Facilitating Learning In The 21st Century
The word teaching was widely used in the educational community for centuries to identify the process of sharing knowledge. In the 21st Century, the buzzword is facilitating and the individuals who are facilitating are referred to as facilitators. The reason for the change in identity from teachers to facilitators might be because there is no monopoly on knowledge any more. In the old days teachers or professors held the key to learning, and they possessed more knowledge than the learners in the field of study. The environment has changed, we have the ability to collect and store data, information, and knowledge in the electronic form that can be shared with the world 24 hours a day and 365 days year. The web technologies have broken the monopoly on the knowledge in all areas of our life including education. Individuals who are interested in sharing their views can share their view by posting on the Internet, and the information is instantly available to everyone around the world. The world is turning into a collaborative learning community. An open source environment is becoming the key to the growth and development of the business and community.
In old days if you were sick, the doctor was the only one to explain what was wrong, and explain about the possible treatment, side effects, etc. In this age with the help of Internet resources, you will be able to learn about the sickness, and alternative treatment available for treating the illness before you visit the doctor. Similarly, a learner (student) before attending the class may review information on the topic using the Internet resources and may have the knowledge that would have been gained in the classroom. This raises the question about the role of the facilitator in the 21st Century in a classroom or any other learning environment. The role of the facilitator is to share knowledge with others and create an environment where one can learn and experience growth in learning. To be successful in sharing knowledge, the facilitators need to gather information from the changing environment, process and refine into knowledge, and share with the learners. Facilitating is an art that requires understanding the learners’ needs, and fulfilling their needs based on the goals of the learning. In this age, a facilitator is also a learner. In a successful facilitation both learner and facilitator experience growth in learning. The success of facilitating is measured by both growth in learning of the learner and the facilitator.
bloger@sunlona.com
