The relevance of the article is due to the duration of distance learning caused by the pandemic and the full-scale invasion of the russian federation, as well as the challenge that Ukrainian teachers face with a specific phenomenon – the social atomisation of students and a lack of teamwork skills. The article examines the method of facilitation as a pedagogical tool for organising and supporting the process of team building in study groups. The purpose of the article is to study the essence and potential of facilitation in the process of team building in groups of higher education students. Taking into account the stated purpose of the publication, the tasks are: 1) to substantiate the role of the teacher-facilitator; 2) to identify the effective components of the facilitation method for forming a cohesive, productive learning team. It is indicated that in the process of facilitating team building during higher education, the teacher-facilitator plays one of two main roles. It is emphasised that they apply S. Kaner’s model, which represents a transition from divergent to convergent thinking and involves the stages of group dynamics described in B.W. Tuckman’s model. The study concludes that in today’s dynamic world, the ability to work in a team is one of the key competencies of a higher education graduate, as modern society demands specialists who are ready to work in a team, think creatively and make collective decisions. It is noted that the spontaneous grouping of higher education students does not guarantee effective cooperation and team building. The value of facilitation in this context is that it emerges as a pedagogical technology of cooperation aimed at creating an environment in which higher education students independently form values, make decisions, resolve conflicts and build team interaction. Facilitation of team building is not only a learning technology, but also the value basis of a new pedagogical culture.

Key words: facilitation, facilitator, team building, higher education, group dynamics.

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