Module 2

ECD NQF 4 - Student Guide Knowledge Module 2

Balance

Another key in trying to facilitate training is achieving the right balance. Too much training is overkill and will be
ineffective while too little training can leave employees feeling lost. Setting a precedent and expectation that
training is encouraged inside your company's culture is the goal. However, you don't want to offer "training"
every Tuesday at noon. The enrolment will be sparse at best and the knowledge growth will not drive your
company to a higher result.

When training is offered, make the announcement as far in advance as possible and create some build-up
excitement. You want to generate enough buzz so that people are looking forward to it. Provide little snippets
to your team about the benefits that will be gained and how they will personally be able to grow from
attending the training. Remember that people are most concerned about themselves above anything company
related. With this knowledge, tailor your training announcements and details to be centered on the growth
potential of your employees as opposed to the company.

Group Facilitation Tips

Leading groups can be challenging

Your role as facilitator is to help a group reach its goals. Successful group leaders work to understand the
group's dynamics and adapt the activities scheduled to suit the situation at hand. By responding to feedback
from the group, you can modify the structure of group events and pace of proceedings to best suit the
interaction style so members of the group can focus on producing results in a balanced manner.

Preparing for Group Meetings

Groups form for a variety of reasons: to discuss common interests, plan work, share knowledge or resolve
problems. Establishing that your group includes the right people at the right time for the right reasons is the
first step to ensuring success. Find out how well the participants know each other and whether there are pre-
existing issues that could be mitigated before embarking on the current challenge.

ECD NQF 4 - Student Guide Knowledge Module 2

ECD NQF 4 - Student Guide Knowledge Module 2

Next, you need to schedule meetings which have a clear purpose and agenda. At the first meeting, discuss the
rules for participation. The objective is to provide an opportunity for each person to make a contribution
without unnecessary interruptions. Creating an environment that is safe, respectful and courteous is your job as
facilitator. Managing the start and end times of meetings ensures that the group stays attentive to the
objective. Create a document format to record the mission or charter of the group as well as the agenda for
each meeting.
Managing Group Dynamics
During group meetings, minimize the number of side conversations and off-topic discussions. Manage conflict
in the group by practicing active listening, using phrases such as, "In other words," "My understanding of the
situation is," and "So you are saying," to reflect comprehension of the dialogue. Meetings may end with a plan of
action, with designated individuals responsible for completing tasks and communicating with the rest of the
group regarding the status and time line for each task's completion.
Documenting Group Activities
During meetings, consider assigning the role of scribe to one of the participants or include another person in
the meeting specifically for this purpose. Visually depicting relationships and other discussion points can assist
the group's ability to comprehend complex issues. Guide the group to work on one issue at a time, clarifying
the topic as necessary with pro and con points. Establish a process for identifying and dealing with matters that
are out of scope for the current group's concern.

Portfolio Activity 6.3:
1. Describe the current facilitating techniques that you are familiar with.
2. Explain how the current techniques are different from the old one demonstrating the advantages of the
new system e.g. Outcome based technique.

ECD NQF 4 - Student Guide Knowledge Module 2

ECD NQF 4 - Student Guide Knowledge Module 2

Portfolio Activity:
1. Explain what is meant by learning programme.
2. What is the importance of a learning programme?
3. Give a detailed explanation on how life skills is developed, facilitated and assessed.
4. Demonstrate how a very good life skills learning programme is planned.
5. Explain how you assess children’s progress in the life skills learning programme.
6. Evaluate the effectiveness of the life skills learning programme.

Resources:

 http://psychology.about.com/b/2007/12/12/theories-of-child-
development.htm
 http://www.ehow.com/how_4540147_teach-life-
skills.html#ixzz2KlHZvEqr
 http://www.ehow.com/how_4597419_teach-special-needs-
students.html
h  ttp://www.pbs.org/teachers/earlychildhood/articles/assessing.html
h  ttp://www.ehow.com/info_7999439_creating-explore-different-ways-
learning.html#ixzz2KmlICvaE
h  ttp://www.newchildcare.co.uk/page1.html

ECD NQF 4 - Student Guide Knowledge Module 2

ECD NQF 4 - Student Guide Knowledge Module 2

Self Assessment

Self Assessment:
You have come to the end of this module – please take the time to review what you have learnt to date, and
conduct a self assessment against the learning outcomes of this module by following the instructions below:
Rate your understanding of each of the outcomes listed below :
Keys: - no understanding
- Some idea
- Completely comfortable

NO OUTCOME SELF RATING

Notes
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ECD NQF 4 - Student Guide Knowledge Module 2