Running Head: FACILITATION OBSERVATION

Dustin K. Grabsch
Facilitation Observation
ALEC 616
Dr. Summer Odom

FACILITATION OBSERVATION

Summary
Overall, Xochitl provided a wonderful experience for the Peer Mentors of the FOCUS
Learning Community. She provided their teams to gather to partake in an individual and group
decision-making process as well as cover the Tuckman and Jensons Stages of Group
Development. Within this process, she also created space for a discussion around dialogue. The
overall intent was to aid the groups from moving through the storming stage they had been
experiencing on a whole.
Skills Utilized
Considering the text, Xochitl utilized ground rules, an icebreaker, active learning
principles, and evaluation to aid in a successful facilitation
Xochitl glided over the ground rules. In hindsight, even though the students may have
been familiar with them it does not mean that they were necessarily following them. Some
included respect, speaking up, participating, etc.
Xochitl used an icebreaker of an individual and group decision-making activity to begin
the discussion. Using the NASA space survival scenario, it allowed the individual teams to
reconnect. There was one problem, as one participant was alone since the other members of his
team were not present.

FACILITATION OBSERVATION

In terms of the active learning principles, Xochitl used the trust Yerk Circle activity. This
changed it up at the right time. She was covering a great deal of content that was dry. Using this
activity at the point she did allowed the group to reengage, change it up, and then refocus after.

Critique
As Xochitl mentioned in class, my only recommendation to aid in a more effective
faciliatio was to address the hyper-bonding dynamics present in the group.
The term hyper-bonding was coined in the early 90s to describe intensely close
relationships among students in learning communities like FOCUS - that can result in
unproductive behaviors in class. While instances of hyper-bonding are most prevalent in learning
communities and linked-courses, the phenomenon can occur in any class where a number of
students developor enter the class withtight social bonds.
In 2007, a learning communities list-serve pinpointed many of the negative symptoms
associated with hyperbonding, including group absences from class, rowdy students disrupting
class time, rapidly-spread misinformation about coursework, tensions from the social realm
spilling over into class, and groupthink discouraging independent thinking in discussion or
course projects. Another potential drawback is that cohort students can miss opportunities to
authentically interact with older students or other students outside the cohort, leading to more
sustained high school behaviors and occasionally the overt exclusion of students outside the
group.

FACILITATION OBSERVATION
Xochitl struggled with keeping the rowdy dynamics in check. Sometimes it detracted
from the overall focus and the discussions that were possible. Overall, I appreciated her
relational leadership style and seeing her in her element.