Roles Educators Play in Learning Environments

While sitting in a desk as an elementary, secondary, and post-secondary student, I typically view the person at the front of the classroom as the “expert” in the field of study, whose role is to share his or her knowledge and experiences.  Usually through a lecture style delivery, the educator talks while I hastily record the information, knowing that I will be accountable to retrieve the information through some form of assessment process at a later date.  When it comes time to prepare for the exam, I engage my memory skills to store as much information as I can, using tools of the mind to create associations and acronyms that will assist the retrieval process.  Once the exam is complete, I briefly relax the muscles that worked so hard to recall the information, only to exercise them again by reactivating the rote learning cycle as new course material is presented.  As I reflect on this “input, storage, output” approach to education, I fail to see how I am impacted by new learning.  More importantly, as I consider my role as an educator, I feel challenged to explore more effective approaches where learners’ lives are impacted through the educational processes. 

Having read a few articles related to experiential learning; more specifically the role of reflection in the learning process, I am convinced that as an educator, my role is to be more of a resource and facilitator than the primary source of information.  If I view distilling information as my sole task as an educator, I have negated the value of individual experiences of the learners seated before me.  Kesson (2011) emphasizes that “the holistic educators should emphasize process over content” and that “truly transformative education could be a mutual and collective effort” to make meaning of life experiences and information.  Jordi (2011) quotes Boud, Keogh, and Walker by describing “reflection” as the key concept to life changing learning; it is the opportunity for students to “capture their experiences, think about it, mull it over, and evaluate it”.  Realistically, my classroom needs to be a place where students can engage in critical reflection through the process of considering how the new information jives with their beliefs, attitudes, and values that have been cultivated through life experiences.  This means that I need to be open to spontaneous learning moments, as well as, I need to create activities where students consider, debate, and reflect upon diverse experiences and thoughts.  This style of “teaching” is very different than the educational environments I have experienced as a learner.

Jordi, R. (2011). Reframing the Concept of Reflection: Consciousness, Experiential learning, and Reflective Practices, Adult Education Quarterly, 61(2), 181-197, doi:10.1177/0741713610380439.

Kesson, Kathleen. (2011). Critical Theory and Holistic Education: Carrying on the Conversation. Encounter Summer 2011, Vol. 24 Issue 2, 95-114.