The role of the teacher within the extended learning landscape

3 min read

In a blog post from last November, Dave Tosh over at Elgg described a two layer model defining "how to facilitate the social interaction of learners and resources within the current architecture most institutions employ."

He describes two interrelated levels: a social network of informal learning, coexisting alongside the formal, more defined structure of an academic institution. In this model, the informal network can be supported by an application like Elgg, with the formal structure supported by an app like Moodle.

While teachers are not explicitly mentioned in either layer, they are implicitly present in both. Ideally, a teacher should be a learner among learners. However, the financial realities within which most of us live also require us to ply our trade within the (mostly friendly) confines of existing institutions.

Given that the two layer model defines a relationship between individual learners, the social network to which these learners belong, and the formal educational setting that brings these learners together, one can safely say that the two layer model -- and both informal and formal learning networks -- exists within an external context.

As I'm defining it here, context equates to the reason behind the inquiry. In both formal and informal learning, context arises from the interactions between learners. Some of these interactions are driven by institutionally mandated requirements, while others arise from discussions held in less formal settings.

The teacher's role, however, can be best understood when viewed through the lens of how context is created. Ideally, the teacher provides resources; knowledge, skills, questions, and multifaceted approaches to problem solving, to name a few. When things go well, the role of the teacher can be best understood as getting out of the way. When students need more support -- in either a formal or an informal setting -- the teacher can be the person who provides it. Different people have different reasons for wanting to learn different things, but in many cases, academic inquiry is at least partially driven by external factors.

The map created by Andrew Chambers helps to illustrate the relationship between learners and the array of tools available to support learning. Jeremy Hiebert's depiction of social networking tools does an equally good job showing how a specific social networking tool (in this case, 43Things) can be used to help people set learning goals. However, both maps begin to come into clearer focus when they are brought together. The learners in Andrew Chamber's map will be setting learning goals. Potentially, some of those learners will be refining those goals by a process resembling what is laid out in Jeremy Hiebert's map.

However, these individual learners will have different goals, and these different individuals will make use of different tools as required by their situation. As teachers adapt to the changing learning environment, we need to learn from our colleagues and our students (informally, as a learner among learners) about emerging technologies that can inform how we interact in the classroom setting.

As more tools become available to support both formal and informal learning, the best tool for the job will become increasingly a matter of personal choice. With tools as flexible as 43Things, del.icio.us, Elgg, Drupal, etc, effective use is only limited by our imagination. Ironically, this is an actual limitation. Frequently, teachers have the mindset and the pedagogical training to make the most of the online tools currently available, but they lack the time and support to devote to mastering their use.