Transcript Facilitator Training

Facilitator Training
Ministry Formation for Everyone in the
Community
Welcome!
Welcome to Into the Fields!
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Thank you for being here
We value the role you are about to play
The Church depends on you
This is hard work!
But the rewards are enormous
We will do everything we can to support
you fully.
Meet
the
Authors!
Into the Fields
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Spirituality - by Dan Schutte
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Tools and skills – by Alison Berger
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With Sr. Edith Prendergast
Content of the Faith – by Bill Huebsch
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With Diana Dudoit Raiche
With Sr. Maureen Shaughnessy
On-going formation – by RTJ
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With Nick Wagner
Part One
Spiritual
Exercises for
Teachers &
Catechists
Dan Schutte
Diana Dudoit Raiche
Spiritual Exercises
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30 powerful exercises
Following the way of St.
Ignatius Loyola
Grow in the faith that you
will share with others
Become a closer friend to
Jesus and learn to talk as
friends
Part Two
Tools
for
Teaching
Alison Berger
Sr. Edith Prendergast
Skills & Strategies
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More than 24 skills
Strategies that work in
every ministry setting!
Interaction with other folks
working in parish ministries
Learn with the same
method that you will use in
your ministry setting
Part Three
Knowing
the Content
of Our Faith
Bill Huebsch
Sr. Maureen Shaughnessy
RTJ: On-going formation!
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Religion Teacher’s Journal
The first periodical after Vatican II
designed for actual catechists and
teachers
More accessible and available
On-going formation
Which they will actually READ!
Y también
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Nosotros tenemos estos recursos en
español:
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Creciendo en la Fe
Se llama Profundizando y Madurado
Nuestra Fe
Hablamos español a 23rd!
Venga! Hablaríamos!
Nosotros tenemos otros cosas también!
And now…
The full
scope and sequence
of Into the Fields
Let’s take a look at
the
Into the Fields
pedagogy
Quiet Listening
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Music
Others when they speak
Reading aloud
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Growing Faith
And other material
Listen to yourself as a Facilitator
And teach participants to do the same!
Small group discussions
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In a variety of sizes
Often with a task to do beyond the
discussion itself,
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Usually with flip chart paper and markers
Encourage participants to be
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Open, honest, loving, & kind
These four rules!
General discussions
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Usually following small group work
An important aspect of pedagogy
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Because it pulls together the fragments of
small group work
Or of individual thinking
The challenge:
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To keep some from speaking too much and
some from not speaking at all
Preparing Flip Charts
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For some, this is a key way to learn
For others, it is bothersome
But we do it because it’s a way to
prepare for large group discussion
And because we have many kinds of
learners
This forces learners to focus their
learning and state it briefly
Quiet writing
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Avoid too much “quiet time”
It tends to deaden the process
But after the opening sharing, and a
little group work
Turn to quiet time for writing the
colloquy as part of the Spiritual
Exercises
Or at other points in the process
Reading aloud
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This is a rather counter-cultural thing
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We rarely allow others to read to us
But it’s a great way to learn
We do it as Mass every week!
Used here mainly in Growing Faith
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But invite learners to follow in their own
booklets
Mystagogy
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This comes from the Catechumenate
It’s a way to pause, and reflect together
about what has happened
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In order to consolidate our gains
And become aware of what we have
actually heard
Powerful tool for pedagogy
And works in classrooms, too!
Continued…
Mystagogy,
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Used here three ways:
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continued
In the opening – what’s been happening in
your life?
After the break – what did you hear in the
first session?
At the very end – what are you taking
away from this whole experience
Leading up to the personal growth plan
Facilitator Presentations
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Used from time to time
As a way of allowing the Facilitator to
personalize the material
But always very BRIEF
Must be well prepared beforehand
In every session:
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Used to present the goals for this session
Resource recommendations
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Both the Text and the Manual are full of
them!
Help the participants build their
personal libraries
Also recommend your own favorite
resources and share your own best
sources!
Summing Up
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The process here in very intentional
Six steps:
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6.
A bit of mystagogy
Replay the song
Share the colloquy prayers
End prayer with Our Father
Lead them to the session evaluation
Direct work on the Personal Growth
Plan
Personal Growth Planning
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This is a vital step
It helps participants take home with
them a specific goal
It brings all the work into a single focus
Leave enough time for this in each
session
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Probably 5-8 minutes
But test it and see what works
Getting ready
for the year
some simple
suggestions
Getting started
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Make a firm decision as a parish
Review the whole year
Consider who you want to invite to be
part of this process
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Start inviting and enrolling
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Actually list them by name
Use the forms provided
Find the spaces you need
Getting started
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And find helpers if you need them
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someone to manage hospitality
someone to work as your sub if needed
someone to help for moral support
Communicate extensively with the
pastor and staff
Set the final schedule and send it out
Preparing for
each session:
follow these
simple steps
Step One:
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Read all the material for this
session
Consider the flow:
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How do the various elements and
segments connect?
