As I reflect over my own teaching experience, and having seen many student course evaluations for other professors over the years, I am beginning to realize that many of us miss the boat in clarifying our own role in the classroom. Instead, we rely on assumptions about teaching, education and students. For example, if I view myself as a facilitator for student's developing practice skills in a course, I will structure a course in which I take on a role more like a coach. If I do not communicate this clearly to students they may become frustrated by me not taking on a traditional "teacher in the front" approach to the course.
Learning in an online setting is successful when the course design and structure is organized well and is user friendly, and when the professor is clear about their contribution to their role in student learning. Smith poses the question, "What is it that learners can learn from you that they cannot get from any other source?" She urges that the professor communicate clearly about their contribution to the course. The professor is an expert in the content area and can facilitate good learning by utilizing appropriate technologies and pedagogy.
Abby, while reading this I thought of something that Ethan Brue had told my wife one time (and that she liked enough to pass on to me): "The best learning happens when you [the instructor] disappear from the classroom." And he elaborated by saying that the students learn best when the teaching is not about you in any way. I thought of this quote again when I read your first paragraph ("if we focus on ourselves as teachers or on the content, we momentarily forget to focus on student learning").
ReplyDeleteLove that! Sounds like Ethan. :) Nothing makes me happier than when students get so caught up in learning that they forget about me.
ReplyDelete