Welcome!

Hello classmates! I've decided to showcase our final assignment in a slightly different way - and hope that it succeeds :)

I'm going to put together a few different blog posts and hopefully I'm able to use some of the facilitating tips we've picked up in the last few weeks. Thanks for joining me here! Meena

My facilitation philosophy and Strategy #1 - Storytelling

Listen to me try to figure out how to take video, explain my facilitation philosophy, talk about the benefits of storytelling and tell you a quick story

Facilitation strategy #2 - Visuals

Facilitation Strategy #3- World Cafe

I'm going to finish off articulating another facilitation strategy that I think aligns with my facilitation philosophy  - the world cafe. It`s such an engaging, participating and inclusive process that I think it`s fairly clear why I added it to my toolbox- though I`d love to see it in action now that I know what it is! I'll highlight some key pieces below:

Key practice points

• Allows for a structured process and facilitated guidance to link to bigger ideas 
• participants participate in a discussion with different people using different questions throughout the process
• there is no right answer, this is best suited for creative or unbounded thinking 

Why is world cafe suited to a particular learning context/learner characteristics

The world cafe strategy is particularly good for engaging so many different types of learners (Kolb):

• Divergent learners who have a strong imaginative ability and viewing concrete experiences from many different perspectives. 
• Assimilative learners who would look to combine disparate ideas into a unified whole by putting together different ideas to form sound concepts. 
• Convergent learners who are problem solvers and like the hands on approach of dealing with an issue
• Accommodative learners who appreciate open ended questions, self discovery and lots of examples 

Strengths

• allows people to connect through conversation, to really understand other`s lived experiences 
• opportunities for storytelling! 
• huge opportunity to build off work already done and to delve deeper into concepts and ideas 
• allows the linking of many different threads to form a unified concept 

Weaknesses

• may not have clear space for introverts, quiet people, those who need more time to think through issues
• storytelling may alter the dynamics, create fatigue, 

Closing time

Well - we've reached the end of our class, and like the Semisonic song goes -- it's 

Closing time
Open all the doors and let you out into the world
...
Closing time
You don't have to go home but you can't stay here.
...

So gather up your jackets, and move it to the exits
I hope you have found a friend.

Closing time
Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.

Classmates and colleagues -thank you for your time, your passion, your engagement and your wisdom. I've learned so much from you and will carry the lessons I've learned from you through to other parts of my life. I wish you the best of luck! Meena