1. The Role of the Facilitator in Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs)
Jane Lister Reis North Seattle Community College
Adapted from the FLC presentation by Leslie Ortquist-Ahrens, Ottenbein College, 2008

2. Opening Reflective Question:
What motivated you to go into
higher education?

3. The dream, the hope . . .

4. Perhaps . . .
Autonomy
The life of the mind
Intellectual community
A place apart from the marketplace
Love for your discipline
A desire to teach and foster student growth
Plain dumb luck

5. . . . and the reality?

6. Perhaps in addition to satisfactions . . .
The pandemic of “busy-ness”
Committee work
Accountability pressures
Exponentially expanding volume
University-as-business; student-as-customers
Underprepared students
Alienation, isolation, fragmentation, exhaustion

7. What’s needed?
Learning about an enormous variety of topics
Long-term intensive and extensive development
Genuine engagement with diverse colleagues
Revitalized sense of academic community
BUT: time is scarce and so is energy . . .
One “solution": Faculty Learning Communities

8. What faculty value: “Communication across campus” “Camaraderie”
“Lasting friendships”
“Confidence”
“Safe environment for problem solving”
“Camaraderie”
“Learning”
“Sharing ideas”
“Vital conversation”
“Connecting research and teaching”

9. Main focus for this session
Key responsibilities of facilitators
Facilitative aptitudes and behaviors
Challenges about working with groups

10. Starting definition
“‘Facilitation’ is a way of providing leadership without taking the reins. As a facilitator, your job is to get others to assume responsibility and take the lead” (Bens 2000).

11. Facilitation key responsibilities
Administrative tasks
Planning / leadership
Group process

12. Facilitation responsibilities…
1. Administrative tasks
Structures, organization, logistics, supplies
 Move toward shared responsibility

13. Facilitation responsibilities…
2. Planning / leadership
Prepare and plan but . . .
Leave room for inquiry, members’ needs and interests, new directions
 Move toward shared planning and leadership

14. Facilitation responsibilities…
3. Group process
Set group goals and norms
Attend to process as well as content
Balance staying “on task” with latitude for exploration and fun (“learning as pleasure”)
Shepherd group formation and dynamics
Serve as a model and encourage facilitative behaviors in members

15. Ten Necessary Qualities for Building Community --Milt Cox
Relevance
Challenge
Enjoyment
Esprit de Corps
Empowerment
Safety and Trust
Openness
Respect
Responsiveness
Collaboration

16. What makes an FLC work? How can you cultivate the 10 qualities?
Clear structures for meetings
Nature of the “space” for meetings
Regularity of meetings
Mutual support
Commitment on the part of members
Cultivation of atmosphere/collegiality
Inquiry-orientation
Clearly defined, classroom-based projects
Challenge
Common topic for inquiry
Projects (authentic)
Willingness to challenge one another
Rewards
Appropriate facilitation

17. 2. What are facilitative aptitudes and behaviors?

18. The ideal facilitator QUESTION:
Imagine you are writing a job description for a FLC facilitator. Based on what you’ve heard today about FLCs (or what you know from your own college’s experience), list:
2-5 things a facilitator should “be”
2-5 things a facilitator should “do”

19. The ideal facilitator: “being” (attributes)
PROCESS—coordinator—structure
“organized”
“sense of direction,” “goal orientation”
CONTENT—champion—FLC focus, outcomes
“knowledgeable”
“enthusiastic,” passionate about teaching/learning
“curious,” “eager to learn”
RELATIONSHIPS—energizer—harmonizer, “soft skills”
“listener”
“open,” “non-judgmental”
“assertive,” “firm,” “courageous”
“motivator.” “personable” 23 21 17 16 46 77

20. The ideal facilitator: “being” (attributes)
“intellectual humility”
“emotional generosity”
institute participant

21. The ideal facilitator: “doing” (tasks/responsibilities)
PROCESS
Provide structure
Keep group on task
Create a safe but challenging environment (where people feel respected but not necessarily comfortable)
Give voice to all participants (ensure no “time hogs”)
CONTENT
Bring background knowledge of topic
Help scaffold experience for faculty

22. Conclusions?
1. Successful facilitation requires great attention to individuals, interpersonal relationships, and group dynamics.
2. Successful facilitation relies more heavily on skillful attention to organization and process than on content knowledge.

