Manual for training of facilitators (community component ... - INEE

Characteristics of an effective facilitator
Objectives
To help the participants understand philosophy of a
rights-based approach
To familiarize the participants with the activities and
how they are undertaken
Lecture
and discussion
Ask the participants how they work with
groups.
Do you assume that the learner knows
nothing or do they build on what
the learner already has
Allow the discussion from this question.
Many participants will claim that the
groups they work with do not have the
knowledge and that their job is to ‘teach’.
Ask if this is really so.
Draw these pictures on the board. Ask the
participants which facilitator they are.
Do you fill the empty water pot
Do you help the flowers to grow
The ‘water pot’ facilitator is one who assumes that they have all the knowledge and they
are there to “fill the pot (the learner)”. Because most of us are trained to pass on ‘content’
it very often feels that this is both true and right. However it is not possible to use this
method if we are to be true to the principles of adult learning that we discussed in the previous
session. If you do use this method you can find it can be very tiring.
As a facilitator you must be very sure that you know everything and never make a
mistake. You must be ready with the learning that the learner needs (because you cannot
keep pouring water if the pot is full can you)
This type of facilitator is not suited for working in peace education as this philosophy
can lead to arrogance and the abuse of power. This type of working is not actually facilitation
at all because it means that the learner will always be reliant on a facilitator to tell
them what to think and what to know. Facilitation actually means to make things easier (to
make learning easier or more effective. It does not mean to simply tell. To make people
dependent on an outside authority does not show respect to the skills and knowledge that
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