"In DE an instructor’s role is that of a guide. Instead of ‘teaching’ students the material, instructors instead guide students (student – instructor interaction) on their exploration of the content encouraging them to interact individually (student – content) or collaboratively (social learning or peer to peer interaction) to develop and construct their own unique knowledge base" (Anderson, 2003, p.132).
I have never really thought of my online instructor as a guide, but maybe Anderson brought up a good point to ponder for all online students. Does it make an instructor less of a teacher s/he is not really standing in front of you?
In a way, it does. I have never really differentiate between guide vs. teaching when I view my online instructor. Regardless of whether the instructor is standing in front of me with a chalk in his hand or not, an online instructor is basically a teacher.
But I guess this is where it gets confusing. Does proclaiming him a teacher the same as teaching? He could be my teacher, but he is not teaching, instead he is just guiding me through the textbooks and to where I should be heading to for other important resources.
Did I lose you with my thoughts? Maybe, because I'm a little confused myself. Do we need the person to be standing in front of the blackboard with chalks all over his fingers in order to consider him a teacher instead of a guide?
It's up to all of us to decide.
I think what they are describing is not necessarily a guide in the sense of what one thinks of as say a guide through a museum. There is a term called "guided inquiry" which is used in the learner centered approach. This is where the "teacher" will ask questions that prompt the "learner" to go down a path (hopefully) to find the information necessary to complete a task. For example (very basic), rather than tell the student to open a document, select File, Page Setup, put mouse in the appropriate fields and set the margins to 1" each, the teacher may say where in this applicataion might you change your margins? As we know, applications often have multiple paths to the same end. If they are unsure the teacher might prompt them by saying "do you know where the Page Setup Options are" (guided inquiry). Again, this is very basic, but it's what comes to my mind.
ReplyDeleteHmm, you bring up a good clarification. Maybe the "guide" they're talking about isn't what I thought it to be. I guess it depends on what definition of "guide" you are using in this matter.
ReplyDeleteDon't you just love the English language?
ReplyDelete