STRUCTURING AND LEADING DIALOGUE; PEDAGOGICAL COUNSELING

As a facilitator/ teacher, it is important to always ask yourself a question; “How can I facilitate so that the person in focus reflects and develops?”
In response to this question, the facilitator needs to;
Focus on the participants’ needs of;
a) Being seen
b) Being taken seriously
c) Being challenged

The participants / students should not be challenged before being seen or taken seriously. This will prevent cases of resistance from the participants’ assumption that the facilitator is taking control over them/ their lives/ needs.

• Have ground rules/ guidelines or contract
  The facilitator can ask the participants/ students another question; “what do you need for our cooperation to feel comfortable?” The participants may raise some guidelines and in case they get confused and are unable to raise any; the facilitator can give some of as;
  All participants should like what is good for each other. The facilitator advises that once a guide has been agreed upon, expressions should be made as “we” and not “I”. The participants need to avoid the “I-form talk”
  According to me, this is a good practice since it creates ownership of the learning process and the participants become more responsible for their own learning.
  ¨ Possibility focus; having ground rules with charges in case any one abrogates any of the rules.
  Ground rules/ possibility focus empowers both the facilitator and the participants leading to a democratic learning process. The “how” question depends on the facilitator and the kind of participants he/she is facilitating. The facilitator hence needs to adjust accordingly to meet the needs of each participant’s needs
• Accepting that we stop each other when we are talking. This is aimed at ensuring democracy as well as exercising authority. The participants should be given empowered but the facilitator/ instructor should avoid a point of helplessness( this implies that they are cases when he/ she needs to show some authority
  
  Facilitation Tool Box
  For good facilitation of learning, a facilitator is advised to use the tool box below;
• To see (the participants should introduce himself and the participants to do the same). The participants will feel seen and recognized.
• To ask (what, how and when). The facilitator has to avoid the ‘why’ question because it promotes resistance among the participants.
• To lead. This is problematic and that’s why the having a contract with the participants (guidelines for good cooperation and charge in case of violation) is useful.
• To structure( facilitation didactics-model of didactical relations)
• To be quiet. This helps one to reflect about what he/she has discovered.
• To mirror; important in giving feedback/ reconfirming what the participants have been discussing. In a research context, this process is relevant in validation of findings.

Note; It’s important to clearly spell out (write them clearly on paper) during cooperation with participants so that they can get acquainted with them. I find this useful because it assists the participants to adopt some of the tools they may find useful in facilitation of learning of their own students leading to improvement.

• To organize. The facilitator needs to discuss about one or two challenges at a time, allow the participants to talk as he/she listens, mirror them and then challenge them to make choice.

The participant or tecaher needs to assess him/herself using the Gap analysis model; what is my situation now? Where do i want to go/goal?
The motivation towards attaining the desired goal is dependent on; basic needs interests, wishes and dreams.
Goals seem abstract but are empowered by them being close to one’s basic needs, interests, wishes and dreams. The action commitment therefore involves breaking down the goal into small steps which lead one to achieving of his/ her goal in a long run.
In research context, the participants can be guided on how their individual challenges can be broken down into small achievable ones on a weekly basis or two weeks according to the participants’ or facilitator’s wish.

Assess every meeting with the question; “what have you discovered today?” This question applies to both the participants and the facilitator for self evaluation/ learning assessment. Writing of personal logs could be a useful tool throughout the whole process.
If the learners are unable to speak out what they have discovered, then it may necessitate the facilitator to reflect upon his/ her approach and adjust where necessary.