Activity 2 Difference between Lecturer, Teacher and Facilitator Objective: to enable participants to verbalise the difference between Lecturer, Teacher and Facilitator
Time: 27min
Materials: handouts with symbols
Procedure:
☺☺ (5 min) Put participants in pairs and ask them to share how they understand theroles of Lecturer, Teacher and Facilitator in the light of the article. Assign each pair a different task – task 1 - Lecturer, task 2 - Teacher, task 3 - Facilitator.
NB Make a point that the words ‘lecturer’, ‘teacher’ and ‘facilitator’ are ONLY used in the article to represent some characteristics. It does not mean at all that it is good or bad to be a lecturer or a teacher.
☺☺ +☺☺ (10 min) When pairs have finished their discussion, put those pairs who had similar tasks in groups (e.g. those who discussed the role of Lecturer will be in one group now) and ask them to share their ideas. Ask them to prepare a brief report summarising the main points of their discussion. Encourage groups to use examples from personal experience, if they think it is appropriate.
☺ (8 min) Ask groups to share. Invite any comments.
☺ (2 min) Distribute handout 1to each participant and ask them to examine the symbols on the handout and say how they understand them.
☺ (2 min) Collect ideas from the whole group. Refer to the symbols and establish that afacilitator is a teacher who has knowledge of the subject, skills to teach this subject and sensitivity towards learners, their needs, preferences, learning styles, etc.
Activity 3 Is it possible/difficult to become a facilitator? Objective: to help participants analyse the second part of the article
Time: 20 min
Materials: article Facilitation in language teaching by A. Underhill, posters, markers
Procedure:
☺ (5 min) Ask the whole group the following questions:
Is facilitation a skill or a talent?
Is it possible to become a facilitator?
Does a teacher need to go through specialtraining to acquire the skills of a facilitator?
☺ (3 min) Ask participants to go through pages 9-19 ofthe article individually and topick several important things they have learnt and which they think would be useful as advice for their colleagues.
☺☺☺ (10 min) Put participants in 4 groups. Based on what they have chosen, ask groups to make a list of 6 (the ones they think have the priority) recommendations of what should be the first steps towards facilitation. Tell groups to put their ideas on a poster.
☺ (10 min) Invite groups to display their posters and mingle around to comment on each other’s recommendations.
Summary 5 min
Establish that Facilitation in teaching is more of an attitude towards the teaching profession than a set of certain skills. It is rooted deep in teachers’ beliefs about learning and about how they teach their students to maximise their learning. There is no right or wrong way one can take to become a facilitator. Agoodfacilitator has a perfect sense of theclassroom and students and this guides her/him in selecting themethods s/he employs in teaching and supporting learning.
