Wednesday, January 3, 2007
What is facilitation?
To facilitate, is to help something (usually a process) move along. The word derives from "facile" which is French for "easy". To facilitate, then, is literally to make something easier. Through facilitation, the instructor provides subtle "boosts" to help participants through a series of experiences which combine to create a desired effect.
Facilitate does not mean "solving a problem" or "doing it for someone". It means doing something that makes a process run a little better. When a situation is too difficult, a facilitator is there to help. When a student or a group are having desirable experiences, the facilitator can be less obtrusive. In general, the goals of facilitation often include participants analyzing and better understanding their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
Four quadrants of facilitation: 2 x 2 (Intentional-Unintentional x Overt-Covert)
Facilitation is everything that an instructor does, thus it includes intentional, unintentional, subtle and obvious behaviors. Four types of facilitative behaviors can be identified, as follows:
Intentional - Overt
These are things an instructor does intentionally and these are noticed by students.
Examples
1. A facilitator shows students how to make a fire.
2.. A facilitator uses Socratic questioning, such as when asking a question of a group during a debrief.
3. An instructor counsels or gives verbal feedback to a participant.
Intentional - Covert
These are things an instructor does intentionally but they are not noticed by students.
Example
1. As a group are sitting down to have a discussion, the facilitator intentionally places him her self next to a student who he/she wants to begin the discussion. The instructor then casually indicates to go around in the direction of the person next to whom he/she has sat.
Unintentional - Overt
These are things an instructor does without intending and they are noticed by the students.
Examples
1. An instructor is naturally warm-hearted (without realizing) and this quickly makes students feel accepted and excited about the program.
2. An instructor unintentionally uses gendered language which upsets several participants.
Unintentional - Covert
These are things an instructor does without intending and they go unnoticed by the students. But it does affect individual's experiences and has subtle socio-psychological impacts.
Examples
1. As a group are sitting down to have a discussion, the facilitator unintentionally sits either too far apart from the group (e.g., is ego-centric) or unintentionally too far into the group circle (e.g., is anxious, shy). The group don't consciously notice but it effects the way participants respond to the instructor.
2. An instructor uses gendered language and this goes unnoticed by the group but it contributes to underlying gender issues and tensions within a group.
Given this framework - here is what i will do:
For all the intentional inputs i will
Prepare, Prepare, Prepare, Prepare
* First prepare how will i do the activities (in detail)
** Two prepare the kind of process questions i will ask (write down the questions)
*** Three Prepare my thoughts about each child - what does this child need - how to give - through overt or covert means? etc
**** Four prepare myself to observe (build observation-breaks into my activities - ensure that my activities are so desigend that they give me time and mental spoace to actually observe the childrena dn the process iun general - and this is important specially i need to know how my facilitation is doing - both intentional and unintentional
For all the unintentional inputs i will
Prepare, Prepare, Prepare, Prepare
* First Prepare to be conscious of the subtle feedback children give (one way is to ask each child and then take it with open mind)
** Prepare my state of mind - becasue that will colour a lot of my unintentional behaviour and inputs - specifically ensure that my state of mind is not effective by outside calssroom events like issues/ events at home, or geniekids or any other issues with self
*** Prepare my mind to be conscious of my beleifs and perceptions - specailly about the subject/ topic/ activity and about each children or children in general. Again a lot of my unintentional beahviour is determined by my beleifs and being conscious of these beleifs helps in changing the ones that amy be ineffective
**** Finally and very beautifully, prepare my children to GIVE ME FEEDBACK - to tell me when they ae not feeling alright about something. One simple way is to keep asking - "How are you feeling" (this often puts thing which were covert into overt - once child is aware of a feeling - child can trace to what is causing this feeling and then if child can articulate that - the facilitator can take that feedback.
aditi - ratnesh
Facilitate does not mean "solving a problem" or "doing it for someone". It means doing something that makes a process run a little better. When a situation is too difficult, a facilitator is there to help. When a student or a group are having desirable experiences, the facilitator can be less obtrusive. In general, the goals of facilitation often include participants analyzing and better understanding their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
Four quadrants of facilitation: 2 x 2 (Intentional-Unintentional x Overt-Covert)
Facilitation is everything that an instructor does, thus it includes intentional, unintentional, subtle and obvious behaviors. Four types of facilitative behaviors can be identified, as follows:
Intentional - Overt
These are things an instructor does intentionally and these are noticed by students.
Examples
1. A facilitator shows students how to make a fire.
2.. A facilitator uses Socratic questioning, such as when asking a question of a group during a debrief.
3. An instructor counsels or gives verbal feedback to a participant.
Intentional - Covert
These are things an instructor does intentionally but they are not noticed by students.
Example
1. As a group are sitting down to have a discussion, the facilitator intentionally places him her self next to a student who he/she wants to begin the discussion. The instructor then casually indicates to go around in the direction of the person next to whom he/she has sat.
Unintentional - Overt
These are things an instructor does without intending and they are noticed by the students.
Examples
1. An instructor is naturally warm-hearted (without realizing) and this quickly makes students feel accepted and excited about the program.
2. An instructor unintentionally uses gendered language which upsets several participants.
Unintentional - Covert
These are things an instructor does without intending and they go unnoticed by the students. But it does affect individual's experiences and has subtle socio-psychological impacts.
Examples
1. As a group are sitting down to have a discussion, the facilitator unintentionally sits either too far apart from the group (e.g., is ego-centric) or unintentionally too far into the group circle (e.g., is anxious, shy). The group don't consciously notice but it effects the way participants respond to the instructor.
2. An instructor uses gendered language and this goes unnoticed by the group but it contributes to underlying gender issues and tensions within a group.
Given this framework - here is what i will do:
For all the intentional inputs i will
Prepare, Prepare, Prepare, Prepare
* First prepare how will i do the activities (in detail)
** Two prepare the kind of process questions i will ask (write down the questions)
*** Three Prepare my thoughts about each child - what does this child need - how to give - through overt or covert means? etc
**** Four prepare myself to observe (build observation-breaks into my activities - ensure that my activities are so desigend that they give me time and mental spoace to actually observe the childrena dn the process iun general - and this is important specially i need to know how my facilitation is doing - both intentional and unintentional
For all the unintentional inputs i will
Prepare, Prepare, Prepare, Prepare
* First Prepare to be conscious of the subtle feedback children give (one way is to ask each child and then take it with open mind)
** Prepare my state of mind - becasue that will colour a lot of my unintentional behaviour and inputs - specifically ensure that my state of mind is not effective by outside calssroom events like issues/ events at home, or geniekids or any other issues with self
*** Prepare my mind to be conscious of my beleifs and perceptions - specailly about the subject/ topic/ activity and about each children or children in general. Again a lot of my unintentional beahviour is determined by my beleifs and being conscious of these beleifs helps in changing the ones that amy be ineffective
**** Finally and very beautifully, prepare my children to GIVE ME FEEDBACK - to tell me when they ae not feeling alright about something. One simple way is to keep asking - "How are you feeling" (this often puts thing which were covert into overt - once child is aware of a feeling - child can trace to what is causing this feeling and then if child can articulate that - the facilitator can take that feedback.
aditi - ratnesh
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