0.2 Part two: special topics  (Page 39/39)

Effective evaluations

Evaluation measures for CTLCs allow leaders to improve services and seek funding. It is quite important, therefore, thatleaders take these measures seriously.

It is not enough to count the number of participants in a workshop or a class offered for a discount rate. It is the learning that needsto be measured. So, evaluation measures need to be BOTH qualitative (anecdotes, impressions) and quantitative (hard numbers). The twoconstitute a credible evaluation process.

There are several evaluation measurement rubrics available. They need to work closely with your context, your community,your culture.

Suggested Reading:

Teachers Without Borders' research team strongly suggests that NGOs or other civil society groups adapt a suitableevaluation design to their existing needs and to take seriously the elements of such a design in their own training materials. We recommendhighly the frameworks established by ALNAP - The Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance in Humanitarian Action ALNAP is aninternational, inter-agency forum working to improve learning, accountability, and quality across the humanitarian sector. Read more here .

Resources

There are several ways in which Teachers Without Borders CTLCs can spawn businesses. Some were already discussed in the"Sustainability" section. Here are some websites to generate more ideas:

Online Resources:

World Corps

This organization focuses on issues of sustainability in developing nations by empowering and training youngadults worldwide to become effective business entrepreneurs, community leaders, and global citizens.

Digital Partners

Digital Partners taps the power of the digital economy to develop market-based solutions that benefit the world's poor. Pleasemake certain you read about their case studies , which are enlightening models of what can occur in your own community.

E-commerce for Arts and Crafts

Locally made products, including handicrafts and traditional foods, are sold nationwide and around the world throughe-commerce. Sri Lanka and Kuala Lumpur are poised to follow Thailand's lead.

Assignment 2: reflective reading

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Assignment 2: Reflective Reading

• Write Focused Freewrites for any 2 different resources given on the previous pages. (The length of each Focused Freewrite is 2-3 paragraphs.)
  A Focused Freewrite is when you use a phrase or sentence from something you've read as a trigger for free-formwriting; that is, you write any thoughts, questions, or stories that come to mind as it relates to the trigger phrase or sentence.Sometimes you'll stick to the trigger topic and sometimes your mind will wander into seemingly unrelated places. Give yourselfpermission to move between "wandering" and coming back to writing about the topic.
• Please be sure to write the trigger phrase or sentence at the top of each Focused Freewrite in quotation marks and give the title of thearticle or source.

Assignment 3: connecting learning to a need

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Assignment 3: Assessing Your Community

From the reading, your own knowledge, and possibly interviewing others in your local community, please answer the followingquestions:

• What excites you or intrigues you about starting and sustaining a Teachers Without Borders CTLC?
• Describe three or four of the most important ingredients for creating and sustaining a CTLC? Why?
• In the setting in which you find yourself, what is your greatest challenge as it relates to starting and sustaining a CTLC?
• What are the best practices in your country regarding teaching and learning centers? (You might want to include the contributions ofindigenous or community-based cultures or other non-formal structures that may not get the attention they deserve.)
• List 3 things you can do to start and sustain a CTLC in your community. What resources do you have? What resources do you need?
• What thoughts come to mind as it relates to a possible project regarding CTLCs? (2-3 paragraphs)
• Send your work to your learning circle. Share feedback from your cohort. What new ideas are sparked for you in talking to your cohort?Describe them here.

When you're done with this assignment and your mentor says you're "Ready," continue onto Part Three of this course: Designing andImplementing Your Service Project.