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Roger Greenaway's Active Reviewing Tips ~ ISSN 1465-8046
is no longer published but you
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issues in the ARCHIVES For Roger's blog and other writings please see the Guide to Active Reviewing |
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| Do you recognise the
traps awaiting facilitators of learning in groups? Discover how you can avoid these traps in the first place. ARTips 14.5 Avoiding Common
Traps in Reviewing
~ 1 ~ EDITORIAL: Two Halves
~ 2 ~ ARTICLE: Avoiding Common Traps in Reviewing ~ 3 ~ RESOURCES: An Extra Takeaway ~ 4 ~ ACTIVE LEARNING BOOKSHOP and SAVE THE CHILDREN ~ 5 ~ ARCHIVE: Flipchart-Free Reviewing ~ 6 ~ EVENTS: Reviewing Skills Training and other providers ~ 8 ~ LAST ISSUE and FUTURE ISSUES ~ 9 ~ About Active Reviewing Tips |
| ~ 1
~ EDITORIAL: Two Halves I hear that football is 'a game of two halves'. Active Reviewing Tips is now also 'a game of two halves'. You may remember that my last article about reviewing as a 'takeaway' skill stopped after describing just six 'takeaways' with an invitation for you (and other readers) to add a few more - and maybe reach that round and satisfying number of '10 takeaways'. I think there may be a few benefits for you and me if I publish my articles in two halves. During half time, we have a bit of a chat about the first half and maybe come up with some great ideas for the second half. The end result will be ... a much better result. An earlier article about 'Reviewing with Different Ages' was a collaboration with a number of different writers who work with different age groups. I would welcome further collaboration. I did receive encouraging feedback about the 'takeaway' article (much more than usual) but no extras 'takeaways' have yet been offered. I then came across a much shorter article I wrote about takeaways last year. I have added it below in section 3. It brings the total number of takeaways to 7. There is still room for more! When writing this month's article about 'traps' when reviewing in groups, it took me only a few minutes to list 10 common traps (and then a few hours to write about them!). Maybe there are simply more 'traps' than 'takeaways'. You are welcome to suggest extra 'traps'. There are other satisfying numbers beyond 10! You will find the first half of the 'traps' article below. The second half will appear in the next issue of Active Reviewing Tips. If the final version has more than 10 traps you will know that readers have supplied some extra traps. When articles are revised or extended, the latest versions can be found in my articles index at: http://reviewing.co.uk/articles See you again in 2013. May it be a happy and successful year for you (and other readers). Roger Greenaway roger@reviewing.co.uk http://reviewing.co.uk PS If you like this issue, please tell others. If you can suggest improvements please tell me. If you tweet, you can now follow @roger_review on Twitter |
| ~ 2
~ Avoiding Common Traps in Reviewing by Roger Greenaway, Reviewing Skills Training In this article I describe some of the many the traps awaiting those who facilitate learning in groups - and I provide some ideas about how you can avoid these traps in the first place. What kind of trap? A 'trap' is an attractive looking option that, once taken, has consequences that cause you to regret your choice (while you are busy working out how to escape from it!). Sometimes you do not choose the trap at all: the trap chooses you if you do not realise that other options exist. Do you recognise these traps? 1. Apologising for holding a review 2. Asking 'What did you learn?' at the start of a review 3. Speeding: expecting instant thoughtful responses 4. Trivialising: expecting brief answers to big questions 5. Controlling the whole review process, or trying hard to do so 6. Keeping the whole group together for every review process 7. Filling up flipcharts 8. Strongly favouring one learning style 9. Assuming that everyone had much the same experience 10 Welcoming certainty Each of these traps also conveys unintentional messages that block learning. If you know enough about these traps you can avoid them. Trap 1 Apologising for holding a review (and promising that it won't take very long) Unintentional message: "This process is not that important. I am sure you would rather be doing something else. I'll not inconvenience you for too long." Avoid trap 1 Raise Expectations and Commitment
Trap 2 Asking 'What did you learn?' at the start of a review Unintentional message "The learning has already happened - so don't expect to learn anything new in this review." Just four words ("What did you learn?") transform an opportunity for new learning into a memory test. Avoid trap 2 Follow a sequence that is designed to generate learning from experience during the review. For example:
Trap 3 Speeding: expecting instant thoughtful responses Unintentional message "Reviewing involves saying the first thing that comes into your head - so we don't give you much time for reflecting, thinking or preparing what you might want to say." The chances of getting a worthwhile response are even less if you direct your question to an individual, and are less again if the surprised individual rarely speaks up or tends to go along with what has already been said. Avoid Trap 3 Slow down! Provide the time and the tools for participants to prepare their answers or to choose the question they wish to answer.
