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Foundations for Educators Overview:
Developing Ourselves as Effective Educators
Think about your worst experience as a participant in training. What made this experience so difficult? This full-day workshop will turn worst-case scenarios into best-case scenarios by preparing participants to understand their own learning preferences, the preferences of others and how to design training that meets the needs of each style. Participants will apply adult learning principles and will experience and practice a variety of training methods. By the end of the session, participants will design a module to create a dynamic learning experience that will keep learners engaged from start to finish. This is a prerequisite to participating in any training-for-trainers modules.
Next offering: October 14 AND 21, from 1-5 pm.
Specialized Workshop Overviews
Most people tend to focus on the products or outcomes rather than the process of working together; however, mentoring and coaching can support individuals and groups in meeting their goals in ways that help to identify and address stumbling blocks, manage difficult group dynamics, enhance accountability and improve overall satisfaction.
In this session, participants will reflect on potential challenges that may be encountered by mentors when working with mentees, welcoming characteristics of mentors, and how to put facilitative mentoring techniques in action through interest-based communication skills and techniques to help mentees in achieving their goals. This workshop, created for optimum interaction and practice, will prepare participants to use the critical mentoring skills of active listening, raising concerns, listening for common ground and SMART goal-setting.
Next offering: October 28 (workshop) AND November 4 (training-for-trainers), from 1-5 pm
Next offering: October 28 (workshop) AND November 4 (training-for-trainers), from 1-5 pm
Interpersonal Mediation Skills
In this three-day workshop, participants will develop skills and techniques to mediate interpersonal disputes quickly and effectively as a third party neutral. They will be introduced to a proven three-phase mediation model that helps people resolve their own conflicts by fostering mutual understanding and cooperation. The workshop covers:
- How to define conflict and different conflict resolution processes
- The concepts of interest-based (win-win) problem solving and how to apply them in mediation
- Active listening skills and questioning techniques – restating, reflecting and clarifying
- How to write S.M.A.R.T. agreements
- How to prepare for the mediation session
- Key communication skills to handle bias and deal with power imbalances
- How to handle real-life situations through extensive role-play scenarios that focus on all three-phases of the mediation model
Intercultural Communication Skills: So, What I Think You’re Saying...
At University of Toronto, students and staff represent a rich diversity of cultures. Our cultural identities are complex, varied and can influence our values, behaviour and practices. Unfortunately, our differences can also lead to misunderstandings, miscommunication and even conflict. This session is grounded in direct practice and provides participants with opportunities to check the diversity temperature around them, work from an expanded definition of ‘culture’, learn and become aware of the cultural lens that informs their attitudes, beliefs and behaviours. Through self-reflection, small group discussion and popular theatre, participants will apply skills for communicating effectively across cultures while reducing conflict and miscommunication.Next offering: available upon request for groups of 15 or more
Facilitation Skills: Releasing Your Inner Facilitator!
Facilitating a positive learning experience for others requires thoughtful design of activities and skillful co-ordination of participants. Participants will reflect on common challenges encountered by facilitators and apply a four-phase facilitation process to effectively manage group interactions. This workshop, created for optimum interaction and practice, will prepare participants to use the critical facilitation skills of agenda preparation, active listening, vibes watching and process observing.Next offering: available upon request for groups of 15 or more
Conflict Resolution Skills: They Are Such #@$%&!
Very few people enjoy conflict, often because of outcomes experienced in the past in the process of trying to find workable solutions. But conflict is inevitable and can also present opportunities. This workshop will help participants understand their own conflict style(s), increase their comfort with conflict, de-escalate tense situations and raise concerns in ways that avoid defensiveness and generate better solutions. Workshop participants will understand how to apply a win-win approach to empower people to work together to resolve issues.Next offering: available upon request for groups of 15 or more
Anti-Oppression and Inclusion: Unpacking the Cycle of Oppression and Privilege
What is the importance of having groups that uphold the values of inclusion and equity? Without making conscious efforts towards these goals, groups may, unwittingly, be creating oppressive environments that are unwelcoming to others. This session will ground participants in the value of diversity and demonstrate how oppressive and dominant ideals operate in the absence of taking intentional action towards inclusion. Through self-reflection, interactive small group exercises and conversation, participants will work through and understand how to unpack, make visible and respond to cycles of oppression and privilege operating at individual, group and systemic levels. Participants will leave with an action plan and take-away tools for applying key concepts with their groups.Next offering: available upon request for groups of 15 or more
Registration coming soon.