This document discusses online facilitation and discourse analysis. It analyzes a project called "Experimonth" that aimed to facilitate online discussions. The analysis found that invitations and connecting ideas and people were effective facilitation moves for promoting change. It also found that developing a sense of "groupness" is important for success in online environments. The document outlines different types of facilitation moves and discusses how facilitation can promote learning through heightened awareness, sharing, and meaningful conversation.

1. http://facilitation.matrix.msu.edu/

27. Understanding Online Interaction
In Facilitation, our investigation of online activity also relied on
discourse analysis to characterize that activity:
Change
• Change in action, thinking or
values
• Sympathy or empathy that shows
a change in thought or feeling
• Use of technical or scientific
concepts or language
• Other change move
Learning Discourse
Environment
Claim
Citing authority
Citing evidence
Explanations
Articulation of shared roles or
experiences
• Invocation of place, evidence, or
status
• Use of values, affect, or
technology
• Other DE move
•
•
•
•
•
Facilitation
• Introducing ideas
• Suggesting follow up actions
• Demonstrating sympathy or
empathy
• Demonstrating respect for
perspective or identity
• Invitations (to connect, to
develop ideas)
• Redirection
• Provocation
• Construction of connection
between ideas or people

28. Preliminary Findings
There are three facilitation moves that are associated with
change:
1. Invitations
2. Construction of connections between people and
ideas
Groups matter. Achieving some level of “groupness” is likely
necessary for success in online environments.
“Experimonth itself” has agency:
1. Activities that create heightened awareness
2. Activities that ask people to share
3. Technology and cultures that allow for meaningful
conversations to happen
4. Experimonth facilitators

29. Facilitation Moves and Learning
Beck: Rode - I wonder how this treatment of humor jives with the
"We're a Culture, Not a Costume" discussion we were having over
at Shutterbug?
Ronelle: Beck, I thought about that when I posted it. I think that
in doing this experimonth it has led us to notice this or be
more hyper aware of the things and images around us.
It has sparked conversations and led me to ask questions about
myself, to identify the things about myself that may be racist or that I
may take offense to.
This was something that made me laugh a little and made me also
loosen up.

30. Facilitation Moves and Learning
Beck: Tamberly - This question reminded me of The Invisible
Knapsack, which a friend shared with me a long time ago.
http://www.library.wisc.edu/edvrc/docs/public/pdfs/LIReadings/In
Tamberly: This was an interesting article.
It made me wonder what can be done to begin to
unravel these intertwined belief systems to get to a place
where everyone is on equal footing.
It also made me wonder if it can ever happen as most in
power don't see reason to relinquish it :/

31. Groupness
•
•
•
•
Groupness is an event and process. Sometimes it
happens, sometimes it doesn’t. There is both growth and
decay, life and death.
We see indicators of groupness in activity. Many but not
all acts of groupness are communicative or
communication practices are the sources for indicators of
groupness.
Moves to set boundaries—we moments, us and them
moments, and so on—are important indicators.
Also important are things that are shared: norms,
practices, identities, emotions, ideas, values, work (this list
is not intended to be exhaustive).

32. Facilitation Toolbox
http://facilitation.matrix.msu.edu/

33. http://facilitation.matrix.msu.edu/