Trap 4 Trivialising: expecting brief answers to big questions (such as when asking for one picture, one word or one phrase that sums up the group view) Unintentional message "Simple, superficial or cliched responses are OK - just be sure you do not exceed 3 words / 10 seconds / one symbol." The one word, phrase or item that the group chooses is unlikely to communicate the range and depth of their experiences. Their exceptionally brief answer is unlikely to capture what was special about the experience. (A process that encourages 'groupthink' is even more out of place in a programme about personal growth and development.) Avoid Trap 4 Find the level of detail that generates clarity and significance without pruning things right down to a single unsatisfactory statement.
For more ways of avoiding triviality see 'Getting Beyond Cliches' in Active Reviewing Tips 13.3. Trap 5 Controlling the whole reviewing process (or trying hard to do so) Unintentional message "You have very little responsibility for your own learning. I will guide you through the whole process. You must trust me even if my controlling ways betray a lack of trust in you." Avoid Trap 5 Be selective. Decide which aspects to control (such as the time frame or the overall purpose). You can monitor or delegate other aspects rather than controlling them directly.
Traps 6-10 will follow in the next issue of Active Reviewing Tips. Hopefully you have gained some fresh insights into some of the traps awaiting facilitators of learning. I hope you have also picked up some useful ideas about how to avoid these traps, and how to avoid giving out messages that are counterproductive. I welcome ideas for additions, changes and improvements. Your comments are welcome: please write to roger@reviewing.co.uk Roger Greenaway roger@reviewing.co.uk http://reviewing.co.uk |
| ~ 3
~ RESOURCES: An Extra Takeaway Takeaway Tools I like to place reviewing tools in the hands of learners. For a number of reasons. One of these reasons is that I like to think of the reviewing tools themselves as 'takeaways'. This is not as generous as it may seem: I do not give away my valuable collection of pictures, nor my ropes, nor my tools for action replay. The real takeaways are the skills or know-how to use the tools. And these rarely depend on having specific resources available. I do not see 'reviewing' as a magic art that is exclusive to facilitators. 'Reviewing' is a skill that learners already have and can develop further. Learners do not need a hotline to a facilitator every time they want to reflect on their experience. But having instant access to some 'hot tools' could be very useful. By and large people depend on a very narrow range of skills and tools when it comes to reflecting on their experience. A wise choice from a broader set of reviewing tools can really help people to escape from ruts and routines and accelerate their learning and development. I'll give just one example... Back to the Future is a reviewing exercise that is based on one simple question: "What do I already have that could help me achieve this goal?" Rather than rushing into making a plan, the goal-setter first makes an audit of their own values, skills, qualities, achievements, experiences and knowledge that they already have and that could also help them achieve their goal. The basic question can also be directed outwardly towards considering the support, resources, relationships, offers and networks they already have that could help them achieve their goal. In Back to the Future, the person temporarily turns their back on a distant picture, word or object representing their goal and considers what they already have that could help them reach that goal. Whenever they identify a helpful factor they step backwards towards their goal. Large steps indicate very helpful factors; small steps indicate slightly helpful factors. Now, I have always set up Back to the Future as a paired exercise with the traveller's 'coach' asking all the questions. But the other day I was working with an odd-numbered group and I was about to offer to be the partner of the 'leftover' person when I noticed that he was already fully absorbed in the exercise. He had chosen a picture to represent his goal. He had lain down his rope to represent the journey towards his goal. And he was clearly very focused in his thoughts while occasionally taking a step backwards towards his goal. I chose not to disturb him. I suddenly realised that Back to the Future does not need a partner. And perhaps it does not need a rope or a picture. But in this case the rope and the picture had become vitally important safety features because we were on the roof of a skyscraper! Walking an unmarked route backwards while lost in thought (and without a parachute) would make this a high risk activity on a roof top. But choose a suitable place at home, in the office or a quiet, pleasant spot in nature and it becomes a DIY reviewing tool. Roger Greenaway This article was first published in the 'facilitate this!' newsletter which you can find at http://www.facilitatethis.co.uk |
