Facilitation:
A Tool for Evoking and Creating Wisdom
an article by Jo Nelson

Working Together to Enhance Education

It is our privilege to be partnering with several visionary school districts to create a participatory culture to enhance student learning.

Peel District School Board
Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon, Ontario

We continue to train Peel’s elementary and secondary resource teachers in the Focused Conversation Method and Consensus Workshop Method through the Group Facilitation for Educators course. These resource teachers use the methods frequently in meeting with teachers and schools to enhance strategies for student learning.

We are also training secondary school leaders from across the district to use these methods in department and staff meetings, and in classrooms. Superintendents learned the methods for more effective meetings and problem-solving. On-going coaching and support to ensure success is included with our courses. In addition, we have provided our facilitation expertise to address difficult school issues, and for planning with the Principals’ Association.

Participants comment, " This is the best in-service training I’ve ever had in all my years of teaching."

York Region District School Board
York Region, Ontario - North of Toronto

Together with a principal, we developed a practical School Improvement Action Planning Process, to take school achievement data and use it to make a measurable difference in student achievement. We continue to train school leadership to facilitate staff and parents to make concrete plans for improving student learning. We also designed an evaluation and re-planning process to measure and follow through on success.

We are facilitating strategic planning for school clusters and community leaders. Seven different clusters are involved, each with different communities, strengths, and challenges.

In addition, we are training facilitators within the system to build deep facilitation capacity to support on-going distributed leadership and community partnerships.

Participants talk with their colleagues and recommend the training to them, creating a network of people who know and use the highly practical participatory methods.

Regina Public Schools
Regina, Saskatchewan

Working with a visionary assistant superintendent, we are training over 100 school Principals, Vice-Principals, Learning and Core Leaders in facilitation skills through Group Facilitation for Educators. A select group have also been trained in Data-based School Improvement Planning. These leaders, from department heads to superintendents, are using the methods in meetings and planning. They are also using them in classrooms to help students think clearly. We continue to mentor and support these leaders as they apply the methods to real-life situations.

Treaty Six Education
Edmonton, Alberta

Dedicated to supporting native community schools in Alberta, Treaty Six Education has decided to train its core support staff in depth, as well as provide useful participatory methods to school staff and boards from its communities. A wide range of stakeholders have participated in several Group Facilitation for Educators courses and a Meetings that Work course. Five core staff have had advanced facilitator training. The methods work will with the cultural emphasis on respect and participation in decision-making.

During the 2002-2003 school year, principals and school improvement teams found The Art of Focused Conversations for Schools a valuable resource in their efforts to create and sustain major innovations in teaching and learning. It provided a dynamic framework that applied across many situations. The tools and strategies outlined in your book helped school leaders engage in meaningful conversations with parents, staff, and community.

We worked with these two organizations to create a course to train school leaders in the knowledge and skills to be Catholic school leaders.  St. Michael¹s College in consultation with the Catholic Principals' Council of Ontario provided the theory and philosophy and the resource expertise, we provided the expertise to create highly participatory and transferable training events.  The Principals' Council then invited its membership to nominate and sponsor participants who could train others.  The 12 modules of the course curriculum were taught to 30 school principals and leaders, and they then used the curriculum to train others in their own districts across the province.

ICA Associates Inc.
655 Queen Street East - Toronto, Ontario - M4M 1G4
Phone - 416-691-2316 - Canada toll-free - 1-877-691-1422