After working through the readings and other assignments in
module 1 of OL 101, I’m recognizing a couple of deepened habits. These are
habits that I have as a teacher, but they are being deepened as I learn how to
work through the preparation and teaching of an online course. Both of them are
forms of a kind of master habit for teachers: experiencing a course from
multiple angles at once. We have to become precise and confident in our
precision about the concepts or data or whatever constitutes the content of the
course. We have to think about how this fits into the broader discipline and
within the institutional priorities. We have to feel through our own passions in
relationship to all of this. All of this happens through the course of
teaching, and is required at every layer of the teaching life.
But what I’m becoming aware of working through the course
from the angle of the students. I don’t mean keeping the students in mind at
all time by paying attention to learning styles or responding appropriately to
student requests. I mean approaching the class as a student and a teacher at
the same time. In part it means always asking myself what I would need if I
were entering this class, if I knew what they knew. So, be sure to give clear
directions on how to use Jing or how to do something with Google. But, more
fundamentally, I’m asking myself how I can learn with the students. There are
lighter and heavier versions of this. Learning through discussion with students
is probably the easiest. I’m looking forward to this – learning from students
who have some trouble really offering themselves in a F2F course. The heavier
versions would involve doing the same projects with students. This is too
time-consuming to be sustained throughout a course, but it could be done
selectively. For me, since I’m learning how to teach online, this will be
naturally part of the process at first.
Also, working alongside student as a student is only of the
roles a teacher plays. The article by Bull (“Eight Rules of an Effective Online
Teacher”) mentioned that the professor plays the role of a social butterfly, maintaining
contact with each of the students and each of the student groups. That was
helpful to me, but I think a better word for what is named is a host. A social
butterfly might buzz around a room, taking in as many relationships as possible
without wanting to bring deeper connections within the group. A responsible
host, I think, listens, takes in, learns with the students as a student and has
the premier responsibility to help the participants connect with each other
over their shared object of attention. Showing up and taking in what’s happening
is a basic responsibility – I can sense that now. But I’m also a host. I’m not
quite sure what that means in practice. However, I appreciate its importance
all the way through the course: from the initial planning to the conclusion.
I often do the same projects my students do, sometimes as a way of demonstrating how to do something, but other times to give an example of sort of what my expectations are. I wouldn't do this if there was a right and wrong answer, but with project that involve a lot of creativity and personal application, I have found that students appreciate the modeling.
ReplyDeleteIn the area of educational technology, things change fast, and I have more and more difficulty trying to keep up. I let my students know that I'm not an expert in everything and that we will be learning from each other. Some students just can't accept that I am not an expert in everything we do in class, but I don't worry about them.
I agree that the term "social butterfly" sounds a bit too detached and flighty. I really like your suggestion of "host." So would that make students our guests? If that's the case, then we would want them to feel comfortable and welcomed and wanting to keep coming back.
Hi Keith, thanks for sharing. I agree with your concept of being aware of the student’s perspective and taking it into consideration in how we teach the course. I think in a F2F course it would be a lot easier to assemble an idea of how the students are perceiving your course, but in an online format this ability to read students is virtually eliminated. Therefore the need to consider how we teach, the work we assign, and the support we provide the students to ensure their success. I think it is a great idea to do as much of the work you ask your students to do (initially) to not only refresh your own knowledge, but to also ensure the project accomplishes what you thought it would.
ReplyDeleteI do like your label of “host” better than “social butterfly.” I truly believe being a host requires us to be aware of the other students and their needs while trying to accommodate them within reason.
How to become a data scientist, Thanks for taking the time to discuss this, I feel strongly about it and love learning more on this topic. If possible, as you gain expertise, would you mind updating your blog with extra information? It is extremely helpful for me.
ReplyDelete