| ~ 4 ~ ACTIVE LEARNING BOOKSHOP & SAVE THE
CHILDREN: Thanks to your purchases, Roger's Active Learning Bookshop has now raised £2,550 for Save the Children http://reviewing.co.uk/reviews/index.htm Do ALL your Amazon shopping (not just books) via Roger's Active Learning Bookshop and not only do YOU get a good deal, so do CHILDREN around the world who need our help. Thank you :-) |
| ~ 6 ~ EVENTS: REVIEWING SKILLS TRAINING CALENDAR In April I will be providing workshops in the USA, Taiwan and Shanghai. In June I will be presenting workshops at the Metalog® annual learning event in Germany In August I will be back in Malaysia with Fishcamp Learning More details are published on my news page at: http://reviewing.co.uk/_news.htm If you would like to host an open event or arrange for an in-house customised trainer-training programme please get in touch. Write to: roger@reviewing.co.uk Or view the sample training workshops at http://reviewing.co.uk/trainingworkshops.htm FACILITATION TRAINING [VARIOUS PROVIDERS] If you are a provider of facilitation training, please send me the details if you would like the details included in future issues of Active Reviewing Tips. 8th February 2013 METALOG® training tools Workshop Newcastle METALOG® training tools are multifaceted interaction activities and learning projects for indoor and outdoor use http://www.metalogtools.co.uk/en_gb/workshops/ 12-13th Febraury 2013 Facilitation Fundamentals Knaresborough, North Yorkshire This 2-day course is dynamic, packed with tools, methods and techniques and provides insight into the key facilitation competencies. http://www.facilitatethis.co.uk/index.php/events/ 23-24th February 2013 The 7th Lindley Annual Festival of Outdoor Learning CPD Opportunity for Outdoor Professionals, Teachers, Youth Workers and Anyone With A General Interest In The Outdoors Only £70 for the whole weekend - includes 4 workshops, 2 nights accommodation and meals during the event http://www.lindleyeducationaltrust.org/news/festival.htm 26th February 2013 UFA Young Researchers and Evaluators Birmingham Train to lead a 3 day programme for young people to develop their skills in research and evaluation and become confident to lead a project which evaluates some aspect of your school/organisation. We use our Young Evaluator’s Toolkit to show how evaluation can be interactive and even fun! ... http://www.youngresearchers12-eorg.eventbrite.co.uk DISCLAIMER: READER BEWARE I do not guarantee anything about the quality (or even the existence of!) events advertised in this message. You are advised to make your own judgements about quality and authenticity of any events listed above. For the full Experiential-CPD Calendar see: http://reviewing.co.uk/outdoor/notices.htm If you are a provider of facilitation training, please send me the details if you would like the details included in future issues of Active Reviewing Tips. REVIEWING SKILLS TRAINING WORKSHOPS If you would like to host an open event or arrange for an in- house customised trainer-training programme please get in touch. Write to: <roger@reviewing.co.uk> Or view the sample training workshops at http://reviewing.co.uk/trainingworkshops.htm ~ 8 ~ PREVIOUS ISSUE OF ACTIVE REVIEWING TIPS PREVIOUS ISSUE Takeaways for Future Learning is now at: http://bit.ly/TEXXyW FUTURE ISSUES Please let me know what you would like to see in a future issue of Active Reviewing Tips - whether from the above list or on another reviewing topic that matters to you. If you like this issue, please tell others. If you want to suggest improvements please tell me: roger@reviewing.co.uk |
| ~ 9 ~ About Active Reviewing Tips EDITOR: Dr. Roger Greenaway, Reviewing Skills Training 9 Drummond Place Lane STIRLING Scotland UK FK8 2JF Feedback, recommendations, questions: roger@reviewing.co.uk ARCHIVES: <http://reviewing.co.uk/ezine1/art001.htm> The Guide to Active Reviewing is at <a href="http://reviewing.co.uk/">http://reviewing.co.uk</a> FROM GUESTBOOK: "I like the way you look at everything and then return to what is simple, effective and memorable." COPYRIGHT: Roger Greenaway 2012 Reviewing Skills Training |
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