Metaphors of the Educator in the Digital Age
Siemens (2008) stated that the digital age has opened completely new doors to learning opportunities with participative tools and greater and easier access to information by learners. A new environment calls for a new role for the educator in the digital age. Describing possible roles, Siemens provided four metaphors of educators, all which include and lean more toward the constructivism perspective (versus instructivism).
The four metaphors as listed seem to fall on a spectrum of high to low in the amount of constructivism. The first metaphor, the Master Artist (atelier model) places the emphasis on the learner creating in an open space. The description put the image in my mind of a blank sheet that is created from the learners mind without direction or interference of the Master. Yet the fourth metaphor of the curator is a balance of using the curator’s expertise and fostering learner discovery. This metaphor “understands the frustration of exploring unknown territory without a map” (p. 17). In other words, it does not start with a blank page.
For me, the key to Siemens (2008) metaphors is in his introduction when he stated, “each approach may have value in different contexts” (p. 15). If I had to choose a metaphor, I would use Siemens suggestion of considering the context. I think younger, elementary learners may benefit more from a curator while university level learners may glean more from the Master Artist. As well, learning basic factual information may be more efficient and effective in a curator led environment.
If I were to come up with a metaphor, I would use a banker metaphor that would perhaps cover the spectrum of Master Artist through Curator. A banker allows simple deposits and withdrawals, which is equivalent to questions and answers, back and forth interaction, and direct instruction as needed. The deposits and withdrawals are the baseline level of learning (and banking). But building on that are CDs, Money Markets, and other ways for a learner to implement creative use of their money (what they have learned) and to learn the results of their choices. Then the next level is investment in the stock market. Much like the concierge metaphor, the banker provides the learner with possibilities, and the learner explores, invests, orchestrates, and creates his portfolio of learning. From here, much like the Master Artist, once a portfolio of learning is established (good investments, growth, earnings), the possibilities are endless. Lastly in this metaphor, the stock market depends on the global economy and learning in the digital age is a global activity.
Here is an interesting metaphor of the teacher as the skipper of a yacht, where the students visit new places, learn new skills, and learn new processes. The journey is the curriculum and the skipper sets the course. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaTjeJEiO74&NR=1
Siemens, G. (2008). Learning and knowing in networds: Changing roles for educators and designers. Paper presented to ITFORUM. Retrieved from http://it.coe.uga.edu/itforum/Paper105/Siemaens.pdf
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8 comments:
I hadn't thought of the different metaphors for different levels of education and can agree with your thoughts on changing as you deal with different aged students. However, I also think that different projects require different metaphors as the requirements from the teachers are quite different.
Koh,
You have hit on the key point Seimen’s makes in drawing metaphors, no one metaphor really covers teacher. I like your banker and sailor comparisons. I opted for a maestro. Though each can illustrate certain or even several aspects of the roles a teacher must fulfill to provide optimal learning experiences for a variety of learners, there are too many different roles for any one metaphor to do justice to this challenging and rewarding line of work.
Scott
Scott & Agapejen
After reading your responses, indeed, it starts to become clearer to me that the good news is that we are all now seeing how the role of "teacher" must change. Using the use of a metaphor scheme, I think we are all in the process of building Noah's ark. We are not quite sure where the journey will take us. But at least we realize we need to create and build something and not just keep our definition of teachers status quo.
Koh
Koh,
I like the idea of using a metaphor which encompasses the ability to shift and be flexible. It seems these are beneficial traits for any instructor, at any level. I especially feel any instructors utilizing differentiated learning techniques would need a strong portfolio of options to help there students. I also like your focus on creating a foundation of basics upon which students can construct further knowledge.
Also, your final metaphor relating current trends in our global economy with those in global learning was very nice.
Extending your metaphor, the banker often gets paid interest on a client's investments. The better the investments perform, the more the banker gets paid. In the case of a teacher, the better our students perform, the more return we receive. I most cases the return is not money, rather the gratification of knowing another student became successful.
Brad
Koh,
Let me try this again :) I had commented a couple of days ago, but when I got back on, it is not here. I am new to the blog experience and I guess I did something wrong :) I will try to remember my previous thoughts.
I liked the banker metaphor. I also like how you compared and contrasted your thoughts with the works of Siemen. I got a really good feel for how the learner would acquire information, but was left wondering about the facilitator's role in the process. I also like how you tied it into the global economy which is such a relevant current event.
Your example also is outlined with scaffolding which I believe makes a learning process smooth and long lasting.
I think it is important for us to look at all the metaphors so that we can meet our students needs. If we are educated on the different types of learning and teaching styles that will provide more resoruces for instruction. We have to find a balance between all so that we can meet all the different learners in our classes. I like your comparision to a banker. What teachers don't realize is the withdrawals we often make without making deposits. And we would have to take into consideration what has been taking from our students outside of our class.
Hi Koh,
I like the way you synthesized and created your own metaphor. Metaphorically speaking, the experience of a teacher is that of a tightrope walker, spanning great distances but matching his approach to the situation. It is a high stress job, but one that transforms all participants. A really good one can get you into the moment like no other. Making the moment and experience exciting. Bringing the audience of learners into the moment and getting them involved rather than making them passive recipients of learning.
Siemens goes beyond a flat interpretation with his metaphors into a complex and multi-level description of teacher and learner interaction. It is very good. I agree with it mostly, however I think that in different situations and with different classes, I am sometimes fulfilling different roles. It is also subject-dependent at times to how the teacher will approach the class. We are not always a curator; some days we are a concierge. I like the eclectic approach.
Thanks all for your great comments and extending the metaphor. I sit here in amazement at how much the role of the educator is indeed changing since we were all once in elementary school and probably even since we were in undergrad.
Koh
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