I took some online courses to improve my own technology skills and online teaching, and had this very interesting instructor. I can’t imagine what he’s like in a face-to-face forum! For example:
Initial prompt:
Context: Please post a response to the questions below based on your readings and prior experiences:
As a facilitator, how do you demonstrate content expertise online? Why is this important?
Facilitator Posting:
Great class discussion! You’ve really hit on many elements to demonstrate content knowledge.
Kim pointed out how important it is to know the content and she couldn’t have been more right. It’s been my experience as a facilitator that if you’re not familiar with the content than the students will definitely be less open to your suggestions. It’s part of adult learning considerations that many of you mentioned; if you don’t know the material, how can they trust you to guide their learning? However, I’ve found that when working outside my area of expertise, it’s best to take the attitude of lets learn this together. Of course, it all boils down to keeping the lines of communication open like so many of you said.
It reminds me of the time when I mentored this new teacher. This person was a career changer, teaching high school English. The person was an avid American Literature Fan and challenged my suggestions for how to teach American Literature. Since I value individual perspectives, I tried to really work with the person and come to a common understanding.
By the way, if anyone is interested in setting up a mentoring program at their school or is looking for additional resources on this topic, let me know. I have a lot of material that I’ve collected and developed over the last several years that I’d be happy to share.
In all of my successful teaching experiences, I’ve walked away satisfied as has the students because we’ve both learned new things. Do you think it’s possible for an online course to be successful if the facilitator isn’t a content expert? Why?
-Anonymous Facilitator
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This facilitator needs to shorten his/her post and make it less personal (removing the entire second paragraph). The part about mentoring programs really doesn't belong in a discussion thread, but in an announcement piece or a group email. Also, unless other students are mentioned by name throughout other discussion treads, it looks a little strange to be pointing out Kim's reply.
ReplyDeleteI agree Michelle. The facilitator should focus less on his reflections and let the students do some discovery. Keep the post short concise and include a question that extends the discussion.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with Michelle and Troy. The facilitator went a bit too deep into personal stories. I understand the intention was to inform the students and offer insight. The instructor came across as a bit conceded. This goes back to carefully wording what you say. You can't hear tone or see body language. In person, this conversation may sound completely harmless and be more appreciated. But, being that it's online, the instructor may want to use "I" a bit less.
ReplyDeleteHere’s how I would word this post:
ReplyDeleteGreat class discussion! You’ve really hit on many elements to demonstrate content knowledge.
Students trust instructors to guide their learning if they sense he/she knows the content. If the instructor does not know the content, the students will be less open to his/her suggestions. When working outside an area of expertise, however, it’s best to take the attitude of lets learn this together. Keeping the lines of communication open is crucial. Do you think it’s possible for an online course to be successful if the facilitator isn’t a content expert? Defend your position with some examples.
I like how Karin reworded the thread from the facilitator. Looking back at the intial prompt about how you demonstrate content knowledge leads me to believe that something could also be added to talk about how content knowledge is shared online. Maybe if the facilitator wants to make a personal connection they could give an example of how they have demonstrated content knowledge and then ask others for similar examples. I agree with others who said that the part about mentoring doesn't belong in this thread. I do like the final question about can a facilitator teach an online course if they aren't a content expert. I think this question will bring about some very interesting discussion.
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