt, for example, from a field trip or when a resource person recently visited to

talk about balanced diet, as suggested by Preszler (2019). It was also used when exploring the

opinions, knowledge and experiences of learners, for example, their opinions on Ubuntu/Unhu.

The writer would structure the discussion by means of a series of questions, and clarify the terms

which may help learners understand the topic under discussion. Learners were encouraged to

speak one learner at a time. The writer also made sure that the discussion stayed in line with the

objectives of the lesson. Main points of the discussion would be written down on the chalkboard.

Another participatory method that the writer made use of in teaching HLS during teaching

practice was the role play approach. In role play, learners use their own experience and creativity

to imitate a real-life situation. (Mzumari, 2013) Learners act out what they would say or do in a

given situation. The acting can last 5 to 10 minutes. Other learners watch and listen carefully.

After the role play, they discuss the performance. For example, they can role play about

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Ubuntu/Hunhu. When done well, role play increases learners self-confidence, gives them the

opportunity to understand or feel empathy for other people’s view-points or roles. (Mtunda and

Safulli, 2017) It also usually encourages them to come up with practical answers, solutions or

guidelines on various issues. The situation is then discussed. Learners may raise and discuss

questions.

In using role play in teaching and learning of HLS, the writer would give a description of the role

and the situation briefly to the entire class. Instead of asking for volunteers or appoint learners to

act out the role play, the facilitator would ask the learners to choose among themselves. The

actors would be given a few minutes to prepare and, then allowed to act out the play within 5 to

10 minutes. After the role play, the class would discuss the performance and the content form the

play. The writer would then de-role the learners afterwards. This means that the facilitator had to

briefly explain that the roles and names the acting learners took in the role play are not part of

the learners’ real life.

In addition to the above, the debate approach was another participatory method that the writer

used in the teaching and learning of HLS. According to Collins and O’Brien (2018), in a debate

set-up, one team argues for the agreeing side of the issue whereas the other team argues for the

opposing side. The writer allowed the teams to spend some time brainstorming their arguments

before the debate. They would then elect two or three speakers to represent their team in the

debate. The writer also made sure that there was be a chairperson to conduct the debate, who

would introduce the speakers and make sure order is kept. One example of a topic that learners

were asked to debate on was “Children of today should respect elders using traditional ways.”

The writer found that debate was an effective way of making learners participate during the

lessons. It helped the learners improve their speaking skills, especially in front of a public.

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Debate also helped to bring out points of a certain topic that learners may not have thought

about. (Wafta and Audi, 2015) In addition, debate helps learners see that for every topic or issue,

there is another side of the story. Debates are fun, and they keep the learners excited and

fascinated with the learning taking place during that time.

Moreover, the writer found field trips were also another effective participatory method used in

successfully teaching HLS. Buckle and Caple (2014) assert that field trips are lessons conducted

outside the classroom with the aim of giving learners first-hand information and experiences on

subject matter under discussions. In addition, Gravoso, et al, (2018) are of the opinion that the

trip is part of on-going study and the writer would prepare in advance activities for learners to do

at the site where they are going. Learners are given the chance to relate classroom work to their

everyday life. For example, under the topic Identity, the writer took the class to various Heritage

sites, such Matopo Hills and Great Zimbabwe.

The writer favoured the use of field trips as a participatory method due to a variety of reasons.

Through field trips, learners gain knowledge, skills, and attitudes by observing, using all their

senses. (Larson, 2020) Field trip allows learners an opportunity to relate classroom ideas to the

real word. For example, being at the Matopo Hills or , opens their eyes to what they will have

tangible knowledge on what they learnt in class. It also provides learners with an opportunity to

know a variety of learning styles and thus helps them learn more effectively.

The paper has shown that through the use of participatory methods, the teaching and learning of

HLS becomes more interesting and effective. These include the Devil’s advocate, case study,

debate and field trips. These methods are beneficial to the learners because they help them to be

at the centre of the learning process, they control what they learn and they are in charge of the

material to be covered in a lesson. These methods are used to start discussions, to allow learners

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to express themselves more freely, and to help them understand the content that they will be

learning.

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