Our class last week was focused on how to lead a productive book
club session. We discussed some do’s and don’ts of book clubs and then we
simulated a book club experience by having a chosen few of the class
participate in a discussion of Marc Prensky’s “In the 21st Century University,
Let’s Ban (Paper) Books” published in the Chronicle of Higher Education. As I
watched the simulation, I saw some of the values that Kristin explained to us.
For example, when one of the participants was getting off track by talking
about the overall absurdity of the piece or talking too much about their
personal experience, the facilitator (Kristin) was able to reign it back in and
gently guide people through a productive discussion.
At one point, I remember I was itching to get into the discussion
because the opinion was being formed that Prensky was simply too naive, so I
aggressively tapped Evan out in order to put my two cents into the
conversation. While it is generally good to have participants be passionate
about the book club subject matter, I felt like also should have toed a line of
sharing the discussion space with everyone else while making sure my opinion is
heard, but not dominant. The most important job of the facilitator in those
moments is to recognize any imbalance of expression and address it in gentle
and objective ways to make the conversation smoother.
One of the biggest takeaways from the class was that book club
discussions are for the benefit of the participants not the facilitators. It
really is not about imparting our wisdom or pushing people toward a certain
conclusion. It is more about giving people the tools to reach their own
interpretations, while being mindful that those interpretations are grounded in
the text being discussed. I hope that our own book clubs that we participate in
this week remember this philosophy, as we all want to lead discussions where
our participants feel empowered to express themselves and not feel like they
have to conform to a paradigm that the facilitators have established.
I think your comment about the importance of prioritizing participant empowerment and engagement is right on. As obvious as this should be to the facilitator of a book club or other conversation, it is easy for it to get overridden in the moment by a burning comment, thought, or interpretation that the facilitator thinks will be illuminating or helpful. This tension makes it even more important to make it a kind of mantra that participants' interpretations and engagement come first.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely! It's about making a point to remind yourself that you are an instructor in that moment and that this is a teaching experience. A comment could lead participants down the road of understanding, but it could also cause them to get lost. In those moments, it's often better to let participants lead the way.
Delete"It really is not about imparting our wisdom or pushing people toward a certain conclusion. It is more about giving people the tools to reach their own interpretations, while being mindful that those interpretations are grounded in the text being discussed."
ReplyDeleteThis is so true, and I think it's why I enjoyed the book club activity so much. Because the pressure is so not on *me* to teach you anything, but simply giving you some food-for-thought questions and letting you work them out on your own, out loud, while also considering the thoughts that others have, and learning from that. And as a facilitator, you and just sit back and listen, and I think you get so much out of that experience of learning to just absorb what others are saying about the content. It's also very fascinating to watch how people communicate.
I loved the tapping out moment!! I do think it's important to "control for our class" when thinking about applying these experiences from 643 to future settings (that is, we have a specific kind of rapport and comfort with each other), but it also makes me think about how we will likely be giving workshops and webinars and everything else to not just our patrons and the public or colleagues, but sometimes to smaller communities that we know very well. Maybe our direct staff, if we're leading a workshop or training within our library unit for example.
ReplyDelete"One of the biggest takeaways from the class was that book club discussions are for the benefit of the participants not the facilitators. " Not much to add other than I love this! All semester I've been trying to tell myself that the more important satisfaction comes from facilitating a vibrant, inclusive, safer space for others than simply expressing my own particular ideas.. though the tension is very real!
I loved the comment: "The most important job of the facilitator in those moments is to recognize any imbalance of expression and address it in gentle and objective ways to make the conversation smoother." Having a balance of perspectives is so important! Thank you for bringing this up. Also, I didn't think your tapping was aggressive, I thought you did a good job of entering the conversation in order to add a differing perspective. I totally agreed with your perspective as well and felt there was a bit too much understanding happening toward someone expressing their interest in banning books.
ReplyDelete