This article is the second in a series. The first article is: Together We Learn (Part I).
I was recently asked about the ‘new’ degree programs that are proliferating on line and elsewhere recently. As somebody who has been facilitating learning at the college level since 1973, as well as participating in a variety of non-traditional approaches to learning, I did have some thoughts on the subject. Here they are:
Together We Learn,
Each in His/Her Own Way
‘Non-traditional’ methods have always been around in education. I know that sounds like an oxymoron, but the reality is that people have always explored new ways to improve the speed at which we can absorb new ideas, and put them into practice. Good teachers of every grade level experiment nearly every day with new methods and materials in their classrooms. And they get daily experience with the unrelenting fact that each of their students has a different personal style.
History is full of examples of experimental education. Centuries ago, Socrates knew how to ask questions that inspired and provoked thought, but that was darn revolutionary to those more used to rote-memorization. On the other hand, Celtic bards developed a tradition of memorization and music that developed, preserved, and perpetuated their culture’s wisdom. For decades now, many university programs have given credit for ‘life studies.’ (i.e. The things you actually did at your job and other aspects of real life from which you learned.) So is there a ‘best’ way? Or is the bottom line combining all methods so that students can have options that best fit their individual styles?
Maybe we should note that it is not a dichotomy between ‘traditional’ and ‘new’. Truly traditional methods involved storytelling (i.e. sharing the experiences of elders, hunters, and workers), even dance, art, drama and role-playing through activities that mimicked real life tools and chores. Lectures in a crowded room are really a very modern invention, and a not very effective one at that!
Let’s see what happens if we define the traditional model this way: faculty knows the material, we learn by individually taking notes during lectures, and the only application really emphasized is that of being able to take a test and regurgitate what we heard. Sounds simple, right? Also sounds silly! Is that really all there is?
Such a model has failed miserably, to the detriment of many a student, especially those who approach the halls of education with a mind that already thinks and a set of experiences unlike anyone else’s. For years we’ve known that children all have different learning styles; that they each use a different pattern of senses and maybe even different areas of the brain and body to assimilate the material being presented. Now the time has come to apply that knowledge to the area of university studies.
Imagine designing a university that really helps the student learn. Such a vision immediately brings four areas of focus to mind: 1) how we learn –our own individual styles, 2) the role of the faculty, 3) whether we need to think about things learned alone or together with others, and 4) how we apply what we learn.
The process of education really exists as a series of events. First there is the activity itself, the experiencing of something new or something familiar from a new perspective. Second, there is the sharing of observations, which may include talking, publishing the written word, or even painting, singing, somehow doing what we learned, repeating the example but with our own stamp and elaboration. Third, there is the process of discussing and recognizing dynamics and patterns, and generalizing from these shared observations to develop new principles and insights. Finally there is the process of figuring out how to use these new concepts and insights, testing their applicability.
For a long time, the educators I know have often referred to ourselves as ‘facilitators’ rather than ‘teachers.’ Since the facilitator is an individual in and of him or her self, he or she cannot ‘know’ everything about the material, nor can one imagine in advance what means the students will use to ‘learn’ it or even what questions the students might ask. Lecturing and taking notes, while valuable, also take up time for those whose minds process in other ways than hearing, writing, and memorizing.
And then there’s the issue of how we learn alone or with others. Learning something alone then sharing it with others is one thing. But how much more productive to have the experience side-by-side with others who are experiencing it simultaneously! What better way to see new perspective than with others who see things differently than we see them. And what better way to exercise our cognitive and our social functioning than by sharing them in conjunction with the sharing of others. As each of us assimilates the new material in our own way, we have the advantage of sharing each person’s perspective. Their varying opinions and thoughts will help us to spark new insights and ideas inside ourselves.
And finally there’s the magic art of application. We know from research that problem solving and brainstorming often work far better in a group than within an individual stuck in her or his own bias, assumptions, and various mental ruts. Being afraid to try, or to try it differently is a major obstacle to applying knowledge, as are our doubts whether we can have the ability to accomplish something successfully. But in facilitated learning, you have already learned that no one person has all the answers at their fingertips, that other opinions and perspectives are valuable, and that you are a part of a larger picture with an infinite number of resources on which you can draw!
All in all, there are some major differences in the models of ‘facilitated’ education and ‘traditional’ education that greatly affect its impact on the student. It’s not the label that matters, it’s the beliefs and expectations about people that really make the difference. No matter how you set up organized ‘facilitated’ learning, it will be more effective if it embraces the core principles in those three areas: the role of the faculty as facilitator not know-it-all, how we learn through our own individual style and whether sharing that with others, and whether we are encouraged to apply what we learn with enthusiasm, variety, and experimentation.
Regardless of what we call it, the spirit of what we experience is what matters. Education tailored to each student’s growth, designed in collaboration with that individual student, in other words, a truly person-centered approach to education, is both healthier and more efficient, not just for the moment but also far into the future.
Dear Dr. Daniels, Thanx for clearly defining “facilitator;” actually “teachers” hae facilitated learning for centuries. Today some programs encourage facilitation; yet, people like John Dewey (whose focus was “learning by doing” [tho a disciple at Columbia U invented that term]spent a lifetime facilitating and writing about the process. And tend to doubt that the lecture is a modern invention; after all in the medieval period the lecture was very common; Versalius, onne of the early profs of medics complained about the failure of his colleagues to use labs to learn about anatomy, argued that his colleagues “kept their hands clean and learned nothing.”
Well Roy, thank you for the encouragement! Some of our readers may not recognize your name so forgive me if I introduce you. Since I recommend your books highly, it’s the least I can do. How many books are you up to now? 19? I don’t know how you found the time, in between teaching at Bates, Antioch and Ohio University, helping to found Union Graduate School and repairing fallen roofs at your place in Maine! That doesn’t really cover everything you’ve done but I did want to respond to your comment.
My latest favorite word is the one you popularized in the last decade, “Re-firement.” I’m working on some essays on my own observations based on my work in nursing homes, and really feel that enthusiasm and fire may be what is sorely lacking in many older people. You set me a good example of doing what you love and loving what you do, and I’m very grateful! Seems like working 20 years at something one hates and then retiring to nothing is the worst illness people can inflict on themselves.
If you get a chance to come back and read my thoughts on getting older, I’d love to hear your comments. You may be still young, but I’m feeling the years every now and then! Especially since that truck hit me! My bones just aren’t as young as they used to be.
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