Siemens (2008) metaphors of educators all provide opportunity for the learner to explore as an individual the learning topic. However, where I notice the difference is the educator as master and educator as network administrator seem to encourage more collaboration among the learners. The educator as master metaphor discusses a studio environment where students can view each other’s work and consult with each other (Siemens, 2008). The educator as a network administrator discusses connecting students to learning networks (Siemens, 2008). As organizations are restructuring their physical work environment to encourage collaboration among employees it would seem this is an important skill that must be developed in our students. P21.org lists collaboration as one of the 4C’s for student emphasis. The educator as concierge and educator as curator do not appear to place emphasis on collaboration. Students in these environments may be more likely to learn what the educator want students to learn in a direct manner. While the educator as master and educator as network administrator students may take a more circuitous route through knowledge.
As I think about each of these educator roles I can see myself functioning in each role. As I know there is no one way that all students learn I also feel there is no one way to present all materials. As an educator I find that I have used each of these roles in my classroom. Currently I teach a program that it is important that students find their own way. Sometimes I ask only questions and have them explore, others I point them in the right direction and still others I provide the resource I want them to use while they are exploring and forming their base knowledge. I don’t learn everything the same way, why would I expect my students to?
Siemens, G. (2008, January). Learning and knowing in networks: Changing roles for educators and designers. Paper presented to ITFORUM. Retrieved from http://it.coe.uga.edu/itform/Paper105/Siemens.pdf.
I think the beauty of metaphors is that they offer the instructor many options to convey concepts, as well as measure change. For instance, you can always adapt the metaphor to reframe the outlook of a problems using humor, where you the instructor can see a bug with boots as a way to view a difficult situation.
ReplyDeleteDavid Davis
http://edtechlearningtheory8845-2.blogspot.com/
Iagree that the educator needs to be able to become each of the metaphors, depending on the students, the material, and the objectives, no one metaphor works for all situations.
ReplyDeleteHi Carol,
ReplyDeleteI agree to what you have mentioned in the last paragraph of your post that an instructor functions in all the roles that George Siemens has mentioned in his article.
Should the instructor choose the role randomly or change the role periodically or should it depend upon the concept being taught? OR should it depend on the group of students being taught? Please share your insight.
Hi Anwar,
DeleteI would have to say the role chosen depends on both the concept and the group of students. I know I have my favorite ways to explain particular concepts but sometimes it just doesn't work with that group of students and I need to change it up.
Hi Carol,
ReplyDeleteThe metaphors George Siemens talks about all seem to have relevance to me also. I am quite partial to the Educator as Concierge for it speaks of a soft-quidance in a blended-learning environment. With the incorporation of traditional lectures and allowing learners to learn on their own, the concierge can make a recipe of their traditional pedagogy with online research strategies. In my opinion, this is most important for the next undergraduate levels of study. All in all, it would dare to say it is important to recognize what you, as an educator, are trying to accomplish to figure out what is the best role, or metephor to play out. Which metephor do you most commonly see yourself in in your classroom? Nice post.
Tim
Hi Tim,
DeleteIf I had to choose a role I would have to choose either network administrator or concierge. Since I work with HS Juniors and Seniors one of my goals is to help them see they need to be Lifelong Learners. Those two roles seem to allow me to guide them gently but also allow them to take ownership of what they are learning. The ownership piece is very important.
So true, Carol. Some student prefer lecture. Some do not. If a student prefers one way over another, its becasue they learned better that way. I try and gauge what promotes ideal learning for the majority of my students. Sure it causes more work for me to constantly develop alternative lessons, I would say, every three months, but we have rolling enrollment, and our program is not that long. Do you find yourself leaning more toward say, concierge, because it allows for you to still have a finger on the pulse of how the learning process develops, or are the student pretty much self-suffient and autonomous learners?
ReplyDeleteSuzanne,
DeleteI would love to say my students are autonomous learners, but generally they are not. So yes, I find myself guiding, perhaps more than I would like to, but hope by the end of the year I'm guiding less and less.
A population that rolls every three months? You must have a huge bag of tricks. Quite often I hear that how a student learns is affected by age, I'm not always sure that is true. I think the older population just figured out how to learn one way because that was their only option. Students today, enter into a more tolerant learning environment (I hope) and as teachers we more readily acknowledge the differences. But I wonder if there are cultural differences in how students learn?
Sorry about that. The GED program is supposed to be no longer than 9months, however, students are in our program for up to 2 years. We are constantly getting new students, so I have to review what lessons will work for the majority of students, and still come up with something more pertinent to the individual. That's why I say, every three months. And yes. I think culture has a lot to do with how students are initially open to be taught. In formal education, they are not only learning new skills, they are being exposed to a variety of ways of receiving knowledge, ways that may be as foreign to them as another language.
ReplyDelete