Hints & Tips for Facilitating a Workshop for WE LEARN p.1 Hints and Tips for Facilitating a Workshop at WE LEARN Annual (Net)Working Gathering & Conference The annual WE LEARN gathering builds a community of co-learners. We respect each other as knowledgeable. We all have experiences to learn from and stories to share. Through conversations and activities, we continue to surprise each other about the ways we have creatively come to make meaning in our lives. WE LEARN aims at making its conference workshops relevant, accessible, and meaningful to participants. Because students, teachers, administrators, and academics participate in our conference, we value everyone s experience, expertise, and input. We want to optimize our collaborative learning during each workshop session. We believe in a both/and approach to knowledge creation and sharing: everyone can add to producing a knowledge base. Everyone has something to give and take. Therefore, we wish to share with you, our facilitators of these workshops at our conference, some ideas on: How to engage WE LEARN conference participants in each workshop; How to maximize the sharing of experiences, knowledge, and skills, and; How to design activities for new learning at our conference. Planning the Workshop Identify the Goal What do you want this workshop to accomplish? Write a succinct statement about your goal. This will guide your design of the workshop. Example: Workshop participants will be able to use these techniques as evidenced in hands-on practice during the session. State a Rationale (Reason) for this Goal Make a few points to yourself about why this goal is important to you, to the participants, or to our profession. At the beginning of the workshop, you can state these points as the benefits for participants and the reason for this workshop. For some ideas see: http://eduscapes.com/tap/topic69.htm http://www.webaim.org/articles/training/goals.php
Hints & Tips for Facilitating a Workshop for WE LEARN p.2 Think Through the Structure List the key objectives and activities that will lead participants to accomplishing the goal (see above). List each activity and what it aims to accomplish. Think Through the Learning Needs of Participants At WE LEARN, participants will come from among students (basic literacy through higher education), staff, academics, teachers and tutors so you need to consider the different levels of experience and expertise. (See the last page of this document for more details.) Everyone has different learning styles and preferences. So you need to consider the variety of ways to present the content of your workshop. Here are some examples: Say things out loud Write things down on easel charts or white board Ask people to write things down/draw things Have handouts with visuals Have handouts with text Do physical activities Use small group discussions Have or make poster boards or collages Group people in pairs for tasks Use music Use art activities/creation For some more ideas see: http://www.thomasarmstrong.com/multiple_intelligences.htm Room Set Up Consider the room set-up. Depending on the tasks and activities in your workshop, you need a different seating arrangement. For example, if you want to have small groups work on an activity, you need table groupings. If you want a discussion, you want a circle of chairs. If you want to present a lecture or a PowerPoint presentation, you want theatre style seating with clear visibility of the screen. Think through what the main activities will be and how the seating arrangement fit the tasks and activities. Be flexible and have a back-up plan. Special Note: WE LEARN tends to hold the annual event on a university campus. Therefore, though we do make specific requests, we cannot always control what types of rooms we get. If you need something special, please tell us. We will try to accommodate if we can, but you will also want to have some flexibility in your plan! Supplies Make sure you bring EVERYTHING you will need - just in case. Be sure to request in advance the equipment you need. And then still plan ahead for any possibilities!
Hints & Tips for Facilitating a Workshop for WE LEARN p.3 Timing Be realistic! You will have less time than you think! People arrive late. People talk more than you anticipate. Sometimes things can go wrong! This is especially true if you plan to use technology such as a PowerPoint or Internet connection. So think through how much time you need for each activity and be prepared to adjust in the moment. Be sure you are clear on what is NEED TO KNOW and what is NICE TO KNOW. That way you can adjust your content presentation in the moment and take out information or activities that are not needed. Check in with your participants when decisions on time are needed and ask them what is important so that you can adjust your workshop flow accordingly. During the Session Relax! Take deep breaths! You are not completely responsible for the workshop you are part of a learning community. Are you the ONLY expert in the room? Acknowledge everyone s knowledge and consider yourself ONE of the resources in the room. Build community. Engage your participants. Facilitate the sharing of knowledge and information, based on the activities you have designed. Useful Hint: Asking participants to introduce themselves can be an important way to know whose in the room and to understand common needs or views. It starts everyone thinking about the topic. Sample questions could include: What is you name? What city do you live in? Why did you choose this particular workshop? What is one question you have about this topic? What is your opinion about ( something you plan to cover )? If the group is large, you could ask for a show of hands. For example: Please raise your hands if you have ever participated in a workshop like this. (You could then ask a follow up question such as: What was the most important thing you learned from that?) Be yourself! If you do not know something, ask the others in the room. You are one of the resources. Acknowledge that your audience is an important resource too. They can and will offer additional information. Share what you know and invite participants to share what they know. Authenticity, being who you are, gains you good will and trust.
Hints & Tips for Facilitating a Workshop for WE LEARN p.4 Explain! Tell people the what and why during your session. Adults want to know what is happening and why and how you are doing things the way you are doing them (process). Be transparent and clear about your approach to activities during the workshop. Unveil the mystique! Three Important Parts Make sure you provide space for a) presentation of content; b) application or practice of the content; and c) feedback on what was done and what was learned. All three aspects need to be addressed during the session! Ask for Feedback Solicit agreement or disagreement. You can ask for a show of hands, a chorus of YES, a one-word feedback in the round, a red, yellow, or green card judgment. Then, be prepared to integrate the feedback as you adapt the next segment of your workshop! Summarize - often Tell them what you will tell them; tell them; tell them what you told them! Analyze and synthesize what is happening in the workshop - as you close each component of the sessions or end each activity. Identify some Next Steps What follow up do you plan; what follow up may the participants engage in? Be prepared to give some suggestions. Create a contact list or ways of staying in touch among all participants, and provide your contact information for follow up activities. Evaluate Did you achieve your goals for the workshop? You can use a prepared evaluation form to get some idea. Or you can simply ask people to reflect on some of the positive aspects of the workshop or what parts they found challenging. Be constructive and reflective.
