Creating the Climate for Learning


Critical aspects of creating a climate for learning include setting up the room and adjusting physical environment factors before the learning event; preparing yourself for the facilitation experience; greeting the learners as they arrive; making the learners feel comfortable as they arrive; and conducting opening activities.

Think About This

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One factor that will affect all your decisions about creating a climate for learning is the number of learners who will be participating in the event. Facilitated learning rarely involves more than 24 learners. Therefore, you probably won’t need—or want—a huge room or a large number of tables and chairs for learners. In addition, it is unlikely that you’d need a microphone to amplify your voice, although there may be some occasions when you’d want to use a lavaliere microphone, which would allow you to move freely throughout the room.

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Room Setup and Seating Arrangements

How a room is set up is an important part of creating the learning climate and can be an important factor in enhancing—or hindering—the learning. Because of this, you will want to give thought as to how your room is set before you begin facilitating a learning event. Of course, in some cases there are limits as to how much you can do to set or reset a room. Some examples will help clarify these limits:

  • Example 1: You’re taking a workshop on the road and delivering it in hotels. The hotel indicates that the room will hold up to 30. Because you only expect 16–20 participants, there should be plenty of room, right? Not necessarily! Many hotels determine the room capacity by lecture style. You can get many more people in a room set lecture style than you can in rounds or a U-shaped setup. Also, the capacity does not tell you the room’s dimensions. Many hotel rooms are rectangular and narrow with columns. Again, this configuration is not ideal for a learning room setup.

  • Example 2: You’re taking the workshop to another company location. They have a training room with the media requirements and the right size. They tell you that they use the room for training. You later realize that it is computer skills training or another type that has fixed desks, usually lecture style. Again, this limits your capability to do small group work and lead facilitative discussion.

  • Example 3: In many cases, you want breakout rooms for group activities. You must make sure that the rooms have the necessary supplies. If you indicate that you need breakout rooms for small group work that requires charting and you get whiteboards, there is a problem. Participants cannot take the whiteboard to the main room for read-outs. Can they copy it over? Yes, but this takes additional time and then others cannot see their work. In addition, many times breakout rooms are on different floors or spread out, limiting your ability to monitor and coach the various groups.

  • Example 4: Some locations have an executive boardroom or meeting room. In some cases, these rooms are auditorium and pit style. Such rooms are good for making presentations, but they are not good for facilitating learning. The image of meeting in the executive room is nice, but the learning will suffer.

Basic Rule 12

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Find out the true usability of a room before delivery.

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So, what’s the point of these examples? You must do a little research and be sure the room is appropriate for the type of learning experience you are facilitating. If it is not appropriate, do all you can to change rooms, and be very explicit about your needs. Short of that, you may need to be creative to make the room work.

Let’s look at some factors that will help you determine your required room setup. For example, how many participants will you have in the learning experience? What type of activities will the participants be engaged in? Group activities require rounds or team tables. How many teams are you going to have? How many members to a team? Will each team require a flipchart or other audiovisual equipment? How much facilitated discussion and participant interaction will you have? What physical limitations will the room have? These include narrow versus wide floor plans, pillars, folding doors, irregular walls, amount of windows versus wall space, and wall surfaces for hanging visuals on the walls.

Your Space

How you set up the front of the room and the rest of the room is a reflection of your style and comfort. Your first decision is determining where the front of the room is. Given the existence of windows, sunlight, doors, and refreshments, you need to determine where the front of the room will be.

When considering your workspace, it is recommended that you use an open style. An open style requires just a front table to hold your materials and a side table for handouts.

In the open setup, there is no podium or stand. Although a podium gives you something to hide behind or cling to with white knuckles if you get nervous, it also creates a barrier between you and your participants. Should you ever use a podium or lectern? Rarely, if ever. Podiums and lecterns are fine for presentations, but they are not conducive to facilitated learning. It is far better to move around and interact with the learners. Podiums restrict facilitator movement, limit learner interaction with the facilitator, cause the learners to take passive roles, and erect a physical barrier between you and the learners.

You may want to use one or two flipcharts, placed to the side. If you are using a screen, it should be mounted either directly behind you or to the side.

Screen mounting can be a real issue. In some cases, you have no options because screens are permanently mounted. If the screen is directly behind you, be aware that your physical body can block the learners’ view. Therefore, you will need to move to the side. If the screen is in the corner, learners have a better view and there is less likelihood of you being a visual barrier. However, depending on how far back and the angle, learners seated on the same side that the screen is located may have some trouble seeing the screen. You will need to set the screen once the rest of the room is set.

