I was fascinated and very inspired after meeting with Brenda and Carson a few weeks ago. They had a wealth of knowledge that I found to be extremely helpful in developing and understanding my role as a conversation circle facilitator. I feel like I could have greatly benefited from a more in depth training with them before the semester. I had my second meeting that week and I tried to implement a few of the strategies that Brenda and Carson spoke to.
In the conversation circle this week, I brought up the topic of how different cultures give and receive feedback, which served as a perfect segue into talking about the "MOM" critiques that Brenda and Carson mentioned. The students in the conversation really liked to having that bit of American culture revealed to them, and I think that this could be a great strategy for each students personal development.
One idea I have for disrupting the "wheel and spoke" model of conversation that my group has developed is starting with pair sharing a topic and then talking about it as a larger group. My thinking is that this will give the students time to process in a less intimidating environment before having a large group discussion. However, this idea will be dependent on the number of students that are present. I am also hoping to try the reading idea that other facilitators have tried with success.
No comments:
Post a Comment