The continuum Saga!

I understand the main key take away from the concept of TCL and SCL is that the combinations of the two is important. Also TCL and SCL should not be looked as two different ways , but as a continuum. One is not better than the other.

One should decide what to use based on students needs and teaching philosophy of the facilitator. I think when I reflect on my practice keeping in mind my learning, I wasn’t really aware of this continuum and its existence. I use a lot of the student centred learning approaches and used to believe that those are better and lead to better engagement in the class. But for most of those method that I use like Role plays, small group exercise , I used to believe that they are only SCL , but they are actually the combination and I always discounted the trainers role in those.

However, now when I reflect and think, I feel some times the TCL can be really powerful too provided the facilitator is really good and has the ability to hold the class. Rajdeep Manwani is a great example of the TCL. The whole time went without us realising because he was so gripping.

The methods that I have used and have worked well for me are:

I have used role plays when I want the trainers to step into a different persona and think about themselves as a different person. This method helps them to step into someone else’s shoes and think of things with that perspective. This method has worked very well for me in the past as the participants really start thinking about the persona they are taking on and relate to it.

Small group exercises have been used when there is less time and also when the students need to work on something together. This method I have used when I feel something is tricky and needs multiple people to think together. Also this method works well in the starting sessions when the students are still getting comfortable with the learning process. Small group exercises do not threaten them or put them in a spot and works well. I have used this for sessions like discuss the challenges that the trainer faces in an institute.  In a small group they take collective responsibility of what has been shared and works well. 

Active learning strategies - Think Pair Share (Carol and Nikita)

This strategy helps to collect information on the topic. Different concepts can be explained through this strategy mostly on life skills, work skills mostly on career path, various training's can also include this strategy. It is like a brainstorm exercise where in thinking process is given importance.

This strategy enables to understand how each student perceive and understand different from each other. It also brings many ideas and views even which a trainer is unaware. It triggers each learner's mindset to think and brings out to express their understanding. This strategy builds learner's relationship with their classmates, accept each other's views and also it makes them easy to express their opinion. This discovers that each learner is unique.

They can evaluate which ideas they think are the best, most creative and most unique.
They also become confident while sharing their views with peers.
It is also called as Turn and Talk.
It also develops their communication skills especially to articulate their opinions.
It brings about collaborative learning as well as positive changes in students especially confidence and self esteem and respect each other's ideas.
It also allows the students to share their learning as well as give and receive feedback.
It provides an opportunity for learner's to share their views comfortably as it is pair sharing.
This can be used mostly to recap and close the session in order to know whether the concepts taught were clear.

It can be avoided when new topics are introduced.

Student centered learning : at the next level

While hunting for a video on Student centered learning, I stumbled upon this Video which is I feel was the best amongst all the ones I saw. It is on:

If students designed their own schools...... by Chales Tsai:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RElUmGI5gLc

It a beautiful video where a school allows students to learn what they want and however they wanted. It takes the idea of students centred learning to another level. Each students chooses that one thing that he/she wants to learn/ or is really curious about and they figure ways of learning it together. Its amazing the kind of affirmation students make about this approach after having experienced it. Its great to see that students actually are very passionate about learning and work hard towards that.

Each students picks up an idea and prepares to take their team through the journey and they work hard in the process. They display a lot of collaborative work in the process. The passion with which students are talking about it is great. There seems to be no fear of failing and different learners with different learning needs find space for themselves. They are aware of their fears and passions and make use of those in the process. One can make out that the students are completely invested in the process. Its amazing that students displayed responsibility not only of their own learning but also their team mates. The process definitely made the students very creative and fearless.

The trainers also play a very important in this process. One the belief that something like this may work and creating room for this to happen in itself is a key role of trainer here. Then playing the role of guide/mentor to these students as and when they needed and proving them the encouragement was absolutely amazing.

The students lived this process and believed in strongly. They realised that this would really prepare them to face the world and all students can benefit from an approach like this.

I think this was a great example of learner centric class may be to the next level. But its amazing to even imagine that if my learning process was like this, I may have been a different person all together. This makes me feel all the more responsible and aware of the importance of students centred learning

Facilitation Approach

In a facilitative approach trainer is not the only one who is talking unlike many traditional classrooms. The learners have the equal opportunity and chance to voice their opinions and thoughts. Infact the role of the facilitator is more to get students to communicate with each other and get them to share their ideas and thoughts with each other and arrive at a common understanding. The communication from the facilitator’s end is to allow this process to happen seamlessly and ensure that the group in engaging with each other and bring them back on track in case they are completely digressing from the task.  Facilitators role is also key in ensuring that the environment in the class is such that students feel free and motivated to express what they feel in a manner that is not offensive to others. The students should not feel threatened and thus not feel shy in expressing their inner self.  In order for this to happen, the facilitator needs to be very conscious that he/she always practices this in any communication they have with their learners or peers.

The power hierarchy in a facilitative approach is very equal instead of trainer assuming a higher ground who knows everything.  In a facilitative approach students and trainers have equal power to question each other and students can also disagree to what the facilitator sayd if they feel like it. As mentioned earlier students are prime and the facilitator’s role is to help them learn collaboratively with each other. For this to happen, facilitators needs to be playing a role of a guide instead of preacher. The facilitator should help students discuss and settle disagreements themselves instead of facilitator enforcing his answers and expect students to agree to those.

