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To
facilitate,
is to help
something
(usually a
process)
move along.
to
make
something
easier.
Facilitate
does not
mean
"solving a
problem" or
"doing it
for
someone". It
means doing
something
that makes a
process run
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.
However,
facilitation
can also be
understood
to mean all
the
behaviors
and actions
of a
teacher,
instructor,
trainer,
mentor, etc.
which
influence
the
experience
of the
individuals
and the
group. This
includes
subtle,
unconscious
behaviors of
the
instructor
which can
have
profound
influences
on what
unfolds.
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
things an instructor does without intending that 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
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. |
Note that
many
definitions,
theories and
practical
approaches
to
facilitation
only focus
on
intentional
efforts.
Basic "group
debrief"
type
facilitation
training,
for example,
seems to
assume that
everything
(or at least
the
important
stuff)
happens in
the
conscious
minds of
both
participants
and
instructor (overt-intentional
facilitation).
Facilitation
theories and
training
which use
insights
from
psychology
and group
work tends
to include
more focus
on
unconscious,
subtle,
socio-psychological
processes
(unintentional
and covert
facilitation).
Examples of
research on
ways an
instructor
shapes
participant
experiences
There are a
myriad of
ways an
instructor
shapes and
moulds a
participants'
experience
(e.g. a
carefully
placed word
of
encouragement,
using body
language to
reinforce
desired
behaviors).
So
facilitation
is an
infinitely
complicated
process,
particular
with groups.
Ultimately,
even the
smallest of
an
instructor's
decisions
and actions
can
profoundly
influence
the nature
of a
participants'
experience.
This is more
than an
abstract
"butterfly
flaps its
wings in the
forest"
chaos theory
claim. For
example, a
qualitative
study by
Mike Brown
(in press)
has revealed
some of the
ways that
"paraphrasing"
summary
statements
by
instructors
during group
debriefs can
"privelege"
and "alter"
the kinds of
meanings
about an
experience
that a group
forms.
Similarly,
Hovelynck (1998,
1999)
has argued
that
instructor-generated
metaphors
for
experience
may have
limitations
in
experiential
programming
because they
are not
generated by
participants.
I also
recommend
Martin
Ringer's
(2002) book
"Group
Action: The
Dynamics of
Groups in
Therapeutic,
Educational
and
Corporate
Settings".
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