PHM's purpose in presenting IPHU courses is about movement building (see PHM's 'Building a movement for health'). Capacity building, teaching and learning, is quite central to movement building and such objectives around teaching and learning are central to IPHU planning.
However, the IPHU experience goes way beyond simply individual learning. Other contributions which IPHU makes to movement building include:
- contributing to developing PHM's culture, new insights which are shared, values lived and shared, founts of inspiration shared; new sources of resilience;
- strengthening the network of relationships which constitute the movement; friendships and collaborations; including across and beyond PHM; across and beyond boundaries;
- reflection on strategy and experience; renewal and reinvigoration of local, national and regional strategy; renewal and reinvigoration of thematic networks and strategies.
The learning function points to objectives cast in terms of knowledge areas such as:
- the political economy of neoliberal globalised capitalism;
- health system strengthening debates and where PHC and UHC fit within these debates;
- the social determination of health.
and skills such as:
- working in groups;
- working across difference;
- research and questioning;
- organising.
Cultural objectives include:
- values and attitudes and relationships.
- inspiration! - another world is possible;
- listening and collaboration across difference.
Relationships and network strengthening as an objective points to the importance of time for informal discussion, group work, space for telling and listening.
Finally the activist strategy objective points to the importance of appropriate selection, a focus on activism and organising in the program and following up alumni to support rich alumni engagement in local and thematic work (see the Alumni Engagement page).
Course organisers are advised to articulate clearly their objectives drawing on this more general discussion and having regard to the specific circumstances of each course. Clarifying objectives has important implications for recruitment and selection; for curriculum planning and for follow up.
Please suggest:
Examples from courses linking objectives to course activities
