The development of an effective facilitator : an interim curriculum director's journey

Abstract

This action research project explored the journey of a classroom educator as she transitioned into the role of curriculum director and progressed toward becoming an effective group facilitator and administrator. Group facilitation is an important aspect of a curriculum director's job as she works with a multitude of groups with varying degrees of experience, endless combinations of personalities and an array of purposes and time frames. Group facilitation requires a working understanding of personality and communication, an awareness of social and emotional intelligence and the ability to moderate one's own communication style and presentation to meet the demands of a particular situation. In this paper I present a journey that began with an examination of personality and moved into the realm of communication style, group dynamics and social intelligence.

Each of these is closely tied to effective facilitation as well as administration in the field of education. The focus question explored in this paper is "How can I become a more effective group facilitator?" It was addressed through a variety of qualitative and quantitative collection techniques including the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Communications Style Inventory, critical friend's oral feedback, group member interviews, spontaneous feedback, my professional journal, critical friends survey, and three facilitator effectiveness surveys. These varied data collection techniques were triangulated and cross-examined to support claims made in the discussion. These claims include increased effectiveness as a group facilitator which encompasses improved communication skills and increased ability to be socially intelligent in a variety of situations. The outcome of this self-study was my transformation from a novice district level administrator and group facilitator to one with more experience in self-evaluation and self-reflection and an emerging ability as an effective group facilitator.