The primary focus of my infographic was clarity and communication. While there are undoubtedly many areas where a facilitator can excel, or explore the ‘art’ of facilitation, these will be lost if core fundamentals are not present.
The exercise we did at the beginning of 528 in posting a video discussing our own favourite facilitation experiences saved me from getting lost in a sea of possibilities concerning facilitation tips and focussed me in on what I value the most as a learner, as well as where I feel my greatest responsibilities are as an educator. After ‘grounding’ the learner with a clear set of expectations, it follows one of my favourite process plans, the ‘OODA’ loop.
Fighter pilot turned military strategist John Boyd developed a process for dealing with problem solving while in a dynamic environment. His four steps are:
- Observe
- Orient
- Decide
- Act
I panned for the best nuggets from Boettcher, Bull, and Dunlap & Lowenthal to support this process. Again, once grounded with expectations, we use effective rubrics and assessment tools (observe). Next we gather data from assessment to see how the student is progressing (orient). Then, using the objective assessment data, and informal questioning, we choose advice best suited to bring the student closer to the ultimate learning goal(s) (Decide). We then provide this advice, probing to ensure it is correctly understood and achievable (Act). Of course my favourite part of Boyd’s OODA process is that it is a loop. Much like a fighter pilot in a dogfight, we cannot pull the trigger and close our eyes to the effects. We must return to the first step and observe again, evolving our process to the constantly evolving situation. In this regard, the advice from Bull to become a ‘Co-learner’ is particularly salient. This is the part where we close the loop, improve our perspective, and grow as educators. The only thing more exciting than facilitating learning, is to participate in it!
References:
Boettcher, J. V. (2011). Ten best practices for teaching online: Quick guide for new online faculty. Designing for Learning.
Boyd, John (1996) The essence of winning and losing [powerpoint presentation] retrieved from http://dnipogo.org/john-r-boyd/
Bull, B. (2013). Eight roles of an effective online teacher. Faculty focus. Dostupné z http://www. facultyfocus. com/articles/online-education/eight-roles-of-an-effective-online-teacher.
Dunlap, J., & Lowenthal, P. (2018). Online educators\u2019 recommendations for teaching online: Crowdsourcing in action. Open Praxis, 10(1), 79-89.
September 18, 2018 at 6:37 pm
Hello Todd!
I can totally relate to your experience when making the intro video for the best memory I had of a facilitator got me through, and even though it pertains to an old memory it is still vivid in my brain. The OODA is such a common loop we all practice, we do so without even knowing it is there. It depicts a very simple and useful technique to avoid skipping important facts in any situation. The perfect example is what we tell children to do when crossing a street. I also fully relate to your closing phrase for I believe actually participating in the teaching makes it worthwhile for both students and teacher.
Cheers!