Principle 10: Learning Facilitator
The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts.
—C. S. Lewis
Definition
A specific role exists for an expert in methods and techniques for teaching and learning who can optimize the learning of both individuals and groups.
Julia: Aren’t you stating the obvious here, by saying that learning needs a teacher?
I agree it may sound obvious, but then again several of the principles sound obvious too—and they are, however, less commonly considered and abided by than we would expect. Here the nuance is in the how, more than the who: This principle points at the fact that when instructors are well prepared with methods and techniques that can create powerful learning, magic can occur.
Nick: Beyond all the suggestions you have been giving about how educators should act, is there a conceptual model in education that explores the instructor, what this principle calls the “learning facilitator”?
Yes, and that is precisely the point. We are calling it a principle because a particular way of conceiving the role of the instructor can make such a difference in the learning process. Within the field of education, a long tradition exists of exploring and discussing the role of an educator. The specific characteristics of the settings, the contents to be taught, and the contexts, including different traditions and cultures, these all matter when it comes to the type of learner–instructor relationship.
As we saw before, directive approaches have been the tradition in hierarchical settings, where the instructor embodies power, expertise, and authority. Even today, it is still easy to find examples around us, because this has been for ages the accepted model, and instructors, teachers, sports coaches, experts, spiritual masters, or gurus, all fall into this category. More recently, we have seen the emergence of more participative approaches in some mentors, advisors, counselors, and personal coaches. And, while positional power is still present, the tone and style of the relationship are more open to exploration and change, and power may be more balanced or shared than in the traditional approach. The expertise may still provide authority, but as author Riane Eisler describes it in her study of educational institutions, when the model is partnership rather than domination every individual becomes an active participant, and can blossom.
In educational settings, cognitive psychologists (Piaget1), humanistic-oriented theorists (Rogers,2 Knowles3), critical theorists (Freire,4 Horton et al.,5 Candy and Brookfield6), and learning theorists (Kolb,7 Mezirow,8 Schön,9 Cranton10) emphasize different aspects of the role of the teacher or facilitator, but all acknowledge the importance of some type of support to maximize the learning experience.
Andres: Is the key message then about how we should act, meaning that we should play more of a “learning facilitator” role?
We are seeing an evolution from more top-down, hierarchical, domination models in society to more participative forms of relationship, where individuals retrieve basic rights to express themselves, to choose for themselves, to listen to their passion and interests rather than to their obligations; where individuals are driven by intrinsic motivations more than extrinsic ones. In a society that is changing, the role of the educator also has to change. It actually has already started.
As we have discussed in each of the principles, the instructor can act as a learning facilitator when inviting individuals to pause and reflect to find their answers (the principles Reflection and of Tacit Knowledge) instead of jumping into the traditional role of sage on the stage. We can help the traditionally passive audience to become personally engaged and excited by helping them identify what they want to know. We need to establish what their questions are, and what passions or context drive them (principles of Relevance and Integration), instead of assuming we are the experts and they are a tabula rasa.
Vivien: I have become increasingly aware of how this trend is emerging from the world of corporate education, where coaches, mentors and leadership development programs seek to engage the individuals in a way that is far more participative and democratic than we traditionally see it in educational institutions.
Indeed, and this11 is of particular value when we consider that the goal of management education12 is to equip the leaders of tomorrow, who can address our social and environmental challenges with a different level of self-confidence, consciousness, and hopeful excitement.
Julia: Summarizing then, this is the last principle but clearly not the least, since an expert in facilitating learning has the power to make all the difference and to implement the previous nine.
Andres: The key to be an effective learning facilitator is in understanding that we are there not to teach, but to help others learn.
Nick: This shift in how we see ourselves is accompanying an evolution in society, with its trend to more democratic, participatory, and empowered attitudes. It reflects an evolution from domination to partnership models, as some scholars have noted.
Vivien: Yes, I believe this is what is needed to maximize the contribution of the instructors to the learning process. We need to unleash the potential of the younger generation; to be facilitators of their own learning and of their holistic development.
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This is a good lead into the next section, where we will explore what is the impact and consequences of having such a different approach in responsible management education, and what the new roles and goals are for educators.