We know that students learn best when they can apply their learning. Oftentimes, that means teaching someone else what they already know, or completing projects that apply their learning. In order to allow students the independence to show their learning, facilitation is most often the best role a teacher may have. We ensure students are on target, but mostly stay out of the way when this work is happening. We streamline the process. Here are my tips for facilitation:
Create guidelines for students working together
Students need structure in order to be effective independent learners. This means demonstrating what working together looks like and establishing rules for respect within he group.
Arrange the room for maximum productivity
This is thinking about what conversation among groups/partners looks like- how would you arrange desks and tables? Or access to materials as needed- where are materials displayed for easy access for all students?
A system for signaling the facilitator
Students need to have a way to signal you for questions and support without disruption of the entire class. What does that look like for you? One idea would be to use a touch light that sits at their group table. They just tap it to indicate they need you and you turn it off when come over to assist. (You find these at the dollar store, including batteries, to make it cost efficient.)
Create heterogenous groups for balance of work
When you group students homogeneously, you will have some groups finish extremely quickly and need more to do during instructional time and others that take more than the time you have allotted. But when you group students heterogeneously for this type of work, groups tend to finish around the same time and students learn more from those who think differently than they do. They have more to teach other than we often think.
What other facilitation tips would you offer to teachers?
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