Hints & Tips for Facilitating a Workshop for WE LEARN p.5 These are some additional tips you might find useful. They are taken from Towards Facilitating a Workshop by elizabeth simpson, prepared for the 2009 Pedagogy and Theater of the Oppressed Conference held in Minneapolis, MN (p. 5-6). Ways to Facilitate Constraints for Participation: You can set limits and minimums: no one can speak until 3 other people have spoken, only someone who hasn't spoken yet can speak, wait 5 seconds between speakers, only people of a certain group participate, ask Jane to hold off for a while. Remember that 'going with the flow' often means going with social norms where people who are used to getting to speak do and people who are used to not being heard aren't. It's your job to counter the social norms in these spaces and be vigilant about folks having the option to share, even if they don't take it. Watch for the expressions on people s faces. Be aware of people who look like they want to say something but who can t get themselves into the conversation. Call on People: Invite someone who hasn't spoken, or someone who's doing that 'I have something to say but can't get a word in' twitch if they want to add anything. If they defer, let it go. Stacking: People raise their hands to speak and you keep track of who was first. Consider asking people to not repeat ideas, having the stack expire after a set amount of time, resetting it as a new topic arises. You might suggest that you ll wait to call on someone until 5 hands are in the air. That way you can choose those who need a little more time to put together a thought rather than always going with those who are ready to share first. Additives Only/Brainstorming: When coming up with ideas, it can be helpful to put a moratorium on nay saying (e.g. 'that won't work'). This can be described as 'addition not subtraction'. People can add thoughts but not take any away. Straw Polls: Ask participants to raise their hand, or put up fingers on a scale of 1-5 (or 1-10), to get a quick sense of the group.
Hints & Tips for Facilitating a Workshop for WE LEARN p.6 Activity Formats Popcorn: Participants blurt out ideas as they arise Go Around: Go around the room and give each person the option to speak. Consider a time limit. Always give the option to pass. Consider going back around to the people who passed to see if they now have something to share. If pressed for time, suggest a structural limit like 3 words. Sometimes this structure propels not only concision but also creativity! Caucus Groups: Participants divide up such that people in a particular identity group are with each other. Weigh the balances of having people self-select or be identified by others. (e.g. people who identify as In contrast to people who are identified as ) This can be an activity in itself, or can lead to others. Think /Pair/ Share: Participants write down responses to a prompt, then share thoughts with another person/group, followed by a large group debrief. Social Drawing: Have people draw something related to the content, and then ask participants to place the drawings in relation to each other in a way that seems relevant. This can be on a table, the floor, or around the room. Consider a limit of only one person can move a picture at a time. At first, have participants do this silently, with awareness. Then encourage people to name what they see. Concentric Circles: People stand in concentric circles, inner circle facing out, outer circle facing in, so that everyone has a partner. Ask a question, say which circle will start, and give each circle the same amount of time to talk to their partner. Then have one circle move clockwise so that each person has a new partner, and ask a new question. This is great for getting personal with a number of people quickly.! TIPS: guide listeners to give their whole attention, even when the talker isn't talking. Remind talkers that they get the WHOLE TIME, and that even if they are done they still have the space/time to use. Images/Frozen Pictures: Have participants divide into at least two groups and create a sculpture of an idea. While one group holds their form, the other observes. Then switch. (See Facts then Interpretations) Facts then Interpretations: When asking people to discuss, consider having them first name the physical occurrences they saw/experienced (objects, people, colors, volume, etc) before naming the interpretive descriptions (mean, happy, kind, arrogant...). Of course both are relative!
Hints & Tips for Facilitating a Workshop for WE LEARN p.7 More about WE LEARN WE LEARN is a community promoting women s literacy as a tool that foster empowerment and equity for women. As such, the WE LEARN Community includes: ABE Learners (see below) AND Alums Literacy Workers (Teachers, Tutors, Volunteers, Support Staff, Administrators, etc) Researchers / Academics / Librarians University Students Community Activists Service Providers Anyone interested in advancing our mission. We ask you to keep these communities in mind as you prepare your workshop. * Acronyms & Terms * Literacy includes reading and comprehension, writing, speaking, and numeracy Literacy practices Through literacy practices, basic literacy also connects to personal experiences, values, social roles, gender, race, and class, and other social and political factors. We make meaning in our lives and understand our world more completely through a broad range of literacies. ABE Learners/Students include: ABE Adult Basic Education ESL English as a Second Language ESOL English Speakers of Other Languages GED General Education Development ADP Adult Diploma Upgrading (a Canadian term) In Canada, upgrading education/training has different meanings in various regions and contexts. Academic upgrading most often but not exclusively refers to literacy skills training delivered by college upgrading programs to strengthen pathways to apprenticeship and postsecondary. Literacy students may be referred to as adult literacy learners, adult literacy students, and adult literacy upgraders, depending on the preference of the person using the term and perhaps their pathway. When WE LEARN refers to adult learners, ABE students, or literacy students, we mean: Students participating in adult basic education (ABE), English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL or ESL), high school equivalency or GED family literacy, civic/citizenship education, workplace training, upgrading, and support systems (including developmental education) for transitions to college. Adult basic education/literacy efforts are sponsored through specialized learning centers, community colleges, social service agencies, community based organizations, libraries, public school districts, reservations, churches, workplaces, prisons, shelters, and other settings.