The Art of Facilitation

How to facilitate highly effective professional learning

If you facilitate the learning of adults in your team, school or workplace come and join us for an exceptional learning experience. These five days will enable you to:

strengthen and develop your expertise, understandings and facilitation skills
design and apply highly effective professional learning tailored to your workplace context
address your questions, issues and challenges
learn with and from an international community of learners

Based on the most current professional learning theory and research, you can expect to engage in rich learning that is practical, experiential, interactive, reflective and co-constructed.

To sustain your learning, you will take away:

a wealth of practical processes and tools for immediate use
a 12 month subscription to PLOT and the Facilitation community
a personal action plan
on-going support from a committed community of learners

Effective professional learning is directly connected to teachers' daily practice and the improvement of student learning and achievement. This is the work of highly skilful facilitators, who know how to design and apply effective professional learning across a school, cluster or teacher education setting.

Dates: 1-5 June 2009

Cost: $1600 (excluding GST)
A cancellation fee will apply one month before the event.

Location: The venue will be State Library of Queensland, Brisbane.

How do I become involved: Register your interest

Dates:: 1-5 June 2009
Location:: State Library of Qld
Cost:: $1600 (excluding GST)

Joan and David are highly respected Australian teachers and educators who work nationally and internationally as consultants, professional learning facilitators and project development specialists. Co-directors of Hands On Educational Consultancy, they have between them worked by invitation across Australia, New Zealand, the USA, in Canada, the U.K., and with schools and teachers in Turkey, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Japan, Thailand and the Philippines.

David and Joan's major commitment these past ten years has been working long-term with schools to build effective professional learning communities and authentic student learning communities, grounded in learning and teaching practices that prepare today's learners for tomorrow's world.

Feedback from past participants

You have had a profound influence on my thinking and my sense of process, as well as the skills and strategies I employ to be the best I can be.

Rob Clarke, Associate Principal, Fendalton Open Air School, Christchurch

The five days with you has been an inspiration, a challenge, and has provided me with a way forward. What I learnt about myself from you and with others won't fit on the page. You have opened my eyes and mind to what's possible, and restored my heart to what I know and value about myself.

Anne Cunniff, Senior Education Officer, Loddon-Mallee Region, Victoria

I reluctantly arrived at Selwyn House on Monday morning, feeling anxious, overwhelmed and frustrated. I'd just come back to NZ after 6 years living elsewhere and had been one week in a new job. I didn't really want to be sitting in a room dying from powerpoint overload. By morning tea I was kissing Mel on the cheek to thank her for having me there.

Gina Revell, formerly with Ultralab, UK, now researcher with CORE Education

Over this week, I have found friendship, enthusiasm and most importantly, passion. I've learnt skills that I can apply to my work and life, I've discovered technologies that excite me with their challenges, and I've experienced a new culture which is warm and friendly in NZ. I'm excited about my plan and the prospect of applying it to my new school. I thank you sincerely for your honesty, friendship, enthusiasm and brilliance.

Rob Higgins, Principal, Leongatha PS, Victoria

Thank you so much for the awesome tools you have given me during the Facilitation and Mentor Course. I feel more confident about being able to unpack the action plan for my ICT Cluster to make a decent professional development course that will meet the needs of our school.

Miranda Satterthwaite, Boys Learning through ICT PD, Electronics Technology teacher, Christchurch Boys High School

The self-assessment rubrics are the most in-depth thinking I have ever come across, and with you two as my mentors, I'm feeling a lot more confident that I can do it! The clever strategy of digging deeper into ourselves has helped me clarify who I am and where I want to go. You'd think by 56 you'd know yourself!

Noline Skeet, Principal, The Gardens School, Auckland

I can't say I feel like I have finished the 'PD' as you have done what all fantastic presenters (oops! ...faciltitators) do... and that's 'leave them wanting more!' Until next time...

Sharon King, Kurnai Cluster Educator, Victoria

I'm relishing the 'quiet' that has descended as we all tell the stories of our week via pen and keybard, and I know that at the end of these 5 days, I have changed. As yet, this is a shadowy notion, tricky to grasp and hold. Time will sharpen my focus and allow me to see more clearly what the implications of this change will bring. You've both been role models, 'walking your talk' with style and grace.

Sharon Ryan, psychologist, Catholic Education, Brisbane

I have been facilitating now for two and a half year, with very little professional support or training, and at times I have been very close to resigning. However, a strong belief in what I do and the desire to improve my facilitation strategies brought me to this workshop. It has exceeded expectations.

(Name witheld by request)

Thankyou for quite the best professional learning I have ever done. It has made me re-think my plans for future professional learning... you two are true Aussie legends.

Roz Miller, Principal, Silverstream South, Dunedin

Queensland Government