Evaluation and feedback on final workshop

Analysis of your own practice as a facilitator in the workshop (final workshop) 
As a facilitator one aspect of the workshop I enjoyed was generally observing the participants and listening to all the great ideas they had of the seasons. For example, in the sculpting exercise one member of the group I worked with sculpted me and another group member into an angel and a halo. When one of my peers asked the group member (the sculptor) what the images was, that participant said what the images were and explained that he was Catholic so he drew on that experience to create the sculpture.

One part of the workshop that went well for us as a group was that we established a code linked to the seasons to bring back the focus in the session. The Misfits and us made an agreement that when we say tweet tweet, the participants make a thundering sound. This code worked well throughout the workshop, especially when the participants played the collage game because at one point in the game they were getting over excited and noisy so we had to bring back the focus. From my own observations one aspect of the workshop that went well for me as a facilitator was when speaking to participants, I bent down and spoke at their level if they were shorter then me. I made the decision to do this because I did not want the participants to feel that I was over-powering and intimidating them. An example when I done this was in the activity where the participants had to create four moving images of what happens in the season and the environment. I sat down on a chair and had a discussion with my small group on this activity which made the atmosphere feel friendly, welcoming and safe for the participants.

However, one part of the workshop that did not go so well was near the beginning when I guided the whole group through a series of warm up exercises. When i asked the participants to make a loud sound from high to low sounds with our voices I was unaware that some members of the group does not like loud sounds. This dilemma was quickly resolved in the moment as one of my peers said to the participants that if they don't like loud sounds then they could cover their ears in this part of the exercise. In future as a facilitator if I am working with those with disabilities and/or mental health conditions I need to make sure that I communicate with the main person that works with this group on a regular basis and ask that person if there is anything I need to know about the group and take note of. This way I will not unintentionally get participants to do an activity that is either inappropriate or uncomfortable for the participants. Another part of the workshop that did not go well was just the fact that it ran overtime which meant that there was not much time for the participants to give us feedback on how they found the session. This may of been because at the beginning of the workshop we spent a very long time playing the name game with the participants, creating the contract with them and establishing a code of behaviour. It was very difficult to manage the time at the beginning of the workshop as we did not want to rush the participants and put any pressure on them. Also another reason why the workshop may of run overtime is because we may of took long with the participants to complete each activity. For example, in the sculpting exercise I personally found it difficult to explain the activity in way that my small group would understand. I had to explain the sculpting exercise twice which took up a lot of time. In the future my group and I need to be more strict with timing of each activity so then we do not run overtime. This can be achieved through giving clear instructions for each activity and having a clear objective for each activity and the overall workshop,  

If I had the opportunity to do the workshop again I would make sure that I done more research before hand on the needs of the Misfits. I would then be able to guide them through activities and games that are accessible and appropriate for them. I would also make sure that the workshop has a clear aim. By having an aim, I would be able to ask the participants questions which would get them to think further in the activity they participate in.

Generally in this workshop I thought that I played more of the role of a teacher rather than a facilitator as I constantly gave instructions for each activity in my individual group. I felt that my group needed these instructions though because for them it acts as a reassurance so then they know what they need to do.