5 lessons I learned as a facilitator during the pandemic
There was no turning back.
I was staring at the faces of 20 teacher trainees on my Zoom screen. We were about to start our online training session when one of the hosts didn’t have sound.
The 20 faces were staring back at me. Waiting. Shifting. Losing patience.
My pulse immediately started racing. My sweat glands went into overdrive. I couldn’t swallow.
My mind starting racing through all the things that could go wrong:
What if we didn’t have any sound?
What if my internet connection suddenly dropped?
What if the neighbor’s dog didn’t stop barking?
What if the session was a total bust?
It was my first live online facilitation training session so these were reasonable questions.
We had been planning the session for months. It was supposed to be a day-long event in-person. Because of COVID, it suddenly became a 90-minute Zoom session.
You can’t do that online!
I have been working in the field of experiential learning for 15 years. I know how to design dynamic, engaging learning experiences in person. But online? How exactly would experiential training work on a laptop?
I was skeptical. I was convinced that the best learning happens in-person. Online was a band-aid solution. Something to get us through COVID. Like the annoying uncle at Thanksgiving that you suffer through, and then you are glad to see go.
After we sorted out the sound issue, the session started. With a few warm-up activities, the participants started to engage. The chat came alive. Participants bonded in the breakout groups. Far from being a bust, that first training was a hit. It surprised everyone. Including me.
As we were about to close the workshop, an enthusiastic teacher chimed into the final comments. “I learned that so much more is possible online than I had ever imagined.” I was struck by the exact same thing.
I was wrong.
Like a lot of facilitators and teachers I know, I have spent the better part of the past year immersing myself in online learning. I have sifted through endless toolkits, looking for new online activities and inspiration. I have spoken with facilitators and teachers who have had to pivot fast to the online learning space. I have participated in several online courses and conferences.
Like one course, Write of Passage that taught me to what online learning looks when it’s done right.
I have led many online sessions over the past year.
I realized that I was wrong about online learning.
I now believe that online learning when done well can be as powerful as in-person.
Here are 5 lessons I have learned about online learning as a facilitator during COVID.
1) Learning is social.
The biggest complaint from both students and faculty members about remote learning is the lack of engagement and interactivity. Most online learning is downright boring and lonely.
When students are engaged online, they learn more.
Human interaction is key to learning.
Makes sense, right? But in practice, we have a long way to go to make sure that online learning is designed with human connection at its core.
This could be as simple as having everyone introduce themselves at the beginning of a class. If it’s a big class, then in the chat. Breakout groups where people get to know each other. A quick poll to see how many people are still with you. A short check out at the end of the class where people share one thing they’ve learned.
2) What works in person doesn’t work online.
If delivering an hour-long lecture didn’t work in person, it definitely doesn’t work online.
Online learning needs to be designed for online.
Attention spans are different. Group interaction is different. As an online instructor, you have different tools at your disposal like the chat, polls, collaborative whiteboards, and breakout rooms.
You can get and give feedback in real-time. You can’t do that as easily in-person.
In-person learning is often designed for one kind of learner in mind. The kind that sits quietly and listens attentively for long periods of time. The kind that most of us are not.
Online learning gives us an opportunity to re-design the learning process for many different learning styles. The thinkers, the doers, the visual learners. The introverts as well as the extroverts.
We have a whole new toolkit for designing online experiences that can be every bit as engaging as in-person. We simply need to use it.
3) The Future of Teaching is Facilitation
Online learning has shone a light on the importance of good facilitation in teaching.
In-person, teachers can rely on a certain amount of group energy that arises naturally to help the learning process.
When it comes to online, facilitating learning becomes as important as teaching content.
With the switch to online, teachers have had to create the conditions for engagement. From scratch. That’s what a facilitator does best.
Going forward, I believe that online instructors will be both teachers and facilitators. Let’s call them faciliteachers.
4) Experimentation fuels improvement.
Online education is in the midst of an intense period of experimentation. We are living in what feels like a virtual renaissance.
Our understanding of the online learning has taken a giant leap.
There are fewer written rules in the virtual space compared with in-person.
Teachers in my online sessions have been even more willing to experiment because online is also new for them. There is a sense that “we are all in this together” figuring it out as we go along.
5) Online is here to stay.
COVID has given us an opportunity to challenge our assumptions about online learning.
I believe that online is here to stay. Yes, even when it’s safe to go back to in-person learning. So let’s learn how to do it well.
Gwyn Wansbrough is a Creative Facilitator and Experience Designer based in Barcelona, Spain. She works with people and organizations around the world to create dynamic and empowering learning experiences online and in person. She writes about facilitation, creativity, and learning in a weekly newsletter called The Quest. Subscribe here or visit www.gwynwansbrough.com to learn more.
Special thanks to @karaminder and @maile for feedback on this article.
