I wrote this piece about the relative roles of teacher and learner a couple years ago and I think it still holds true:
If the role of the teacher is to provide the bridge, the the role of the learner must be to identify those bridges which are useful in some way and use them. On the face of it, this seems like a no-brainer. But trying to dig into the idea becomes a frustrating exercise in teasing out the skills from the roles. This is particularly true when we start talking about oxymorons like “online learning.”
phaedrus » Blog Archive » The Learner.
October 11th, 2008 at 10:32 am
It is hard to identify things that someone would need, if you are not in the same physical location. distance/online learning may accomplish a few objectives for the learning in aquiring skills, but the complete picture of the learner’s own objectives in selecting his bridges may not completely be accomplished if he solely relies on online learning.
October 11th, 2008 at 11:07 am
“[T]he complete picture of the learner’s own objectives in selecting his bridges may not completely be accomplished if he solely relies on online learning.”
Most certainly. But given that the learner is the one who makes the decision, there’s no distance possible.
And “online learning” IS an oxymoron, so relying on an inherent paradox as a strategy for acquiring knowledge would be counter indicated.
October 12th, 2008 at 7:49 am
I agree that the learner must must identify the bridges that are useful to them. I think that this can be looked at in small pieces and big chunks. I teach first grade and some think that first graders have to know everything that the teachers chooses to teach them. Sure they learn how to read and learn how to add and subtract but there is more to it. I teach my students several ways to to do addition and subtraction. They choose which was or ways work for them. After I have taught them the different strategies for solving the problems they are free to decide what works best for them. As a teacher I cannot possibly look at my students and know how their brain works. They almost immediately know which way they will use when they see it.
In online courses I take on the role of a student and I choose bridges I cross. I’ve had some classes that were so meaningless that I just stood in the middle of the bridge to get my A because I was gettting nothing out of the class. In some classes though I have crossed the bridge and continue to use the resources that I learned.
October 12th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
In terms of online education, I think that “learners” can develop skills and take on roles. If we take on the role of learner, I think we simply do what is expected and no more–maybe less. We know what is expected and we make no attempt to develop the “skills” to learn at a higher level. If we actually develop learner skills, we actually use what we are learning at a high level and apply it even after the class is over.