I am Nidal El Ayyoubi, from Tripoli, Lebanon. I have a master degree in English language teaching and I work as English language teacher. I have been chosen to be one of the educational consultants in ROOTS program. I wrote this short case study developed by SeGa Research Center, to document the impact of my application of FIRST Framework and its 15 principles during ROOTS program. I used FIRST frame work to deliver a training trip for 19 Teachers of different subjects like French, Arabic, Math, Physics, Biology and Chemistry about the 6 Thinking Hats topic.
Applying FIST Framework implements a real change in my teaching career. It drags the learning process to a new safe environment where my learners experience what they learn and thus acquire the intended learning outcomes. FIRST Framework adds a lot of elements that help in creating a fully active environment filled with joy and excitement leaving a very positive impact on the learning process. Not only do the learners enjoy my sessions, but also I forget about being tired and loaded with work.
FIRST 5 domains have had an effective role in shaping my session’s flow. However, in this facilitation, the Interacting and Sequencing domains have left a touching experience. The Interacting with group dynamics domain has opened a safe environment in which the participants were encouraged to share their insights and interact together discussing the 6 Thinking Hats that they would build upon in solving their problems later in life. On the other hand, the Structuring and Sequencing domain has drawn the flow of the facilitation and helped it move smoothly with no interruption.
For example: assigning time for each activity has helped me accomplish all activities on time. Add to this, the participants have had the chance to acquire the job of each hat by repeating the intended learning outcomes in different activities within an exciting environment. Finally, the poem they have created at the end has helped them summarize the whole lesson in a very effective way.
The participants in this facilitated learning experience had experienced the Active Deep Learner experience and enjoyed a workshop that they have described as; “never attended a similar one before”. However, since the only suitable timing for this facilitation has been on a holiday, the participants at the beginning have shared sad and angry emoji as they complained of being loaded with work even on their holidays. During the training, the trainees have enjoyed group work, roleplay, singing, & poetry activities and consequently have showed totally different emotions before they have left. I used with them one energizer “Indian Chief” game as well as hats of the 6 colors, papers, cards, crayons, pencils, pens, blue tack, happy faces badges for each participant’s name, power point slideshow, and projector.
Participants have been so glad to attend such a workshop that has implemented the FIRST Framework; they explained that “this workshop has been extremely different than any other one”. They have described it as “very fruitful since they have received the information very smoothly forgetting about being in a classroom”. They “loved the fun activities that have mirrored real-life situations”. One of the participants said that “when she came back home, she was very optimistic and was thinking of how to apply what she has learned, and how she is going to help her students overcome some of their problems using the “6 Thinking Hats” strategy”. In fact, I have received a lot of other similar feedbacks that have all showed excitement and readiness to attend more and more likewise facilitations.