Facilitating Learning as Oppposed to Giving the Answers

As I was looking at everything we have learned in this course, I have come to realize that I still have a lot to learn. We learned about the different learning styles and the different teaching strategies. I discovered that I am definitely hands on and more visually oriented. My teaching style is that of a Facilitator, which tends to focus on activities and is student-centered. That was great I would create great learning objects, with detailed instructions. I would help my students discover their true potential.

And then:

It was when we were looking for resources’ available on the web that we could incorporate or modify for use in our subject areas that I realized I would have a problem to overcome. Every time someone would post that they were having trouble finding resources, my initial response was to find the answers for them. Would that be really helpful? Yes, for that moment; but not if they wanted to find more resources in the future. They would have no idea how I found them.

Then I stopped and looked at what I do and have done everyday at work for the last 14 years. I find answers and resources for students. I tell them how to fix things in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc. I don't always have time to show them step by step how to do something. Am I doing them a disservice, probably? The problem is solved for that moment; will they be able to do it on their own, maybe?

What does this have to do with my future with online courses? Would I want to provide all the answers everytime someone had a problem? Yes. Would I create such detailed directions that they wouldn't feel a sense of accomplishment when they finally accomplished the task or mastered the new technology? Definitely. Would this benefit the students? No.

I will have to work on my tendency to overdue my directions and help. Does this mean I won't help, no it just means that I will have be careful not to do the work for them. It means that instead of creating directions a two year old can follow, I will create directions that are specific and to the point. It means that I will give them resources that will enable them to learn and feel the sense of excitement as they discover things. To give them too much help would be robbing them of the journey that we call learning.

When they ask for help, I will give the information that is needed to find the answers. I will not give them the answers no matter how much I want. If they are having a difficult time I will help them through it, but I have to realize that as much as I want to fix everything it isn't possible. To do anything else would be a disservice.