Coming from an early childhood education background, and working now as a trainer for infant/toddler and preschool teachers, I am often reminding teaching staff that nurturing and responsive relationships provide the foundation for learning for young children. I was naturally struck then by Wegerif’s description of the online learning process as a “social experience.” That as an adult learner, it is equally important to feel a sense of belonging to a community of learners for in the process of collaboration, learning happens.
Moore states that in online education there is a notion of “transactional distance.” Reflecting on Wegerif’s point, I think that the role of the instructor in minimizing this transactional distance requires that the instructor is aware that there is more than the two-way interaction that McKeachie describes occurring in a class. Rather there is a three-way interaction (at least) between the instructor and the learner and the learner among the other learners. The role of the instructor shifts from facilitating a dialogue between the learner and herself to facilitating a conversation among the learners in the class. This is not to say that the instructor need not develop individual relationships with each learner. If anything, the depth of the individual relationships may need to be even more intensive and intentional in an online setting, so that the instructor can draw on the strengths of each learner (the class) to become the expert and authority. In so doing, the instructor is functioning as a coach to each learner by being able to provide reflective feedback, which then personalizes the instruction for the learner. Therefore, one of the primary goals for the instructor is to build a sense of community for the online class by helping the learners see how they learn best when they learn from each other.
I believe Wegerif’s point has implications for the role of the learner, as well. I think I have always thought of learning for my own gain—to learn a subject matter that interests me, to get good grades to move ahead, etc. But collaborative learning requires me to think about learning not only for my own good, but for the good of my fellow learners (the class). I learn and do my best, so that I have something to contribute from which others may learn and vice versa. For this to happen, the learner needs to be self-reflective—able to recognize her strengths and areas of challenge. Given the multiple modalities utilized in an online class, the learner should also realize her learning style and explore her multiple intelligences. Fortunately, the online learning environment is conducive to fostering self-reflection.
Having to rethink the roles of the instructor and the learner for an online class, I am curious to know what a dynamic instructor might be like. Also I wonder whether the student composition of the class affects the class’ ability to transcend to this higher point of collective learning.
Helga,
ReplyDeleteI posted a comment on your blog, but I don't think it got published so I am trying again. I appreciated that you shared your early education background in your blog - it gave your thoughts context for me. I found your idea that online learning fosters self-reflection compelling. I plan to think more about that as I go through our class.
Thanks,
Marcia
Reading your piece made me think about adult learners vs. children as students who will enjoy and benefit from a highly interactive learning environment. As I’ve said, I’m don’t know anything about adult learning theory, but it certainly makes sense that adults, with their store of personal experiences and acquired knowledge, would both have more to share with their classmates and more interest in sharing than children. By making an adult learning environment interactive, the instructor allows everyone to benefit from the many experiences and potential sources of expertise that are gathered in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteHallie
I enjoyed your blog!
ReplyDeleteI'll be interested as the class goes on to benefit from your ideas of what a dynamic instructor might look like. Be sure to share ideas in your CIQs and in your blog space. I'm also interested in continuing to hear your ideas about how learning in the online format can foster self-reflection and your thoughts on how I might encourage that reflection as an instructor.
I'm so glad to hear you understanding how important sharing your learning and questions in the class is to the other members of the class. I consider myself more a facilitator of learning than an "imparter" of information. So you are correct, that there is a triangle of learning. Instructor to learner, learners to each other and learners back to the instructor. I learn as much through the teaching experience as you all do!
Thank you for sharing! I'm interested to hear more of your thoughts
Kiki
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ReplyDeleteHi Helga:
ReplyDeleteI was very interested in your comments because they were very similar to mine. I also referenced Wegerif and reflected on the importance of community and the social dimensions of learning.
My work in higher education, both with traditional and non-traditional adult learners, has made me aware of the emotional aspects of learning. While we may tend to think of learning as a purely rational activity because it involves the brain, the one's emotions play a key role in how we learn. If you are feeling unsafe and insecure in your class, whether you are a child or an adult, it can be difficult to pay attention or stay focused. Also, the matter of trust is another aspect of the lerning process that may be overlooked. For instance, trust comes into play in the extent to which students may feel that a particular instructor has credibility or not, and so on.
Thanks for expressing your personal thoughts regarding collaborative learning and the role of the learner.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your post, I began to reflect upon my own thoughts, which helped me clarify my own ideas and opinions about collaborative learning. I also realized that this assignment, writing and responding to a blog post, is a good example of collaborative learning.
I view collaborative learning as an opportunity for an exchange of ideas between learners; a form of brainstorming where the learner is not limited to a single perspective (one’s own), but can be enriched by the variety of ideas, thoughts, interpretations, and opinions of others. I believe that this exchange of ideas helps learners crystallize their thoughts and clarify their own opinions.
In response to your questioning, “whether the student composition of the class affects the class’ ability to transcend to this higher point of collective learning”, my opinion is the following. I think that the make up of the group with their varied levels of motivation, knowledge, enthusiasm, and experience will impact the learning environment and outcome. Being an optimist, I would like to think that whatever the student composition there are always positive opportunities for learning.