Organization name: Facilitating Reflection: A Manual for Leaders and Educators (published by the John Dewey Project on Progressive Education at the University of Vermont)

Web site: http://www.uvm.edu/~dewey/reflection_manual/

Where are they working? (country/region): Vermont, USA

What professional development programs related to peace education do they offer? (program names, content):

According to their website, this manual is “designed for educators and leaders of service groups who have an interest and a commitment to provide reflection opportunities for students and community partners alike. College professors, K-12 teachers, community organization leaders, and leaders of service organizations have all found, ‘Facilitating Reflection: A Manual for Leaders and Educators,’ a useful supplement to their work.”

The manual includes general information about facilitating reflection as an educational technique, including what attitudes and dynamics are conducive to reflection as well as possible barriers and techniques to use to create safe spaces and troubleshoot difficult situations that may arise.

It also includes activities, questions, and discussion starters that facilitators can use.

What are their best practices? What can we learn from them?

This manual is essentially a crash-course in facilitating reflective discussion among participants in service-learning activities. It provides detailed step-by step instructions and a variety of activities that can be tailored to different educational environments.

The details about how to identify barriers and how to deal with difficulties are particularly helpful for educators who are new to facilitating reflection and discussion. The manual gives a breakdown of why these difficult situations may occur and what steps facilitators can take in order to address potential problems.

It also gives background information about reflection as a way of learning, including outlining what facilitation is, and the basic communication techniques, attitudes, and group dynamics issues that are important for successful facilitators to understand.

This manual focuses in particular on facilitating reflection around service learning opportunities. However, it also includes elements that could be useful in other educational settings.

Do they charge for their services? If so, how much?

The manual is free on the website.