Noted

If at all possible, your screen should hang at a slant; that is, the top of the screen should hang a few inches further away from the wall than the bottom portion. This technique eliminates the keystone effect, which is a distortion of your images caused by a flat screen hung at a straight angle.

Types of Learner Setups

Rounds. The term rounds refers to a setup that uses multiple round tables at which learners are seated (figure 4–1). The rounds are placed throughout the room for maximum visibility. The facilitator is at the front with the required tables. Flipcharts can be placed beside the rounds for group work. The center rounds will have their flipcharts on the side of the room. In some cases, you may not have actual round

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Figure 4–1: Room set up in rounds.

Think About This

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If you use Microsoft PowerPoint, also use a remote control device. In many cases, the computer is placed on the front table or on a podium. Having to stay close to the computer to change slides can restrict your movements. Using a remote will allow you freedom of movement.

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tables; you might have small rectangular tables instead. In this case, you can put two tables together for added seating and work space. You could also develop the T-effect by placing two tables at a 90-degree angle to each other.

Think About This

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You don’t want to place learners around the entire table when using rounds. Doing so means that some learners would have their backs to you and to the front of the room. Therefore, set learners around only three-fourths of the round.

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Rounds are great to use when you are going to do a great deal of small group work. It allows easy group interaction, creates a friendly and open environment, and provides a large surface to work on. This layout also allows the facilitator to work the room by walking among the rounds. Rounds are good for group sizes of 16 to 24, with four to six people at a round.

Rounds do require a fairly large room to allow for the tables, flipcharts, and movement. If the room is too small and everyone is crowded together, you lose some of the benefits of that open environment and freedom of movement. Another issue to watch out for is learning visibility. Rounds, if not properly set or if too many, can cause some learners to have difficulty seeing your work at the front.

U-Shaped Setup. This setup has two sets of tables parallel to each other, making two sides of the U, while another set of tables is horizontal (at 90 degrees to the parallel tables) at the back (figure 4–2). The inside of the U is open. There may be a facilitator’s table at the front, but it does not close the space.

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Figure 4–2: U-shaped setup.

The number of tables in a U-shaped setup depends on three factors:

  • total number of learners; the optimum is usually 12 to 18

  • number of learners that can be seated at an individual table comfortably

  • size of the room.

The U-shaped configuration is good for allowing learners and small (two or three learners) teams to interact with each other. This setup also allows the facilitator freedom of movement within the U to build rapport and enhance communication. This configuration also provides good visibility of the front of the room.

The U-shape must fit the room. If the room is narrow, you may have a U that is too narrow and too deep, which can actually hinder communication because the back table and learners are too far from the front learners to effectively communicate. If the room is too narrow, learners have a difficult time walking around the outside of the U. Finally, the setup is not conducive for having learners work in groups of more than three or four. If you want to do teams of five or six, the members must move to another part of the room. You will then have workstations with flipcharts for the teams.

Conference Setup. The conference setup (figure 4–3), which involves several learners sitting around a conference table, is similar to the U-shaped setup.

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Figure 4–3: Conference setups.

The table shape can be oblong or rectangular. You then have the option of sitting at the head, indicating a leadership position or joining the group by sitting in another seat. Although good for more formal presentations, the conference setup does not work well for facilitating learning experiences. It is difficult to have teamwork, limits your choice of media, presents a problem of storing handouts, and hinders your movement among the learners.

Classroom Setup. The classroom configuration (figure 4–4) has been the traditional setup for the last century. Here, rows of tables and chairs are all facing the facilitator, who is standing at the front. Usually, the facilitator works from a table with a side table for materials.

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Figure 4–4: Classroom setup.

Think About This

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If you have a narrow room, you may be able to get tables that fit the room better. Many facilities have two sizes of tables that vary in width and length.

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Basic Rule 13

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Be sure the room is wide enough to accommodate a U-shaped setup.

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The classroom setup is not recommended for facilitating learning experiences. By its very nature, this setup places the facilitator as the focal point of the attention—quite the opposite of the goal of facilitated learning in which learners are to play the primary role while the facilitator guides the learning.

Classroom setups do not allow for teamwork or good group communication and discussion. There is also the problem of visibility: Learners in back rows cannot see the front of the room, and the facilitator cannot see those in the back of the room. Learners can’t see and talk with each other. This is especially true if the room is deep and narrow. Add a column or open panel doors and you really have a problem.

Chevron Setup. This setup is like a classroom setup except that the tables are angled. It has rows of tables, aligned one in front of the other, which are placed at an angle, forming a V-shape (figure 4–5).

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Figure 4–5: Chevron setup.

As with rounds, this setup allows the facilitator to move into the group for better interaction. It also allows for small group teamwork using triads at a table. The chevron setup can accommodate larger groups and still have some visibility of the front. This setup is also conducive to using several forms of media, but it does have some drawbacks.

