2 Short Activities, 1st formal facilitation of the semester :)

This week in Innovative Activities our groups all facilitated 2 short activities for the class to get a feel for what it is like to lead an activity. The activites ranged from ice breakers, to name games, to team builders to competitive games. Although I'm sure there are many areas in which we all can improve, I thought that everyone did a spectacular job for this being our first formal facilitation of the semester! It's funny that when I first declared this major, I was a little hesitant about speaking and leading activities for large groups but I already feel SO much more comfortable than I did before. I'm glad that I moved past that insecurity becuase now instead of focusing on being nervous, I can focus my attention on how I can facilitate the activity so that it will yield that greatest outcomes for the participants! I am very interested to get our group's review back to see how we can improve on our future presentations :) Until next time,
Katie

Facilitation Techniques

Our class subject this week was focused on how one can most effectively facilitate an activity. One of the first things that was pointed out was the subtle difference in identifying yourself as "leader" or a "facilitator". In my opinion, I think a group would be more likely to engage themselves in the activity and open themselves up when it is led by a "facilitator" because it is not such an authoritative term and the participants would have less reason to feel intimidated. Other key aspects of facilitating an effective activity depend on being in an atmosphere that is conducive to the activity and, what may be the most important factor in all of this, the reflection on the activity. It is through reflecting that the participants come to realize what they have learned and how it can be applied to other aspects of their lives. Without reflection, the meaning of the activity might just get lost in the fun of everything and "teachable moments" will pass right on by.... That's one of the things that I am most looking forward to experiencing out in the field; being able to create and facilitate experiences that people not only enjoy, but learn from as well :) It's funny, I think that realization just came to me while reflecting on what I learned in class. Ironic.
Until next time, Katie

Hereeeeeeeee we go!

The first post. How exciting. This past week was our first class of Innovative Activities. I must admit that I was not particularly looking forward to having a three hour class but, (thankfully!), it did not feel that long! The class focuses on activities, equiptment and facilities that can "enhance functional skills and foster meaningful recreation participation" for persons with additional needs.  One of our projects for the semester that I am looking forward to are the workshops that different groups will present to the class on different kinds of adaptive equipment/activities. My group was assigned to do our workshop on adaptive golf. I think that this project will be a great opportunity to network with professionals in the field, broaden our knowledge on the variety of adaptive equipment and activites that are available to different populations and lastly help us prepare for the kinds of professional interactions that are soon to come our way! Now as far as what we did in class last week....one of our in class tasks we had was to pick two random object out of a box and make some sort of game/activity using BOTH objects together. It was awesome how innovative everyone was with their objects :) It really showed me how you can  make something out of nothing, and what's more, use it to acieve a specific goal! I think that this activity is just the 'tip of the iceberg' of what is to come in this class and I can't wait to see how it unfolds!
Until next time,
Katie