Improvement of Facilitation and Management Skills by Whole Systems Approach

The whole systems approach (WSA) is a generic term for varieties of methods such as Open Space Technology, Appreciative Inquiry, World Café and so on, which are commonly based on dialogue and attach great importance to communication among all stakeholders. It is widely introduced in the business scene for the purpose of organization reform, making innovative team and so on. The WSA has been introduced to reconsider the role of teacher and to introduce the rational educational policy intended to the PBL classes in NIT, Tsuruoka college. For this purpose, we held a workshop for the teachers in charge of the PBL classes. Through the workshop, the teachers could learn the essence of the WSA, focusing on “Being” aspect of facilitators and teachers. In the next step, they try to introduce its know-how in the classes. This activity apparently improves the teacher’s approach to the classes and quality of communications among teachers and students.