The facilitator does have a role of helping students get to the task. However the process that one follows may differ based on how the group is responding and engaging with each other. There may be some unexpected things thrown at the facilitators during the process. A good facilitator is skilled and open enough to deal with these unexpected directions and processes. The role of the facilitator is also very crucial to ensure that the task for the class is accomplished by the end of the session. The facilitator does have a say but more to bring the group back to track and help in closure of things. However the facilitator cannot force in opinions on students and should not do that.

The videos pretty much help reinforce the role of the facilitator in different ways. I really liked the pilot video that describes the role of a facilitator as an architect, pilot and a guide. I think it beautifully sums it up and brings about the nuances in the role of the facilitator.

My Teaching Approach

I think somewhere in my teaching approach I have a mix of giving importance to the content and the students needs somewhere and this is what is prominent in my sessions. I like to go the classroom with a plan and if need be deviate from the plan a bit without completely changing it. I do somewhere trust that someone who has developed the content would have kept in mind the needs of the learners and also make it simple enough and flexible enough for the trainers to execute on it.

The ability to completely change the plan completely go with what learners want also comes from the experience where you are a seasoned enough facilitator where you can achieve the same learning objective even if the plan completely changes.

I don’t feel very strongly about the fact that as a trainer I should do things that I am comfortable with and that should take precedence because then you are in some ways driving your own agenda without being aware of your learners and that in my mind makes the entire exercise futile. However, I am aware of the fact the trainer needs to be comfortable with the way he or she is training and the approach of it. But this approach needs to formulated keeping in mind the content and the learner needs instead of doing that in isolation.

Elements of a teaching approach

There could be multiple teaching approaches. The right teaching approach needs to be selected based on the learners, their needs and the situation around the facilitator. If the facilitator needs to facilitate a very big classroom with 30- 40 learners the teaching approach many vary from facilitating a classroom of small group of people.

There are teaching approaches which are more chalk and talk and may lend itself to certain situations and certain learner needs whereas some teaching approaches may be more inquiry based seeking more active participation and exploration by the learners.

Some kind of teaching approach may also be learning by doing, where a teacher facilitates a concept by making learner experience it and practice it themselves. This may help fix the concept in the students mind.

Teaching approach could also come from what the facilitator feels comfortable with knowing his style of teaching and what he/she is best at.

Overall the idea is that it could be really flexible and the facilitator is always in the process of doing research and innovation around the apt teaching approach for a set of learners.

Why do learners come to the centre?

Learners come to the centre to learn specific skills that they would like to acquire. Also, to feel confident about themselves and have meaningful engagements with peers and trainers. They would like to take back a learning experience that is of value to them and go back with new things that they did not know before. Learners also come to fulfil their needs as a social person. In the context of work many learners come to the centres to acquire skills that would help them find a job

REVIEW THE VIDEO EVERY KIDS NEED A CHAMPION

REVIEW THE VIDEO EVERY KIDS NEED A CHAMPION

(A)What I like in the video is that the teachers attitude and positive thinking about the students she said that I am the best teacher and you are the best students let’s put all together so you could show everybody else how to do it.

She said some basic ideas of teaching like values and importance of human connections and relationships.

You ought to just throws in a few simple things seeking first to understand as opposed to being understood, apologizing

(B)What ideas stayed with me are the way of thinking about students whether they are able to take part in all activity or in finish all lessons on time or not.

Encourage them, do the things they like, made feel them they are somebody, left a legacy of relationships that could never disappear

(C)some of the sentences caught my affection are

James comer says  that no significant learning can occur without relationship

Teachers are great actors and actresses

George Washington says all learning is understanding relationships

Kids don’t learn from the people they don’t like

(D) cause of understand the relationship between facilitator and students we have to watch this video

To do our role best

Reflections : Every kid needs a champion!

The video was really nice because the presenter spoke through her personal experiences which one can relate to at the deeper level. It was a very motivating and inspiring video. The ideas that really stuck in my head by the end of the video were,

Relationships in the process of teaching and learning are key. If a trainer can have good relationships with their students half the battle is won. And I agree with it! 

Another thing that was really important that she mentioned was that its really important to understand your students before you expect to be understood by them. This, I think as trainers we miss many times. We expect our students to just listen to us and do as we say without really making an attempt to understand them.  It is somewhere an unfair expectation that your learners should understand  you when you don't necessarily understand  them.

It fine to be able to apologize as a trainer , and there is nothing wrong with that!! This part atleast I have been able to follow in my practice too. One another things that stood out was the encouragement bit. How does a teacher keeps her learners motivated and not give up on them? Every student possibly can be someone great in their lives but I guess they just need different amount of attention. Being able to connect with each student individually is really important and building that relationship  with each student is really very important. 

''Students don't learn from the person they don't like' was amazing and even if you don't like a learner, being able to stay neutral and unbiased was really very powerful. Through the fist module we have been talking about some of these and I can further relate to it now.

Being the champion for a students to see him/her through and to make him/her feel special, is really important. Relationships with the students whose life you have made a difference to are there to stay forever. I can again relate to this with one of my teacher who I really liked and who instilled the love of a subject in me. I am still in touch with her!

This video was a  great start to the module I feel, since its very inspiring. It sets the tone about what is expected from us as facilitators and how we can really make a difference as facilitators if we understand our job well.

Looking forward to the module henceforth and learning more tricks of trade to be a good facilitator :)