What are the key points?
Pause to let the deep realities sink in:
Open yourself to divine power
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“Listen” as God speaks in your heart
Step Two:
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Prepare Spiritual Exercises
 Review the flow for this exercise
 Listen to the music
 Consider what symbols might
enhance this experience
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such as enthroning Scripture, using
liturgical symbols, and others
Write your own colloquy
 Work the exercises
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Step Three:
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Prepare the Growing Faith
segment
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Read the booklet or booklets carefully
and fully
Work through the exercises and
reflections
Review the teaching path set down in
the Manual
Prepare any further input you feel is
needed
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But avoid overstating special “issues”
Step Four:
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Prepare for Refreshments
This is a key way to show hospitality
Believe it or not, folks get hungry when
they’re working like this
You might want to ask someone to help
you depending on numbers
Or you could share the responsibility for
bringing snacks and beverages
Step Five:
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Prepare the Tools for Teaching
Review and prepare the mystagogy
opening
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It is very strong to have this list ready
The text provides an almost-complete list
Review the goal and how you will
present it to the group
Step Five
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Look through the suggested resources
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continued
Add your own favorites!
Let the leaners add theirs as well.
Check out each internet link
Decide how to break your group for
small group discussions
Prepare any presentations you must
give
Step Five
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Review all the Manual notes
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continued
Adjust and change to meet your own
personal style
Make sure you understand the flow of the
session
Prepare the closing activities
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The flow of this is very important
Skills training for group
facilitation
#1
Model by participating yourself
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Dig into the work yourself!
Embrace the material and make it your
own!
Your own enthusiasm for the work will
create enthusiasm in the group
If you have questions as you prepare,
call write to [email protected]
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Make an appointment to talk with Bill
What is your own
experience of being
in groups where the
leader actually took
part as against
“standing on the
sidelines?”
#2
Prepare brief presentations
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Prepare every presentation beforehand
Keep them all brief
Stick to the topic and text
Use PowerPoint if you are able
Share your own experience and faith
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Witness is a great teacher
Did I mention: keep it brief!?
What is your own
experience of
preparing
presentations for a
group?
Is this your strength
or weakness?
#4
Monitor both process and content
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Keep the flow of the session moving
along
But also make sure enough time is
spent on those things which pique the
interest of the group
If you have to, postpone certain items
to allow a good discussion to proceed.
What is your own
experience of
knowing how to start
and stop discussions?
What tools can you
use to get them
rolling?
#5
Dealing with disruptive people
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Allow those who disagree or disrupt to
express their views
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But do not allow them to take over the
agenda or schedule
It may be best to speak to such folks
outside the group
And sometimes you may have to ask
someone to quit their enrollment
What is your own
experience of
dealing with
disruptive people?
How do you confront
them?
#6
Facilitate means just that!
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You are the facilitator
Which means you must encourage and
make possible general discussions
Monitor who talks too much
And who talks too little
Make your “discussion starters”
effective by honing them beforehand
What is your own
experience of
facilitating group
discussions?
What do you do when
no one speaks?
#7
Show your gratitude!
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Thank each person who contributes but
do so without seeming silly or
patronizing.
Be aware always that your participants
are working hard – and often on their
own time.
Doing continuing ed is generous on
their part.
What is your own
experience of
thanking people for
their contributions?
What are some ways
to do that well?
#8
Know how to divide a group
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Be aware of the group dynamic at play
in your group:
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Cliques
Close friends who attend together
Pre-divide the group
Vary the small group divisions often
Use a variety of small group sizes
What is your own
experience of
working with small
groups?
What are strengths
of small groups?
Weaknesses?
#9
Be a listener, first & foremost!
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Watch and listen closely to each person
who speaks or offers anything
Repeat (in summary) what they say
Do “intent listening”
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Use eye contact while listening
Nod your head, follow along
If they challenge you or the text, do not
become defensive
What is your own
experience of
listening while you
facilitate?
What do you listen
for?
#10
Lead the group to evaluate
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Some people do not like to do
evaluations
But they really help us do better work!
Don’t rush the process
Use the forms provided
You will run into moments when time
runs out! What then?
What is your own
experience of doing
evaluation processes
with a group?
What are some
methods for doing
evaluation?
#11
Keep good records
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As Facilitator, your opinion matters to the
church
We do need to keep records
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And to write down our observations
It helps us guide learners
If you have a troublesome person, talk that
over with your pastor, catechetical leader, or
principal
If someone is absent, use e-mail or phone
calls to find out why