Learning happens when a person experiences information, an activity, or a situation and walks away with new insights and new knowledge. An effective facilitator will:
- Remain content neutral
- Listen actively
- Ask the right questions
- Stay on track
- Be flexible
- Engage participants in experiential learning opportunities
The Experiential Learning Cycle takes learners through five stages to process their experiences and learn from them. The five stages are:
- Learners are involved in an experience that leads to a sense of discovery; for instance a structured activity, ropes course, or exploration of a conflict.
- Learners describe and share their experience by reporting their own observations and reactions, answering questions such as:
- What happened?
- What was your experience like?
- How did you feel?
- Learners interpret and try to make sense of their experiences, through questions such as:
- Why did that happen?
- How was that significant?
- What does it mean to you?
- Learners generalize their experience, connecting it to other experiences or events in their lives, by responding to such prompts as:
- Where have you seen this before?
- What does this remind you of?
- What does that suggest to you?
- Learners apply their insights and consider how they can use what they have learned, by responding to questions such as:
- What do you want to use from this experience?
- What would you do differently?
- How could you apply that?
Additional resources on facilitation are available in the Leadership section of Member Training
Go on to Asking the Right Questions
…
