Facilitator’s Guide

These notes were developed to guide facilitators of the Natural Playgrounds Toolkit. To meet the needs of each individual group, facilitators will need to adapt as required.

Target group of the workshop

ECD
ECD stands for Early Childhood Development.

This workshop will be useful to many people, such as volunteers on management committees, managers and staff (at least ECD NQF level 4 or 5) of schools, provincial and district officials, social service professionals who are employed by schools, ECDs, NPOs, DSD, sports and recreation departments, and municipal officials. Organisations are assumed to have specialists in ECDECD ECD stands for Early Childhood Development. who are able to train using the toolkit.

Purpose of the workshop

Needs Assessment
A systematic process for determining and addressing needs, or gaps between current conditions (where we are now) and desired conditions or ‘wants’ (where we want to be).
Action plan
A document that lists the steps that must be taken in order to reach your goals or objectives.

People who attended this workshop and received the materials are able to:

  • Describe the importance of play.
  • Discuss strategies to engage communities.
  • Implement a playground needs assessmentNeeds Assessment A systematic process for determining and addressing needs, or gaps between current conditions (where we are now) and desired conditions or ‘wants’ (where we want to be)..
  • Develop a playground action planAction plan A document that lists the steps that must be taken in order to reach your goals or objectives..
  • Track the progress and success of the project.

Duration

The duration of this workshop is a minimum of twelve hours. It can be presented over two days or session by session on different days if it is more convenient for the group.

Selection of facilitators

The ideal facilitator for this programme will have:

  • at least five years of experience in the early childhood development field
  • a demonstrated ability to work effectively with people whose cultures are different from their own, including differences in race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, gender, socio‐economic status, level of education, age, etc
  • prior experience as a facilitator and knowledge of outcome‐based training
  • a command of the language of instruction and terminology related to early childhood development.

Selection of training venue

The ideal training venue has:

  • adequate free parking and easy access to public transport
  • enough light, but also the possibility to make the room dark enough to see PowerPoint slides, if the facilitator decides to use these in their presentation
  • air conditioning, fans, heaters, or other ways to make the room temperature comfortable
  • a place to prepare and serve tea and refreshments
  • limited disturbances
  • good acoustics so that your voice will carry
  • enough space to comfortably accommodate your group and their movement, including small group discussions
  • toilet facilities
  • accessibility for people with disabilities.

You must familiarise yourself with the venue beforehand, so that you can check that you can set up the room as you require. This includes checking for enough electrical outlets for a laptop and data projector if you choose to use these, planning for your position with a table, etc. If you plan to use a data projector, you must ensure that there is either a screen or a smooth wall to project against; also check to see that the projector works so you can make alternative arrangements before the audience arrives, if necessary.

Toolkit package

  • Facilitator’s guide (this section of the toolkit) that guides the facilitator in implementing the workshop.
  • Participants’ toolkit with information for participants to use during training; this can either be access to the toolkit on an electronic device, printed copies of relevant sections, or both.

Tips for handling the workshop

Prepare yourself with the necessary material to conduct a workshop.

The most important tool is you

See that you are neatly dressed and groomed. Use movement wisely and engage your audience with gestures and facial expressions.

Set up of workshop space

The ideal room setup permits easy viewing of the facilitator and slide projections. The facilitator should be able to move about and engage the audience. It should also facilitate ease of group discussions. Figure 17 gives examples of possible workshop arrangements.

Arrangement of workshop space.

Figure 17 Arrangement of workshop space.

Refreshments

Scheduling enough body and refreshment breaks is vital. Serving refreshments is key as it impacts on the atmosphere and mood of the workshop. Arrange for someone to help you have tea and refreshments ready.

Tips for adult training

Knowledge of a few basic principles that underlie the learning process can guide facilitators in presenting in a way that optimises participants’ learning.

Adults learn because they want to. They know what they need to learn. Adults learn better by doing. This is why we need to actively engage the participants in the learning process. Participant’s involvement has many benefits. It can help to improve retention and generate interest.

Training methods

Facilitator’s role

Your role is to serve as the facilitator of the group’s learning. A good facilitator should be a neutral servant of the group. This is achieved by focussing the group on the given task and overall agenda, suggesting methods and procedures for achieving the task, protecting all group members from personal attack, and remaining non‐defensive and accepting of feedback with goodwill. It is importnant that you help the group to reach win‐win decisions or a common consensus.

Facilitation methods

There are several facilitation methods utilised in this workshop, such as a mini lecture, which is similar to a lecture, but shorter and actively involves some level of group participation.

Multi‐sensory approaches

People process information through different perceptual styles, including auditory and visual. Using a variety of activities to create multi‐sensory experiences can accommodate different learning styles and can help to reinforce skills or knowledge acquired through other senses. Beside your material, enrich the learning experience by offering opportunities for individuals to share relevant knowledge and experiences. Involvement techniques are a must.

Engage the audience with methods like seeking their agreement to a statement, asking for examples or applying your own experience.

Group discussion

Group discussions can take a variety of formats. One form is the structured discussion which involves guided interactions among participants. The facilitator sets the direction and tone of the discussion and keeps the group on track.

Brainstorming

Resources
A supply of money, materials, staff, volunteers, and other assets that can be used by the project to effectively achieve its aims.

The facilitator will pose a question or problem to the group and will ask participants to generate as many ideas or responses as possible. The facilitator records each response and at the end discusses the ideas with the group. Brainstorming is an effective method of both generating participant involvement and drawing on the resourcesResources A supply of money, materials, staff, volunteers, and other assets that can be used by the project to effectively achieve its aims. of the group to enrich the learning experience.

PowerPoint pointers:

If you choose to create powerpoint slides for your workshop, make sure to practice the slides so you know them. Do not turn your back to the audience and read from the screen. It makes you look unprepared. Rather position the screen of your laptop so you can read from it but make consistent eye contact during the presentation.