Session Guide — Facilitating Classes

Facilitation notes for presenters and participants

About this guide

Companion notes to lectures/02-facilitating.md. For the presenter (running order, timings, activity setup) and participants (what to expect).

The through-line: facilitation — helping students learn by asking rather than telling — is the core skill of tutoring. The module builds from teaching theory to a hands-on role-play.

At a glance

Slot: ~90 minutes (day schedule: 11:30–13:00, before lunch).
Room: table groups; the final role-play needs groups of three.
Needs setup before the room: a PollEverywhere poll and the facilitation video (links below).

Running order

Time	Segment	Notes
~12 min	Fox’s five teaching metaphors (Transfer, Shaping, Building, Travelling, Growing)	Keep brisk — one slide each.
2 min	Task: What do these mean to us?	Quick reflection on which they’ve experienced.
~10 min	Applying theories — match 5 tutorial activities (A–E) to Fox’s metaphors, via PollEverywhere	The interactive heart of the first half.
5 min	Task: What activity resonates for you?	Whole-group discussion.
~10 min	Watch: two approaches to learning (Vimeo) + “instructor vs facilitator” discussion	Cue the video ready; debrief with the role questions. Link: https://vimeo.com/506981439/3fcaf2ac8c
~8 min	Facilitation questions + why they work
5 min	Task: Thinking about questioning	Compare the two approaches.
5 min	Task: Questioning in Computing Labs	Three examples per group, share one.
~5 min	Facilitating effectively / questioning techniques
25 min	Task: Facilitating a learning activity (puzzles role-play)	The main event — see below.

Facilitation notes

PollEverywhere activity (A–E → metaphors): there is no single “correct” mapping — the discussion is the point. Draw out why an activity fits a metaphor.
The video (Vimeo, ~link in deck) contrasts an instructor with a facilitator. Have participants watch for what the educator actually does and says.
Puzzles role-play (25 min) — the key activity:
- Groups of three, three rounds, rotate roles each round so everyone facilitates once.
- Roles: Student (genuinely stuck), Facilitator (helps only by asking questions), Observer (gives peer feedback after each round).
- Rounds: Dog Puzzle → Rope Puzzle → Question Puzzle. The Goat Problem is an optional fiendish extension for fast groups.
- Emphasise: the facilitator must resist telling — the discomfort of that is the learning.
- Don’t reveal answers too early; the struggle models what students feel.

Handoff notes for a new presenter

Set up your own PollEverywhere — the deck points to Charles’ personal poll (PollEv.com/charlesmarti205); replace it with yours and update the slide.
Check the Vimeo link still plays before the session.
There’s a  on the “Questioning in Computing Labs” task — it’s optional; cut it if you’re short on time.

Materials checklist

PollEverywhere poll (your own), tested
Facilitation video cued
Puzzle prompts (on slides; optionally printed for each group of three)
Scrap paper for the rope/goat puzzles

Key messages

“Everything works somewhere; nothing works everywhere.” No teaching approach is correct, singular, or universal.
Ask, don’t tell — facilitation questions slow students down, surface resources, and build independence.
Facilitating well is a skill that needs practice, including when you don’t know the answer yourself.