Facilitator Guide: Aboriginal Health Module

Those interested in general instructions on facilitating online learning can refer to the Facilitators’ Guide for the Rural and Remote Practice Module. Some specific considerations for the Aboriginal Health Module are outlined below.

1. Reading Room
2. Sharing Circles

Web quests are opportunities for your learners to use their critical appraisal skills to assess resources found on the internet. Emphasize that, in most cases, there is no 'right' document or website that the quest is asking them to find but that some resources are of better quality than others and they will all reflect a particular subject position (including government documents).

Sharing Circles are a common teaching method used by Aboriginal Peoples’. Participants are seated in a Circle and there is a facilitator who is often known as the conductor. The conductor begins the activity by setting the focus and tone of the session. For example: in Module One of the Aboriginal Health modules, the facilitator may begin by introducing the Intended Learning outcomes and commenting on his/her own personal experience or understanding of the issues. Once the facilitator has completed the introduction the participants are invited to share their experience, learning or understanding of the material.

The discussion moves systematically around the Circle – in a virtual Circle the facilitator will identify you by name and you will be expected to contribute something to the discussion. You can pass until the facilitator comes back “around” to you. It is the intention that whatever is important to your own learning is what is shared. Everyone will come to the session with something different and therefore you will gain a tremendous variety of knowledge and discussion opportunity in one session.

The facilitator may limit individual speaking times in virtual Circle however in face-to-face Circles participants can speak for as long as they need to. Sometimes the facilitator will “go around” a few times to make sure everyone has additional opportunities to add to the various discussions.