As is true for the classroom configuration, this setup restricts good interaction among the learners. Who likes to look at and talk to the back of another’s head? There can still be a problem for those in the back seeing the front and hearing all comments.

Hybrid or Fishbone Setup. This setup combines the U with the chevron and is used when there are too many learners for a good U and where the room is wide enough to accommodate the breadth of tables. In this setup, you set the U and then develop the chevron within the U (figure 4–6).

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Figure 4–6: Hybrid or fishbone setup.

This setup allows the facilitator to move within the setup to increase communication. It also has better group communication than the chevron alone. With larger groups, it allows the learners to be close together, increasing facilitator and learner visibility. Teamwork is a little easier because those inside the U can work with those beside them and/or behind them. Flipcharts will need to be placed outside the U. However, there is still the issue of some learners looking at the back of the heads of others.

Basic Rule 14

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Your room setup should support learning and accommodate the size of the room.

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A Reality Check on Room Setup

Here are some tips to help you manage the realities of setups:

  • Always arrive at least an hour early on the first day. In hotels, this buffer gives you a chance to check the room and have it set or reset the room under your guidance.

  • If you can’t make setup changes before the beginning of the learning experience, make the changes at lunch or before the start of the next day.

  • If using a company training room, make sure it can accommodate your desired setup. If not, change rooms.

  • If you use breakout rooms, make sure they have the equipment and supplies required and that they are in close proximity to your room.

  • Be sure the room can accommodate your media. Not all rooms have a sufficient wall space (due to windows) for projection or hanging flipchart pages. Some rooms are not equipped or configured for computer projection. If a room is narrow and deep, the learners may be too far away to read your prepared flipchart or wallboards.

  • Avoid using a room with columns. They can be a logistical nightmare. If you must use a room with columns, try to make the seating arrangement fit within the columns, although this may make the usable part of the room narrower.

  • Determine the amount of wall space you need for posting teams’ work and some of your flipchart work as well as wallboards or posters.

  • Windows can be a problem. There is always the issue of learners gazing outside, especially if it is a fine spring day! In addition, too much natural light can cause media problems. If you have to live with windows, be sure you can close some blinds or drapes. Although you don’t want a drab room, too many open windows can detract from the learning.

  • Be sure the room is not located in a high-traffic area; this is especially true for programs delivered in outside facilities.

  • When leaving the room for lunch and breaks, be sure you can secure the room. You don’t want participants’ laptop computers and other possessions to disappear.

  • If the course covers several days, be sure the cleaning crew does not throw out the work that has been done. More than one facilitator has lost a good day’s work when all the charts have been removed from the walls or team tables.

Other Physical Environment Factors

Temperature. The room must be comfortable—not too hot or too cold. Keep this in mind: the more bodies in the room, the higher the temperature will be. Check the room thermostat and adjust it accordingly. If the temperature is centrally controlled, find out how to make adjustments before the program begins. If the temperature cannot be under your control, the best alternative is to find another room. If that is not possible, and the room will remain cold, let the learners know that they should bring a jacket or sweater. If the room will remain hot and you can’t change rooms, be sure there is water available, and consider changing the course schedule to use the room when it is at its coolest.

Peripheral Materials and Methods. Having posters on the wall and handouts on the table that are relevant to your course content makes the room seem less sterile and gives arriving learners something to look at and talk about. Providing tablets and writing utensils is a nice touch. You also want to have nametags or name tent cards available so the learners can identify themselves for you and for each other. If your course content includes equipment or job site materials, having samples of those on the tables enhances learning.

Some facilitators put small toys or puzzles on the tables. These provide opportunities for learner interaction, keep faster learners occupied while waiting for slower learners to complete an activity, and are important for kinesthetic learners—they will actually play with the items during the learning event to stay engaged with the content. However, you must manage this. Some learners play with these toys to the point of being a distraction.

Refreshments. Having water available is important, and having other refreshments, such as coffee and soft drinks, and even food is a nice touch. Consider the following tips regarding refreshments:

  • Have caffeinated and caffeine-free beverages available and always have water on hand.

  • Candy is a nice touch to have on tables; hard candy is better than soft because there’s less opportunity for mess, and they can also help suppress coughing if need be.

  • Plan to have beverages replenished regularly not only to keep an adequate supply, but to keep coffee fresh as well.

  • If providing food, don’t provide only high-sugar items such as donuts, pastries, and cookies. Some learners want and need low-sugar items such as bagels and fruit. Also, consider a high-protein item like cheese cubes.




Facilitation Basics
Facilitation Basics (ASTD Training Basics)
ISBN: 1562863614
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 82

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