ISTE Standards for
Educators: The Facilitator (source: https://www.iste.org/standards/for-educators)
Educators facilitate learning with technology to support
student achievement of the ISTE Standards for Students. Educators:
- 6a Foster a culture where students take ownership of their learning goals and outcomes in both independent and group settings.
- 6b Manage the use of technology and student learning strategies in digital platforms, virtual environments, hands-on makerspaces or in the field.
- 6c Create learning opportunities that challenge students to use a design process and computational thinking to innovate and solve problems.
- 6d Model and nurture creativity and creative expression to communicate ideas, knowledge or connections.
Educators as facilitators is a newer concept. When I
attended public school in the 1970's and 80's, all instruction was
teacher-centered and teacher-led. There was very little concern about the needs
of individual learners. My higher education experience was similar.
Today's classroom has a different structure. In a
student-centered learning environment, students have autonomy, and the teacher
offers support which may increase student motivation and interest in learning.
There is abundant research on the benefits of the teacher as the facilitator of
student learning rather than the orchestrator. "Autonomy support revolves
around finding ways to enhance students’ freedom to coordinate their inner
motivational resources with how they spend their time in the classroom"
(Reeve, 2005, p. 7).
6a Foster a culture
where students take ownership
When one reflects on what areas of life are important, the
results generally produce of list of areas where the one reflecting has some
control, or ownership. This list may include general health and fitness, family
relationships, work and home life, and so on. As adults assign a greater
importance to those areas of our lives that are self-controlled, it is a
natural assumption that the same is true of students in our classrooms.
ISTE paints a very clear picture of what this looks like in
the 6a standard:
Creating shared values, social
norms and goals around the purpose and approach to learning by, for example,
bringing students into the process of establishing and maintaining culture;
setting up space and time for students to fail and try again; establishing
space and time for student reflection and goal setting; allowing students voice
and choice in demonstration and evaluation of competency.
This picture does not look like a traditional
teacher-centered classroom with desks in a row and the teacher separate at the
front of the room. This looks like a classroom where the teacher truly listens
to the individual learner and considers their input. This definitely does not
look like a classroom where standardized testing is the highest priority. If
this is a concern, know that student-centered learning has been shown to
improve standardized test scores and graduation rates (McKenna, 2014; Richmond,
2014).
This change in classroom culture will not be a comfortable
transaction for many educators. However, the potential benefits to the learner
make a solid attempt at a student-centered lesson worth the effort.
6b Manage the use of technology
and student learning strategies
Those already familiar with ISTE standards for teachers and
learners will have no trouble with this objective. For those who are new to using technology in
the classroom, particularly in a student-centered environment, there are many
resources to help one get started.
Start small. There are many free online tools designed to
engage students and let them take the lead in their own learning. Consider
online chats or forums, web quests, or even a digital field trip. A quick Web
search should help you find something that relates to the curriculum you teach.
Google Classroom is free and has a number of wonderful resources. Talk to other
teachers, or read their blogs, and see what they are doing.
6c Create learning opportunities
that challenge students
During the past 17 years, public schools have been lowering
the bar for students in order to keep graduation rates up. The result is that
graduates are finding they are not prepared for college or the work force. Employers
are frustrated when employees lack necessary soft skills, such as communication
and problem solving skills (Junior Achievement, 2013). According to https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/,
the majority of U.S. high school graduates are not proficient across the board.
It is time to try something different. Raising expectations
placed on students is a good place to start. Students need to be actively
engaged in the learning process in order to raise their motivation. When they
take ownership of their learning the results are positive. Fletcher (2008)
demonstrated that when provided the opportunity, students became an active and
positive influence on the community,
6d Model and nurture
creativity and creative expression
Teachers teach because of a passion for seeing minds opened.
Following the Facilitator Standard puts educators in the position to guide and
encourage as students taken ownership of their learning and realize that what
they do matters. Students can become givers rather than receivers. The
opportunity to fail in a safe environment may lead students to take more
changes and explore alternatives that are discouraged in the
standardized-testing environment.
Switching to a role of facilitator can be very challenging.
Use available resources and remember to keep the focus on achieving learning
objectives while keeping students involved and engaged. A good place to start
is with Howton (2017), "Turn your classroom into a personalized learning
environment." From there, continue to explore ISTE resources and many
others. When you see the enthusiasm in your classroom start to grow, you will
be glad you did.
Sources:
Fletcher, A. (2008). The Architecture of
Ownership. Educational Leadership,
66(3). Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/nov08/vol66/num03/The-Architecture-of-Ownership.aspx
Howton, R. (2017). Turn your classroom
into a personalized learning environment. Retrieved January 16, 2018, from
https://www.iste.org/explore/articleDetail?articleid=416
Junior
Achievement (2013). Are students prepared for the workplace? New tools for a
new generation. Retrieved from https://www.juniorachievement.org/documents/20009/20652/Are+Students+Prepared+for+the+Workplace.pdf/c1b75524-016d-4bd1-b8aa-74395f51021a
McKenna, B. (2014). New research shows effectiveness of
student-centered learning in closing the opportunity gap. Stanford Graduate School of Education New Center. Retrieved from
https://ed.stanford.edu/news/new-research-shows-effectiveness-student-centered-learning-closing-opportunity-gap.
Reeve, J. (2006).
Teachers as facilitators: What autonomy‐supportive teachers do and why their
students benefit. The Elementary
School Journal, 106(3), 225-236. doi:10.1086/501484.
Richmond, E.
(2014). What happens when students control their own education? The Atlantic. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/10/what-happens-when-students-control-their-own-education/381828/
