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
Opening Reflective
Question:
What motivated you to go into
higher education?
The dream, the hope . . .
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
. . . and the reality?
Perhaps in addition to satisfactions . . .

The pandemic of “busy-ness”

Committee work

Accountability pressures

Exponentially expanding email volume

University-as-business; student-as-customers

Underprepared students

Alienation, isolation, fragmentation, exhaustion
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
What faculty value:
“Camaraderie”
“Learning”
“Sharing ideas”
“Vital conversation”
“Communication
across campus”
“Lasting friendships”
“Confidence”
“Safe environment
“Connecting research
for problem solving”
and teaching”
Main focus for this session
 Key
responsibilities of
facilitators
 Facilitative
behaviors
aptitudes and
 Challenges
groups
about working with
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).
Facilitation key responsibilities
1.
Administrative tasks
2.
Planning / leadership
3.
Group process
Facilitation responsibilities…
1. Administrative tasks
 Structures,
organization, logistics,
supplies
 Move toward shared responsibility
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
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
Ten Necessary Qualities for
Building Community
--Milt Cox

Safety and Trust

Relevance

Openness

Challenge

Respect

Enjoyment

Responsiveness

Esprit de Corps

Collaboration

Empowerment
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
2. What are facilitative
aptitudes and
behaviors?
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”
The ideal facilitator: “being”
(attributes)

PROCESS—coordinator—structure



23 21
CONTENT—champion—FLC focus, outcomes




“organized”
“sense of direction,” “goal orientation”
“knowledgeable”
“enthusiastic,” passionate about teaching/learning
“curious,” “eager to learn”
17 16
RELATIONSHIPS—energizer—harmonizer, “soft
skills”




“listener”
“open,” “non-judgmental”
“assertive,” “firm,” “courageous”
“motivator.” “personable”
46 77
The ideal facilitator: “being”
(attributes)
“intellectual humility”
“emotional generosity”
--2007 institute participant
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
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.
Simple definition:
In essence, facilitation involves helping groups
function well so members can achieve their
common goal(s).
sounds simple. . . but not easy.
3.Challenges
(and some basics about
FLCs and group process)
Challenge #1
we’re tempted to
make FLCs into
some other kind of
group
CAT exercise: Defining Features
Matrix

Make a list of associations you have with the
word “committee”
Faculty and staff elsewhere have said:
Committees
PLCs
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
+
-
Comparison
Both
Committees
FLCs
Crossdisciplinary
group
Regular
meetings
Agenda
Bureaucratic
Chance to grow
and learn
Charge +
minutes
Boring
Chance to
explore
Creative
Outside work
Chair does work Personally
meaningful
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

Nor . . .
A gripe session
 A social club
 An encounter
group, or The
12 steps for bored
academics

Challenge #2
people are so
great . . .
except when
they’re not
(e.g when they’re hard to work with,
annoying, etc.)
Challenge #2
or: members’ work
style preferences can
(and probably will)
collide
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?
What’s involved in facilitating?
REMINDER:
1. PROCESS
Organization, planning, logistics long-term planning
structure + action
2. CONTENT (learning, project, outcomes)
Shepherding / overseeing / encouraging the learning and project work
thinking + action
3. RELATIONSHIPS (community)
Supporting individuals, monitoring group process, and facilitating group
dynamics
people
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”)
Challenge #3
Communicating and listening
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.
Challenge #4
Inside / outside roles:
participant-member
member
facilitator
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
Challenge #5
groups are complex
and dynamic
Group formation / team stages

Forming —initial coming together, optimism, some

Storming —conflict, disagreement about project, feeling of

Norming —conscious coming together to recommit and

Performing —energized period of making progress toward
nervousness about acceptance
“going in circles,” doldrums
define common project and process
project goals
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
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
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
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
4. Questions?
Go places, stretch yourselves, learn, be mindful, have fun . . .
Blitzman (CC)