Podcast Reflection #11: K12 Online Conference 2010 - Shh!! The Students Are Learning: Being an Effective Classroom Faciliator

Dr. Clif Mims discusses how to "be a facilitator of learning rather than a deliverer of information."

http://k12onlineconference.org/?p=728

He said that this idea really dawned on him when he visited a classroom one time, and all the students got quiet because he was a new person in the classroom; they were "on their best behavior," so to speak. Clif said that it should really be the other way around: students' learning should never be shushed, rather the teacher sometimes needs to be shushed in order to let their students' learning and thinking go uninterrupted as often as possible. 

Over time, Clif has asked a lot of people what they want from teachers and other professionals like them; he made a Wordle from all the responses he got, and by far patient and caring came up the most. 

He gives a few tips from an instructional design point of view:

• develop a driving question or scenario that will engage your students
• understand that the students are going to need alternative resources
• as we move toward being the guide on the side rather than the sage on the stage, this kind of information is going to become more and more important
• try to predict what your students might need and have those things readily available in your classroom
• you'll probably need to do mini-lessons
• this will happen if you realize individual students or groups are operating under a misconception
• avoid being the sage on the stage and remember that you're still a facilitator
• it doesn't have to be taught all at one time, it can be done in chunks
• prepare to do conferencing with your students
• talk with your students in small groups or one-on-one
• Does everyone understand the content?
• Is everyone committed to the process and providing assistance?
• How is the process going?
• Is it clear what you're supposed to be achieving and producing?
• think about including organizers
• graphic organizers
• study maps
• outlines
• things that provide support that doesn't necessarily come straight from you
• guide students through questioning
• let students know ahead of time what kind of things they should be aware of and looking for before they jump into the information
• reading strategies
• questioning techniques
• teach them how to guide themselves through the process

Practical tips for teachers: things that will better help you as you go about facilitating learning

• think like a coach
• you want to be on the side, get them prepared, practice with them, but you cannot do the heavy lifting for them. They must do the competing; they must be the ones putting the effort in.
• the same is true of learning
• we must resist the temptation to come in to the rescue and make everyone feel good regardless of the situation
• you REALLY learn when you have to struggle a little bit, and there's gratification at the end when you know you've accomplished something on your own
• bring earplugs
• as a teacher, you may not be comfortable being in a loud classroom, but often it's okay because students are still on task
• ease your way into more facilitative lessons
• it can be hard to develop these lessons, and it can be hard to get used to these types of lesson in action
• you need to become comfortable with these types of lessons and you need to find success so that you're more likely to replicate it and continue to use these kinds of lessons
• a great starting point is one or two of these kinds of lessons a semester
• get some help
• take advantage of online PLNs - blogs, Twitter, podcasts, etc.
• a lot of schools have help in the building or in the district
• technology integration specialists
• literacy coaches
• other facilitators
• often these resources could even let you take the side while they teach the information on which they are experts
• you are learning, too!
• if a student asks you something and you don't know the answer, don't be afraid to say you don't know! Make a teachable moment out of if and model how research and learn more about the topic.

For more information on Clif's profession development ideas, visit the professional development page on his blog: http://clifmims.com/site/consulting/professional-development