4B. Activity & Discussion
In the first part of this Module, Misanchuk & Anderson contend that participation in both social and academic conversations is integral to the development of a community. "Without active participation in discussions and other class activities, the learner is not part of the community; indeed, the learner does not even "exist."
Planning and establishing which tools and strategies you will use to foster community in your group will be a key step for a successful event with maximum participation.
According to the information in the "Community Tool Box"* (from the University of Kansas ), ..."participants need time to talk and connect with one another. The opportunity to get to know others and to exchange ideas is one of the main values of a workshop for many people, and shouldn't be shortchanged." The types of activities that give groups the opportunity to talk and connect with one another should be developed in the planning stage, with thought as to how individuals will interact.
Planning and establishing which tools and strategies you will use to foster community in your group will be a key step for a successful event with maximum participation.
According to the information in the "Community Tool Box"* (from the University of Kansas ), ..."participants need time to talk and connect with one another. The opportunity to get to know others and to exchange ideas is one of the main values of a workshop for many people, and shouldn't be shortchanged." The types of activities that give groups the opportunity to talk and connect with one another should be developed in the planning stage, with thought as to how individuals will interact.
Tools and Strategies
Pre-Event Surveys
Surveys and questionnaires are useful in gathering information about participants and can be used to plan other activities that will contribute to community in the professional learning training event. Pre-event activities can be used to help facilitate warm-up exercises to kick off meetings.
Flipped PD
Engaging learners in structured introductions and pre-work via Web conferences, online discussions, and conference calls makes it possible to accelerate openness, sharing, and collaborative learning when participants finally come together in a traditional face-to-face setting.
If you want people to do any reading or other homework in preparation for the meeting, it's a good idea to send that out about two weeks beforehand, if possible. Welcome participants in advance, give them a sense of what's going to happen, set the tone, and get them excited.
Icebreakers
Icebreakers can accelerate a group's ability to think as a team, which increases its ability to perform tasks quickly and effectively. Care is needed in selecting icebreakers that are appropriate to the context and content of a learning event and include genuine opportunities for participants to feel connected. A well-chosen icebreaker can make participants feel at ease, but a poorly chosen one can make participants feel nervous and uncomfortable, which can detract from fostering a positive sense of community in any training event. There is an abundant supply of ideas for icebreakers available on the web and in books. A good leader will be able to access which ones might be appropriate for various training events.
Pre-Event Surveys
Surveys and questionnaires are useful in gathering information about participants and can be used to plan other activities that will contribute to community in the professional learning training event. Pre-event activities can be used to help facilitate warm-up exercises to kick off meetings.
Flipped PD
Engaging learners in structured introductions and pre-work via Web conferences, online discussions, and conference calls makes it possible to accelerate openness, sharing, and collaborative learning when participants finally come together in a traditional face-to-face setting.
If you want people to do any reading or other homework in preparation for the meeting, it's a good idea to send that out about two weeks beforehand, if possible. Welcome participants in advance, give them a sense of what's going to happen, set the tone, and get them excited.
Icebreakers
Icebreakers can accelerate a group's ability to think as a team, which increases its ability to perform tasks quickly and effectively. Care is needed in selecting icebreakers that are appropriate to the context and content of a learning event and include genuine opportunities for participants to feel connected. A well-chosen icebreaker can make participants feel at ease, but a poorly chosen one can make participants feel nervous and uncomfortable, which can detract from fostering a positive sense of community in any training event. There is an abundant supply of ideas for icebreakers available on the web and in books. A good leader will be able to access which ones might be appropriate for various training events.
Below are some purposes served by the use of icebreakers in professional learning situations. They can:
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Considerations for selecting the right icebreaker (Varvel 2002):
Its helpful at the beginning of the workshop to take time to brainstorm “norms and guidelines” – which are rules that the group sets for themselves for how they participate and interact. Its good to build this list from suggestions from the group, and keep it visible the rest of the training so you can refer back to it when norms are not being respected.
1. People approaches
Clearly define roles. Describe the relationship between the different roles in the community, including the instructor, subgroups, group leaders or facilitators, and individual learners. Be sure to detail responsibilities and interdependencies.
Support individuality. Provide a way for learners to create personal profiles that include photos and salient information to the topic. For example, a course on marketing might ask participants to identify their favorite innovative television commercial.
2. Process Approaches
Foster trust. Establishing and aligning learners' expectations around shared objectives, including how individual contributions tie in to the broader success of the group, helps create an open and sharing environment. Using the entire group, explicitly define the common values and behavior that will help the community achieve a shared goal and also build trust.
3. Technology Approaches
Provide an easy-to-use collaborative environment. In addition to features, simplicity and user-friendly access are the most important attributes to consider. The goal of technology should be to serve the community through its precision. Community members should spend more time learning about the topic than how to use a given technology. In addition, technology should be transparent to the instructor as well as the learner; no technical knowledge should be required to customize or manage the environment. Consideration should be given to address the diversity of technical skills among the community members and design appropriate supports.
- How many people will participate? Some activities work better for small groups and others for larger groups.
- How much time can be allotted? Some activities take longer than others. If there is only 5 minutes (which will rarely be enough time and 15 would be a more appropriate minimum), then plan an activity or choose one that can be completed in the time available.
