The Art of Facilitating Teacher Teams

Domain One: Planning

- planning for meetings

- Strength from learning together, working together, and convening in meetings

Meetings need to be structured: - Purpose, vision for meeting and how it relates to school vision/mission
- strategically selects a variety of structures or protocols to meet the desired outcomes.
- intentionally plans structures that will best navigate the group's dynamics. This planning reflects an awareness of how power dynamics and systemic oppression may manifest in this group and seeks to interrupt these dynamics

Need to make sure all voices can be heard, and we have equal access to decision making and input. 

Need to look into the forming–storming–norming–performing model of group development

Domain Two: The Technical Skills of Facilitation

At the Opening

• Frame the purpose and desired outcomes for the meeting and review agenda. (If relevant, identify how this meeting connects to prior meetings and previous work engaged in by team)

• Articulate the role participants will play in the meeting (engaging as learners, making decisions, problem solving, creating a product, etc.)

• Name any decision-making points and processes that will be used

• Identify the structures or activities that will be used in this meeting and how they'll connect to the desired outcomes

• Supply resources and materials necessary for participants to meet desired outcomes

• Articulate expectations for behavior or procedures (i.e. no cell phones, start and end on time, etc.)

• Identify process for determining norms or agreements for meeting (i.e. use existing set of team norms, select individual norm for that meeting, etc.)

• Determine structures to hold members accountable (self-monitoring and reflection, use of process observer, use of a team process rubric)

During the Meeting

• Use a variety of listening strategies including paraphrasing and active listening

• Use a variety of questioning strategies to probe thinking and elicit new ideas

• Invite constructive dialogue and dissent (encourage conflict about ideas verses interpersonal or inter-team conflict)

• Monitor participants' understanding and engagement. (Use data gathered in the moment to modify and inform facilitation, and adjust meeting to be responsive to team needs)

• When participants work in small teams: Circulate, monitor and adjust to ensure equitable participation

• Protect time for reflection and feedback within the established time

Domain Three: Managing Group Dynamics

• Hold team members accountable to agreements, goals, structures, and protocols. (Intervene when an agreement or norm is not upheld to protect a safe space for learning. When necessary, follow up with one on one conversations)
• Name and mediate interpersonal or inter-team conflict; use various strategies to help a group a recover from a breakdown
• Read the group's emotional and energetic state and adjust accordingly. (Notice participant's body language as one data point)
• Hold the expectation that members will learn, think creatively, and push each others' thinking
• Show up as a grounded, calm presence that believes in the capacity of team members

Really interesting article - made me think about how I plan meetings and sessions for adults. Perhaps I should go back to really hard copy planning until I understand the structure a bit more and can do it without thinking about it - like I did for teaching. I would really love to give some more time to meetings and structure them to include everyone's voice a bit more.