ACTIVE REVIEWING TIPS
for Dynamic Experiential Learning

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Active Reviewing Tips 1.2   Resources for Reviewing From the editor: Summer Special ~ Holiday Reading Shorts: 'In The Style Of ...' / 'Widen Your Search' Feature: Resources for Reviewing Site News: The latest additions [links updated Dec 1999]

Active Reviewing Tips is the free monthly ezine associated with Roger Greenaway's web-based 'Guide To Active Reviewing and Debriefing'   From the  editor   S U M M E R . S P E C I A L ~ H O L I D A Y . R E A D I N G . I know when it's summer in Scotland it isn't summer everywhere else in the world, but that's what I'm thinking about just now. It's traditionally a time for buying or borrowing books before going away on holiday. . I usually take one book that's something to do with the holiday. It might be a practical book: a guidebook for a climbing holiday, a navigation book for a sailing holiday, a phrasebook for a holiday abroad etc. Or it might be an inspirational book about the history or the people: Orcadian myths, Celtic history, the Battle of Glencoe. . I will also take a story book to get lost in a totally different world. And I will take a 'heavy' book to stimulate new thoughts and ideas. . I will then bring most of them back home unread because there's just too much to do on our family holidays these days!! Is there a 'metaphor' here trying to get out? Let's try: . Good books can enhance holidays. Good reviewing can enhance experiences. . The different kinds of books mentioned above could represent different kinds of reviewing style. . The PRACTICAL (guide/navigation/phrase)-book might represent a matter-of-fact reviewing style. . The INSPIRATIONAL/HISTORICAL books might represent reviewing styles that encourage people to open up more about themselves - so that current experiences are viewed from deeper/wider perspectives. . The STORY book and the 'HEAVY' book might represent reviews that are a journey into the unkown, reviews that awaken curiosity and lead off in any direction, and perhaps long into the night. . The UNREAD BOOKS could either represent missed opportunities or perfect judgement. So remember to take a holiday from reviewing now and again - as well as to vary your style! CONTENTS (TOP)   Shorts I N . T H E . S T Y L E . O F . . . . Let learners vary their 'style' too. Ask them to re-enact events in the styles of different films or TV programmes. For ideas about styles to use in Action Replays refer to the online Guide to Active Reviewing. Look up 'Tools for Change' or try out the new 'Site Search Engine' with the words 'Action Replay'. . _____________________ . W I D E N . Y O U R . S E A R C H ! . You don't need to be an art therapist to ask someone to draw a picture - so why not to refer to 'Art Therapy for Groups' and discover many more ideas (simple or advanced) which can be used for reviewing. Similarly, you don't need to be trained in yoga to ask someone to lie down and think; you don't need a psychology degree to organise a game; you don't need a training qualification to set up a problem-solving task. (adapted from 'Playback: A Guide to Reviewing Activities') CONTENTS (TOP)   Feature R E S O U R C E S . F O R . R E V I E W I N G The feature article (below) is based on the resources chapter in 'Playback: A Guide to Reviewing Activities'. If you want more specific references to the resources mentioned, please send a brief email request. If there is enough interest I will include some full references in the next issue of this ezine. But there's no need to head off to your library. This article may suggest or remind you of new keywords for searching the internet for reviewing ideas and inspiration - using http://www.search.com or your favourite search engine. To help you on your way I have also listed some links for you to explore - some new ones in the 'Guide to Active Reviewing', plus organised links to many related and useful sites! .   I learned to review in 4 ways: 1. FROM OTHER PEOPLE: by observation, co-working, and word of mouth. 2. BY DEVELOPING NEW METHODS: from the need to do so after discovering the limitations of group discussion as a reviewing technique. 3. BY ASKING FOR FEEDBACK: from co-reviewers and from learners (if they needed prompting!). 4. BY ADAPTING IDEAS from other subject areas. . As I knew of no handbook of reviewing techniques (at the time), I had little choice but to use the above strategies. It also happened to be an enjoyable way of learning! . 'Learning from others', 'learning from experience', and 'learning from books' are three ways of developing reviewing skills. . Depending on how you look at it, there are either very few books about reviewing methods or there is an unending list. My short list of practical books about reviewing includes: 'Creative Reviewing', 'Processing the Experience' and 'Effective Debriefing'. . This variety of terms ('reviewing', 'processing', and debriefing', not to mention 'reflection') illustrates a major problem in this area of work: reviewers (whether 'counsellors', 'facilitators', 'HRD staff', 'instructors', 'leaders', 'teachers', 'therapists', 'trainers', 'tutors', 'social workers' or 'youth workers') do not all talk the same language about reviewing! . You can turn this 'language problem' can to advantage if you are prepared to stray a little from your 'home' field - given the interdisciplinary nature of reviewing, and the possibility of adapting ideas from other fields. . Other fields might include: adventure education, appreciative inquiry, art therapy, developmental counselling, drama therapy, environmental education, developmental groupwork, management development, personal and social education, youth work, social work, HRD ... (Please suggest additions to this list.) CONTENTS (TOP)   Site News NEW PAGES and FEATURES New navigational features have been added to this 100 page site. # Two 8-page tours provide a guided introduction to the site, from the index page: http://reviewing.co.uk  # The Site Search Engine will help you explore the site 'alone': http://reviewing.co.uk # Search Help has tips and links for searching the web - especially for training and education topics: http://reviewing.co.uk/search.htm # Links to Learning now includes many links to supersites or mini-directories of facilitation, education and training sites. http://reviewing.co.uk/_links.htm # UK Facilitators (especially) should visit the pages hosted for If you have 'outdoor' interests you may want to visit - # the new Outdoor Adventure Education Noticeboard: http://reviewing.co.uk/outdoor/notices.htm # the new Outdoor Management Development Index http://reviewing.co.uk/outdoor/omdindex.htm # a series of three articles for downloading http://reviewing.co.uk/articles/index.htm # Researchers will now find bibliographies and a whole thesis on 'Powerful Learning Experiences': http://reviewing.co.uk/research/resindex.htm   .