Its helpful at the beginning of the workshop to take time to brainstorm “norms and guidelines” – which are rules that the group sets for themselves for how they participate and interact. Its good to build this list from suggestions from the group, and keep it visible the rest of the training so you can refer back to it when norms are not being respected.
1. People approaches
Clearly define roles. Describe the relationship between the different roles in the community, including the instructor, subgroups, group leaders or facilitators, and individual learners. Be sure to detail responsibilities and interdependencies.
Support individuality. Provide a way for learners to create personal profiles that include photos and salient information to the topic. For example, a course on marketing might ask participants to identify their favorite innovative television commercial.
2. Process Approaches
Foster trust. Establishing and aligning learners' expectations around shared objectives, including how individual contributions tie in to the broader success of the group, helps create an open and sharing environment. Using the entire group, explicitly define the common values and behavior that will help the community achieve a shared goal and also build trust.
3. Technology Approaches
Provide an easy-to-use collaborative environment. In addition to features, simplicity and user-friendly access are the most important attributes to consider. The goal of technology should be to serve the community through its precision. Community members should spend more time learning about the topic than how to use a given technology. In addition, technology should be transparent to the instructor as well as the learner; no technical knowledge should be required to customize or manage the environment. Consideration should be given to address the diversity of technical skills among the community members and design appropriate supports.
Goal Setting for the Event
It’s important to allow time for a discussion about goals. It can be helpful for you, as the facilitator, to share the overall goals set out for the training and also invite participants to think about and share their own personal goals for learning. You might want to do this in pairs or small groups first. This can be followed by whole group sharing to build individual understanding of the collective goals of the learning community.
Working in Groups
Group work is usually a fundamental part of every interactive training workshop. Group work is an activity that participants usually enjoy greatly and from which they benefit. Nevertheless, the trainer should take care to alternate between it and other forms of training so that participants do not get over-exhausted.
It’s important to allow time for a discussion about goals. It can be helpful for you, as the facilitator, to share the overall goals set out for the training and also invite participants to think about and share their own personal goals for learning. You might want to do this in pairs or small groups first. This can be followed by whole group sharing to build individual understanding of the collective goals of the learning community.
Working in Groups
Group work is usually a fundamental part of every interactive training workshop. Group work is an activity that participants usually enjoy greatly and from which they benefit. Nevertheless, the trainer should take care to alternate between it and other forms of training so that participants do not get over-exhausted.
Follow Up
A follow-up community can extend relationships and learning after a face-to-face event. Rather than end the learning experience when participants walk out the door, a structure and process can be provided to keep people engaged, connected, and productive for a designated period of time. These communities can act as vehicles for developing group projects, discussing research findings, and mentoring peers.
Follow up activities may include use of continued collaborative group work, wikis, chats, online discussion boards, video and web conferencing. Goals, objectives, expectations and the purpose for follow-up activities needs to be clearly communicated to all participants, and members should be held accountable for their participation and input. In other words, the tasks defined by the professional learning leader as well as the learning community may affect the duration of the follow-up timeline.
A follow-up community can extend relationships and learning after a face-to-face event. Rather than end the learning experience when participants walk out the door, a structure and process can be provided to keep people engaged, connected, and productive for a designated period of time. These communities can act as vehicles for developing group projects, discussing research findings, and mentoring peers.
Follow up activities may include use of continued collaborative group work, wikis, chats, online discussion boards, video and web conferencing. Goals, objectives, expectations and the purpose for follow-up activities needs to be clearly communicated to all participants, and members should be held accountable for their participation and input. In other words, the tasks defined by the professional learning leader as well as the learning community may affect the duration of the follow-up timeline.
Traits of a Successful Community
From the information shared above, there are many components that build and promote a sense of community. As a result, two key traits emerge at the heart of any healthy community: personal commitment and emotional bonds. Personal commitment to the community is when members put aside their priorities to focus on the needs of the community. Perhaps taking on tasks to assist others who have helped them in the past.
Emotional bonds ensure that when the direction or decisions of a community result in a less than optimum result, participants have the resolve to speak up and share their opinions and ideas which can lead to a change in the direction the community is moving towards.
From the information shared above, there are many components that build and promote a sense of community. As a result, two key traits emerge at the heart of any healthy community: personal commitment and emotional bonds. Personal commitment to the community is when members put aside their priorities to focus on the needs of the community. Perhaps taking on tasks to assist others who have helped them in the past.
Emotional bonds ensure that when the direction or decisions of a community result in a less than optimum result, participants have the resolve to speak up and share their opinions and ideas which can lead to a change in the direction the community is moving towards.
ActivityIn your group, design a quick face-to-face activity that promotes and builds community.
Include in your activity the following elements:
Post or share instructions for this activity in the form of a handout, slide deck or infographic. |
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DiscussionThe discussion prompt has been relocated to follow the module activity. This has been done so you can consider your experience working as a community during the activity above as you engage in this week’s discussion.
For this discussion you will use an online messaging application with an audio component such as Voxer or Google Docs using Kaizena. This discussion prompt is designed as a community building experience and will serve to increase your learner presence within this learning community. Within the provided definition of community,
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