Teachers should be Facilitators and Guides - Assignment Example

Teachers should be Facilitators and Guides Teachers should be Facilitators and Guides Major Argument Question: Should teachers be guides and facilitators, or should they engage in primarily direct instruction? Claim1: Students should construct their own knowledge rather than receiving information from their teachers. As educators, we should focus on how a learner learns instead of how teachers teach. The teachers’ role has been shifted that of guides and facilitators to assist students to be responsible, critical, reflective, collaborative and active citizens (Smart, Witt, & Scott, 2012). Salinas, Kane-Johnson, &Vasil-Miller (2008) indicated that there are 6 principles that instructors should consider that as a practice, which can be applied in the classroom, that represent a learner - centered paradigm: Active, responsibility, critical thinking, time flexibility, uniqueness, and choice. Reason1: Learning occurs best when the learner is actively engaged in creating own knowledge (Woelfel, 2003). There are important skills such as posing questions, building their own ideas, interpretations, clarifying, and elaborating based on the ideas of others. Such skills enable students to gain and acquire a high level of understanding, which provides them with the flexibility to respond well to new situations in different places, and serves as the foundation for a lifetime of further learning. Teachers should allow students to have the opportunity to develop their ability to solve any problems through discussion with other students to illuminate the particular key points for deeply understanding. Ground 1-1: There is evidence that public schools’ experience does not provide enough authentic problem-solving and project-based activities for students to be ready and prepared for the types of problems that they may have to solve in the real world in the future (Dixon & Brown, 2012). Castledine & Chalmers (2011) conducted a qualitative study, which consisted of six students participating in robotics activities. Findings from the study based on the researcher’s observation of student problem solving discussions, and data from a student-completed questionnaire, and collected software programs found that the robotic activities assisted students to reflect on the problem solving decisions, which they made, and students also were able to connect their problem solving strategies to the real-world contexts. Dixon and Brown (2012) found that there is a significant relationship between the number of project courses students took and students’ performance in design score and total score (Strobel & van Barneveld, 2009). Learning becomes more effective for students’ success when they have independently developed their own knowledge through using problem- based learning (PBL), discovery skills, perception of inquiry learning skills (Balım, 2009). Robbins (2011) found that students with special needs acquire both repertoires and learn about problem solving, reasoning, and analytical thinking strategies to speak, and to listen to themselves and adjust their performance based on what they hear. Reason2-1: Teachers establish the balance of power through encouraging students to be a part of process by participating in the content designing.The balance of power presents the learner and the instructor with an opportunity to work together to design and implement the course materials (Brackenbury,2012). Evidently, the benefits of ensuring that a balance of power exists between students and the instructors cannot be underestimated. The presence of this balance motivates students to be active participants in achieving the course objectives. When students are involved in the design of course materials, they tend to be more motivated to utilize the course materials for their benefit. This is unlike a case whereby the teacher designs the materials independently. Therefore, teachers need to involve students in the design of the entire curriculum. This helps teachers understand what students are willing to learn and the course materials that they consider as effective. Ground 2-1: Wohlfarth et al, (2008) conducted a study on (N=21) and they found that 71.4% of students participations noted that the power of balance of learner centered occurred as “very”, which was number 4 in the Likertscale. 86% of student participations perceived that this shift was either “very” or “unbelievably”, which is important to their learning (Abdelmalak & Trespalacios, 2013). The interaction of learners with the classroom instructor motivated them to take responsibility to construct their own learning. When they participated in the designing of material content, classroom process, and assignments, they became responsible for the implementation, and evaluation of the learning experiences (McCrystle, Murray, & Pinheiro, 2010). In addition, teachers think that learner-centeredness decreases the load of content that they should teach which lead to other tasks (An & Reigeluth, 2012). Reason 3-1: Learners prefer to learn through collaborative learning with other learners who have more experiences at work rather learn than from the instructors (Hyunkyung & Bonk, 2014). Collaborative learning involves the activity of all students working in groups and consulting each other in an effort to enhance the learning process. It brings into context groups consisting of students who exhibit varied learning abilities. Since they work together on different learning projects, they are likely to boost each other’s understanding. Those with difficulties in learning can be helped to improve by their colleagues. Moreover, high educational achievers benefit immensely from collaborative learning as well. Since collaborative learning serves to improve the self esteem of learners, it is a preferred learning strategy. Collaborative learning promotes improved achievements in all the students, unlike other strategies that promote negative competition. Students indulging in collaborative learning are more likely to register a higher satisfaction with the learning process. Moreover, students working together may serve to foster a positive attitude towards the subject. The fact that students facing challenges in learning can receive direct tutoring from their colleagues is an opportunity for advanced learning. Notably, collaborative learning has been described as an approach that promotes learning goals. This serves to ensure that students experience active learning and that they can find knowledge on their own. Ground 3-1:Learners who participate in collaborative learning acquire a high level of engagement, increase their confidence, and improve their behaviors (Burns, Pierson, & Reddy, 2014). Watanabe (2008) conducted a study that shows that peer play is an important role of learning regardless of proficiency level. Students’ participants expressed their preference for working with the peers because they could share ideas. Burns, Pierson, & Reddy (2014) found that collaborative learning is an essential strategy effective for Mathematics and Science program for the middle school in two Indian states. It has multiples benefits for students including high levels of engagement, promoted degree of confidence, and improved behavior. These studies have served to reveal that collaborative learning is an effective