Facilitating Decisions by Consensus

Many instructional coaches play the role of facilitator.  A facilitator, by definition, is one who helps to bring about an outcome by providing indirect assistance.  In other words, they don’t do it themselves, but they help to make it happen.  One of the things facilitators enable is the making of collaborative instructional decisions.  Although some decisions are appropriately made by the principal after consulting with others, most instructional decisions are enriched through a consensus-building process.   

Decisions made by consensus are not a winner-takes-all approach.  Consensus is not a voting-based method with two or more discrete solutions proposed and each individual siding with one or another of those solutions.  Rather, consensus-building involves bringing together the best of all ideas in a solution that all can endorse. 

Consensus decision-making seeks to avoid winners and losers by creating agreement among all participants.  The outcome of consensus is a result that is acceptable to all involved, a decision that is a satisfactory resolution even if it isn’t the favorite of every individual.  Consensus can be reached only if each person feels their opinions and concerns have been adequately heard and addressed.  And that is the role of the facilitator. 

A facilitator creates or guides the creation of processes that will lead to a collaborative solution.  What steps need to be taken in order to generate a successful outcome?  Who needs to be involved?  How will the relevant information be sought and shared?  Both the facilitator and the involved stakeholders should consider these questions. 

A facilitator creates norms, both spoken and unspoken, for how group members listen to one another.  She encourages open-mindedness and ensures that although ideas may conflict, discourse is not aggressive; proposals can be challenged without hostility.  In well-facilitated conversations, differing ideas stimulate creative solutions rather than being confrontation.   A facilitator calls out the “silent somebodies,” ensuring that a few opinionated individuals don’t dominate the conversation.  An important role of the facilitator in consensus decision-making is to ensure that pertinent information is shared and that all opinions and the rationale behind them are understood by the group. 

Making decisions by consensus may feel like a roller-coaster ride!  The process is full of ups and downs; It is difficult and time-consuming, but worth the effort!  Decisions reached by consensus reflect the best thinking of the group.  Such proposals better address all potential concerns.  Consensus decisions are usually better implemented than those made by vote or unilateral decision, because having as much agreement as possible sets the stage for cooperation.  Importantly, reaching consensus decisions can enhance group dynamics, fostering greater cohesion and interpersonal connections. 

When I’ve facilitated decisions by consensus, I’ve often been happily surprised by the outcome, which I knew was a better decision than I could have made on my own.  For example, when facilitating a textbook selection committee, I helped that group build criteria by which possible selections would be judged.  Then, we created processes that enabled groups to apply these criteria.  When facilitating a group making formative assessment decisions, I brought some assessments to the table and encouraged others to do the same. Then, I enabled brainstorming that further enlarged the pool of ideas before they narrowed the list to those that could be used for documenting the RtI process.

Although your curriculum expertise will play a role when you are facilitating decisions by consensus, more important will be your skill in creating a comfortable climate, your expertise as a listener, and your ability to support the evaluation and synthesis of disparate ideas.  As you consider the outcomes of consensus-building experiences, you might find it to be some of the most fulfilling work you do as an instructional facilitator. 

This week, you might want to take a look at:

A video showing interdisciplinary learning through collaborative teams:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/collaborative-teaching-ntn?utm_campaign=digest&utm_medium=email&utm_source=digest

Use collaboration time effectively to create flipped classrooms:

http://www.districtadministration.com/article/maximizing-plc-time-flip-your-class


A video that shows Data Carousels in action:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/data-carousels-improve-instruction?utm_campaign=digest&utm_medium=email&utm_source=digest

A survey you can share with teams to help them self-assess their collaborative work:

http://www.literacyinlearningexchange.org/sites/default/files/asset_inventory_august2012_0.pdf

Bookcover creator, an interactive online tool from readwritethink (includes lessons for using this tool):

http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student-interactives/book-cover-creator-30058.html

Middle and high school teachers are invited to submit works of creative nonfiction.  One winner will receive a $5,000 cash prize along with travel and lodging to attend the Norman Mailer Center's Annual Gala in New York City during the fall of 2014. Submissions are due by noon CST, Wednesday, July 23.  Find out more at:

http://www.ncte.org/awards/nmwa?roi=echo4-27133700004-42242608-e1b0c33747bccc299025c3e3e5d687c0&utm_source=20253856&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=High+Road