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Art Facilitation
Assignment- Lesson Plan
The facilitation took place with a group of adults with a
range of physical and intellectual disabilities from a local Centre. The adults were aged eighteen years and
older.
Sharry (2007) shows that a facilitators role is to organise
an activity that allows for people to come together and work with each
other. The aim of our facilitation was
to create a tranquil environment which was encouraging, welcoming and
stimulating. As the main facilitators we
hoped to design activities that would promote and enhance communication and
interactive skills, to work on a one-one basis and create a result that was person
centred. We hoped to allow for the
participants the opportunity to express themselves in an artistic setting in
which they felt safe and encouraged.
As a group we met to discuss the facilitation, to storm
ideas and decide how best to implement the activity. We decided that it would be best to create
three different activities for the day, so as to allow the clients an
opportunity to have a choice, to ensure participation by all and to ensure that
enjoyment was had by all. We decided
that it would be a good idea to add some soothing music on the day as this
would help to calm nerves and creating a relaxing feel to the room.
The three activities we decided upon were creating Person
Centred Planning (PCP) Books, Material design and skittles. The group was unsure of how the facilitation
would be received by the participants, would it be something that they would
enjoy, would it be too difficult or too easy, we decided to contact the
participants’ supervisor before the day of the facilitation to inform them of
our plans in hope of receiving suggestions.
It also allowed for us to gain a greater insight to the groups
capabilities, likes and dislikes. The
ideas were very well received and we were given permission to advance forward
without any changes.
Materials
Required:
For PCP Books:
Large sheets of different coloured paper
Arrange of different material, Markers, Glue, scissors,
colouring pencils, paint, paintbrushes, leaves,
We decided on this activity as we felt it would provide an
opportunity to break the natural shyness of some of the clients as they would
hopefully feel comfortable within a personalised situation thus creating an
environment of free flowing conversation and ease. We also thought that it was beneficial in
promoting their fine motor and creativity skills.
When the group arrived we explained and demonstrated the
activity, we were nervous about the facilitation as we didn’t know if they
would enjoy it or if they fully understood what was required to complete the
activity. We were relieved to see that
they were interested in participating as they began searching and selecting the
different materials which lay on the table.
Each PCP Book contained the clients name on the cover and a personalised
imaged designed by him/her, the inside pages contained images and designs which
appealed to each person’s personality and character i.e. music, movies,
flowers, hearts, etc. It created an
opportunity in which the client was able to discuss factors about themselves
for example their hobbies, favourite foods, pets, etc.
Through interacting with each client on an individual basis
we were able to discover their likes and dislikes and help them to create their
PCP Book. The participants seemed to
enjoy the activity and were excited about the outcome; it was clear to see that
they enjoyed it as it helped to ease the shyness of some of the clients and
encouraged a flow of conversation and interaction.
Pillowcases, assortment of different types of material,
glue, scissors, beads, stickers, paintbrushes
This activity was based around a Halloween theme. As it was
coming closer to that time of year, we felt that it would encourage the clients
to become active and excited about their involvement in the activity. Each
person was given a twelve inch cut out of a pillowcase which they were allowed
to decorate in any way which appealed to them as individuals. We cut out pieces
of paper shaped as ghosts, pumpkins, witches, etc. and at their request, drew
more pictures for them on their pillowcase, and assisted them with writing
phrases such as “trick r’ treat”. We
felt that they truly enjoyed this activity as they started to talk about their
Halloween costumes and their favourite Halloween games. Each member seemed to be proud of their
designs and wanted to show the rest of the group what they had created. This
activity also allowed for individual expression through art, as the selected
drawings and materials were to their own individual liking and choosing. This
was evident when all the participants were searching for different materials,
paints and images to create their own unique portrait. When everyone was
finished their designs, we attached each of them to a large curtain, which can
be hung at the participants’ Centre.
For Skittles:
Plastic Bottles, paper, pebbles, rice, pasta, Ball,
scoreboard, paint, glue, scissors,
This activity was designed as a cool down activity but it
also allowed for the promotion of hand and eye coordination and balance. The students didn’t have to design anything
only throw the ball and try to knock down the home made pins made by each
member of the group. We kept a
scoreboard and allowed for the activity to become a competition which
encouraged greater performances from each of the clients. We hoped that it would also aid in
demonstrating the importance of team work, cooperation, different personalities
and successful interaction and communication between everyone involved.
The facilitation was successful, we felt that they
participants really enjoyed the day and were excited to bring their creations
home. As we had met the group previously
for other facilitations it was nice to see that they felt more at ease with us
and felt confident in asking questions and talking to each member. The participants felt more comfortable in the
room and moved around freely, compared to the very first day of facilitation
when the occupants didn’t change activities until they were asked and
encouraged to do so. We had also changed
the layout and activities to better suit the needs of those who were unable to
cooperate successfully and had trouble in completing the activities on the
first day of facilitation. In doing this
activity again we learned that in planning group activities all personal needs
and abilities must be taken in to account and planned for.
Overall the activity was victorious; we were able to observe
as each participant flourished and progressed in not only their interaction and
communication skills, but also in their creative abilities and thinking.
