What is a Facilitator in Education?

To what extent does your understanding of the roles of a teacher and a facilitator coincide with the ideas in the article?

I recently attended a teacher training where an interesting point was made about facilitation and collaborative learning—"facilitation means helping."

That is, we as teachers do not emphasize our authority; rather, we "blend in" and make students feel we are there to guide them through and then let them go, knowing they can always return if they need help.

It is like a parent who supports the child while giving some freedom at the same time, so the child can explore the world and learn how to overcome small challenges. The child knows mom and dad are always there with open arms, whereas a "helicopter parent" will never trust the child to accomplish something alone, and as a consequence, the child will struggle to trust himself.

My views agree with those expressed in this article.

Do you think you possess the attributes of an effective facilitator? If you think you do, what makes you believe this? If you think you don’t, how can you develop necessary skills?

 

Image: (Conn, 2014)

It took me a while to stop "towering" and talking too much in the class, being too worried my students would be misguided and take the wrong path. Now my students are amazingly confident young adults who are trying out new things and are not afraid of speaking publicly. I have a student who stutters, and because there is empowerment and full support, the rest of the group supports him, so he speaks up and sometimes even leads his team. This student has recently taken on the role of an academic advisor.

My students often work in teams with minimal intervention from my side; I mainly roam around, eavesdrop, and correct things if needed.

"Tell me and I forget; teach me and I may remember; involve me and I learn."

Xunzi

When majority theories are introduced to students, I believe that the more they participate in discussions, the more they try to understand the new concept through trial and error, the better they will know and apply later.

I, as a facilitator, need to ensure they have proper conditions for learning.

In the article, I liked the part about motivation. It's natural to be discouraged when we see students falling behind or refusing to blend in. This should not stop us, however, once we know what exactly the problem is. In the majority of cases, the plan can be adjusted and the student can be involved (EU Business School, 2022).

If we make students more collaborative and make them practice shared responsibility, internal miscommunications can be solved even without the presence of the facilitator, just like in the example of my stuttering student above.

 

References:

EU Business School (2022). What is a Facilitator in Education? | EU Business School. [online] Blog | EU Business School. Available at: https://www.euruni.edu/blog/what-is-a-facilitator-in-education/ [Accessed 20 Jan. 2023].

Image:

Conn, S. (2014). The Rise of the Helicopter Teacher. The chronicle of higher education. Available at: https://www.chronicle.com/blogs/conversation/2014/08/05/the-rise-of-the-helicopter-teacher/ [Accessed 20 Jan. 2023].