strategy in ensuring that the next generation of teachers is effective. Moreover, students with different abilities registered improved performance after indulging in collaborative learning. They seemed more confident with the subject matter and exhibited a positive attitude towards future learning. Reason 4-1: Students play an important role in their local community as active citizens through participatory democracy that make them engage in the public participation. Participatory democracy promotes the contribution of each member of the society including students. This explains why students need to adopt independent learning so that they may develop critical skills needed for participative democracy. The school environment can serve to promote different skills such as cognitive skills, affective skills, and metacognitive skills. These skills are critical in empowering students to gain the required capacity so that they can actively participate in participative democracy. Unless students develop the required level of independence in learning, they are unlikely to take active part in participatory democracy (Quigley, 2011). Ground4-1: According to a research carried out by Angeli (2014), students need to be involved in participatory democracy. The findings from the research highlighted that earning a college degree did not automatically make students active participants in democratic ventures. It emerged that schools need to do more in preparing students to participate in democratic ventures. The school has the role of ensuring that students develop the relevant skills, abilities, and are motivated to engage in participatory democracy. Claim 5: Learners find themselves unprepared for the academic demands upon upon joining university in terms of the research and thinking skills (Martin, Garcia, & McPhee, 2012). Teachers should promote learners achievement skills in K-12 to meet a wide range of academic demand challenges. This high level of unpreparedness results from the existing instruction methods that deny students an opportunity to indulge in independent learning. Reason 1-5: In order to prepare learners in K-12 for the future academic challenges, and to promote academic success, teachers should support learners by developing self-regulation and independence (Van Bramer, 2011). Teachers should ensure that students develop the three levels of skills needed for independent learning. These include cognitive skills, metacognitive skills, and the affective skills. Moreover, students should have the potential of self-motivation so that they can exhibit a self-drive towards learning. This places a need for teachers to adopt a process-oriented teaching strategy, which ensures the involvement of the students. Teachers should become coaches and guides in an effort to ensure that students develop independent learning skills. Ground 4-1: A research carried out by Perreault (2005) revealed that teachers have the responsibility of helping students to develop independent learning skills. These skills should help them in higher education institutions as well as the work place. The researcher placed emphasis on the need for teachers to help students undergo self assessment and actively engage in the learning process. The author highlighted that students need life long habits that they can only obtain from independent learning in school. Reason2-5: There is a move toward online and virtual learning not only in the higher education, but also in K-12, which lead learners to be more independent. Although technological advances have introduced the virtual learning, teachers are yet to implement effective strategies of ensuring that independent learning is promoted in this mode of study. There is evidence that virtual learning can promote a measure of independence in students. However, teachers need to be involved as guides if this is to be achieved. Central Claim2: Students spend at least 8 hours every day as a listener and inactive role. This inactive role denies the students an opportunity to develop relevant communication skills. Moreover, it makes learning one sided and students cannot offer feedback concerning the progress of learning. This inactivity in learning denies students an opportunity to maximize their learning potential. Reason 2-1: Students need to improve their communication skills, and build a strong character by allowing them to learn diverse communication skills (McIntyre, Kyle, & Moore, 2006). So as to enable students to communicate effectively, teachers should guide students to use verbal and nonverbal cues. Since students register a high level of cognitive growth, teachers should foster skills related to communication. Ground 2-1: When students communicate with the instructor through sharing, asking and discussing, they improved working communication, relationship, motivation, engagement, and they become aware of how they think and learn (Zimmerman et al, 2014). This serves to open avenues for effective assessment and feedback delivery. Moreover, students develop critical skills when indulging in active learning processes. Claim 3: Teachers should consider each student as an individual in terms of attitude, needs, and skills. This means that teachers should no longer view students as a group, but rather focus on individual potential in learning. Reason 3: Students come to school as individuals, and bring with them different talents and interests. They learn in different ways, and at different rates that lead teachers to be aware of their diverse skills, needs, and attitudes (Bear, 2012). Teachers should provide opportunities that assist learners to develop their cognitive thinking, and focus on the concepts to be learned instead of tasks that require completing the steps (Pham, 2012). Different students exhibit varied weaknesses and strengths in the learning process. A learner centered strategy may accommodate a broad range of learners (Pham, 2012). Ground 3: Teachers encourage students through self- regulation by providing optimal amounts of structure indirectly, and by assisting learners develop metacognitive skills (An, & Reigeluth, 2012). Metacognitive skills help students understand the process involved in active learning. Moreover, it helps students identify individuals who contribute positively to the learning process. Researchers have highlighted that metacognitive skills are critical if students are to achieve the self assessment of their learning (Kartika, 2008). Conclusion: Evidently, teachers need to adopt the role of guides and facilitators and promote independent learning in students. This is because the research has revealed that direct instruction denies students the opportunity to develop critical learning skills. Moreover, direct instruction limits students to inactive listeners while the process-oriented teaching of being a facilitator motivates students to play active roles in the learning process. Without doubt, the work place requires students with a level of independence and this can only be achieved through the adoption of new teaching strategies. References Abdelmalak, M., &Trespalacios, J. (2013). Using a Learner-Centered Approach to Develop an Educational Technology Course. International Journal of Teaching & Learning In Higher Education, 25(3), 324-332. An, Y., &Reigeluth, C. (2012). 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