Introductions
Someone who is a facilitator and collaborator is a person who is not afraid to take charge and lead the discussion in groups and take on that leadership role. These types of people are encouraging and strong-minded. They see the task that needs to get accomplished and they make it happen. To be someone who is successful in collaboration has to be confident and personable- talking to and being talked to comes easy for you and others and people have comfort with you that makes them feel safe and protected.
At Chapman University, our professors and friends are constantly pushing us to reach that bar they all believe we can. Everyone is a facilitator in their life, whether they are a manager at a restaurant, the lead barista, the top babysitter who needs to get some kids to bed, etc… Here we are reminded and shown what skills lie within us that are dying to come out. The inner collaborator who is dying to mix and mingle in a group project that’s to be presented to the class or even the hostess trying to get some guests to come to sit down and eat.
IES 206: Schools and Society- Public Speaker
I had the privilege of taking IES 206 Schools and Society with Dr. Allen who then introduced us to the guest speakers from a high-end school in China. At first, we were unsure as to what this has to do with schools and society. We quickly learned that it has everything to do with it. This moment was very important because it showed me how to be a facilitator and collaborator even when you are far from home and do not entirely know how to talk to certain people.
When they began their lecture to the class they seemed nervous which was understandable since they were not speaking their first language. I commended them on their bravery and leadership when they took control of the classroom. When they began teaching us about their culture I watched as the four different guest speakers took turns facilitating the conversation. I learned alot from this experience because oftentimes I clam up when I have to present in front of my classmates whom I have shared an entire semester with, meanwhile these speakers can come from an entirely different country and give us a lesson on their culture without blinking an eye. There came a point when it was time for us to collaborate with them and they took complete control leaving us to feel extremely comfortable with them as they helped guide us in the conversing as well as q and a.
In this class I learned that to be a good facilitator and collaborator it is more than just showing up and acting like you are the boss. It starts with building a foundation of friendship and comfort. To be a great facilitator you must know your audience and ensure them that you are just as nervous as they are and that you’ll get through this together. To be an amazing collaborator you must show your students that you are learning along with them and you have just as many questions as they do and that we can find the answers.
IES 315: Non-Governmental Organizations: Policy and Practice- Nominating and Advocating – Interview
In my first semester of senior year I took IES 315 with Professor Jorge Rodriguez. This class was very intimidating at first. I did not know anything about non-governmental organizations that are nonprofits. My knowledge in that department was severely limited. However, Professor Rodriguez took a full in-person course and made it digital. Though it came with its challenges, being forced to continue that fieldwork of finding and communicating with nonprofit organizations in the orange country area was more than beneficial.
In this class, I had the chance to zoom in and meet with the woman in charge of the nonprofit Corazon de Mariposas. This opportunity was beyond eye-opening that it makes me sad not everyone in the IES program will be able to speak to her. Yenni Diaz taught me that self-determination, collective action, and solidarity are the keys to a successful vision. That to be a facilitator and collaborator you needed to possess these qualities as well as share them with the people closest to you. I learned that to be in charge of a successful nonprofit organization one must over everything else, be open and honest with the people they associate with, in and outside of the business. To be a flourishing facilitator/collaborator you must learn from your past mistakes and know what will and will not work.
4th Grade School Tutor for Single Parent Families
When I was a sophomore at Chapman University I was going to an after-school program down in Irvine where I was working with elementary students tutoring math while their parents were working full time shifts. This was my first time working in a classroom with students who looked to me for support and guidance. It was nerve-wracking at first because I was afraid I would blank on the problem and teach them wrong. Thankfully for my classes, I was currently taking at Chapman University, I felt prepared enough to begin instruction like any of the professors would on the first day of class, with an ice breaker.
As the weeks progressed and I was teaching them math, day by day I was realizing what worked and what did work when making these kids comfortable enough with me to feel like they can try to answer problems without being called on. I realized that being a good facilitator is about validating the students when they are wrong. When I ask a question and call on someone to answer it, even when the answer is wrong, you must ensure the child that it was a good answer and if anyone else has something better. Telling the child that their answer is plain wrong only will lower their self-esteem which will lead them to be afraid to raise their hand in class. Children must gain confidence in the classroom from their teachers, not being afraid of punishment by embarrassment.
During this experience I was able to understand the concept of being a collaborator and facilitator means supporting and hyping the child up whether their answer is right or wrong. Helping the student learn that there is no wrong answer and that them trying and working through the problem together is what really matters. Oftentimes teachers and professors shut down an answer unknowingly that it will deeply affect their student’s self-confidence in school. With this new generation of teachers, I hope that we can enforce what we’ve experienced and learned in schools to make our students comfortable and confident.
IES 204: Exploring Theories of Learning
I had the privilege of taking IES 204 Exploring Theories of Learning with Professor
Doorn. In this class, I was able to take the lead position on being a facilitator/collaborator on how I will teach. Professor Doorn allowed us to work through each and every theory of learning in class, both hands-on and lecture style. This was interesting because I am a very hands-on learner and when we were doing the classes where we were actively walking around and getting into physical activities I did feel I learned more than I would have taking notes and listening to lectures. This was important because it reminded me that all students learn differently.
In this report, I was able to write about how a mainstream teacher should educate a student who has down syndrome in their class. Now, understanding that in this scenario the teacher does not have any experience in Disability Studies, therefore feels completely lost as to how they should go about teaching this student. I found that a teacher must take advantage of the different learning styles that they can pull from. When a student does not understand the way a teacher is teaching, whose fault is that? The student for not understanding or the teacher for not seeing the error and adjusting? The teacher has a job in the classroom, it is to teach the students new knowledge and help prepare them for their future. A teacher’s job is to collaborate with the students and find what learning style best works for them and then acting on it. The job of a teacher is to facilitate class based on the learning needs and strengths of their students and if everyone is different then you teach a little bit of all styles in class.
In this course, I learned that as a teacher you must take charge and sometimes choose the harder path in order to ensure your students’ success. Sometimes it takes the teacher stepping up and being that facilitator and collaborator that they are supposed to be, bringing it to the next level, and finding accommodations and modifications for all their students.