23. Simple definition:
In essence, facilitation involves helping groups function well so members can achieve their common goal(s).
sounds simple. . . but not easy.

24. Challenges (and some basics about FLCs and group process)

25. Challenge #1
we’re tempted to make FLCs into some other kind of group

26. CAT exercise: Defining Features Matrix
Make a list of associations you have with the word “committee”

27. Committees PLCs Faculty and staff elsewhere have said: Bureaucratic +-
Cross-disciplinary group
Chance to grow and learn
Regular meetings
Agenda
Chance to explore
Charge
Boring
Minutes -?
Creative / personally meaningful
Chair does the work
Outside work

28. Comparison Both Committees FLCs Cross-disciplinary group Bureaucratic
Chance to grow and learn
Regular meetings
Charge + minutes
Chance to explore
Agenda
Boring
Creative
Outside work
Chair does work
Personally meaningful

29. Some other things a faculty learning community isn’t
A committee
A self-study group
A book club
A writing group
A taskforce
A seminar

30. Nor . . . A gripe session A social club An encounter group, or The
12 steps for bored academics

31. Challenge #2 people are so great . . . except when they’re not
(e.g when they’re hard to work with,
annoying, etc.)

32. Challenge #2
or: members’ work style preferences can (and probably will) collide

33. Four corners exercise Structure Thinking Action People
Consider what it’s like to work from your preferred mode or “corner” in a group. How would you try to convince those in other corners that yours is the best place to start?
Conflict? Complement?

34. What’s involved in facilitating?
REMINDER:
1. PROCESS
Organization, planning, logistics long-term planning
2. CONTENT (learning, project, outcomes)
Shepherding / overseeing / encouraging the learning and project work
3. RELATIONSHIPS (community)
Supporting individuals, monitoring group process, and facilitating group dynamics
structure + action
thinking + action
people

35. Getting started: sample first steps
(process) Schedule regular meetings and develop calendar of target deadlines for projects
(content) Develop list of potential readings, activities, experts, etc. before first meeting
(relationships) Build community already in the first meeting (signal that this is something “different”)

36. Communicating and listening
Challenge #3
Communicating and listening

37. Communication strategies and skills
Pose open questions
Paraphrase and summarize
Engage in active listening
Reframe
“Direct traffic”
Restate / clarify group’s purpose; foreground emerging norms
etc.

38. Inside / outside roles: participant-member
Challenge #4
Inside / outside roles: participant-member
member
facilitator

39. Facilitative responses (Kelsey and Plumb 2004)
Walking the fine line: facilitator/member
Define your roles and name them
Encourage all to participate and check in with those who don’t agree
Watch for times you are not perceived as neutral
Withhold your opinion or vote until the group first has a chance to explore

40. Challenge #5
groups are complex
and dynamic

41. Group formation / team stages
Forming —initial coming together, optimism, some nervousness about acceptance
Storming —conflict, disagreement about project, feeling of “going in circles,” doldrums
Norming —conscious coming together to recommit and define common project and process
Performing —energized period of making progress toward project goals

42. Facilitative responses
Forming
Structure early meetings carefully
Set a tone of openness, inclusiveness, empowerment, trust, comfort
Encourage involvement of all members; manage participation
Clarify expectations; invite goal-setting and development of norms

43. Facilitative responses (Bens 2000)
Storming
Expect and accept tension as normal
Stay totally neutral and calm
Create an environment where people can safely express feelings
Honestly and openly admit that there’s conflict
Help members identify issues and solve them together
Assertively referee heated discussions

44. Facilitative responses (Bens 2000)
Norming
Encourage problem identification and problem solving
Invite input and feedback
Support members while they make improvements
Further share power
Mediate personality clashes
Coach and counsel individuals
Encourage others to take on leadership roles

45. Facilitative responses (Bens 2000)
Performing
Collaborate with members on meeting designs to get their input
Share facilitation duties
Offer expertise to the team
Help team reward and celebrate success
Offer to observe and give feedback to further improve the team

46. 4. Questions?

47. Go places, stretch yourselves, learn, be mindful, have fun . . .
Blitzman (CC)