PHILOSOPHY OF ONLINE FACILITATION AND LEARNING

Philosophy of Online
Facilitation and Learning
Jnanama Ishaya
Vancouver Island University
OLTD 503

This paper represents a preliminary discussion of this educators personal philosophy of online
facilitation and learning, grounded in education theory and referencing current research.

PHILOSOPHY OF ONLINE FACILITATION AND LEARNING

Philosophy of Online Facilitation and Learning

Authenticity is an often elusive quality in the teaching profession. At the same time, it is
an essential element in human relationships. Dare we risk being real, being ourselves, with
students? I would argue that we dare not do otherwise. My personal philosophy of teaching and
learning revolves around the pillars of authenticity, creativity, and kindness: we come together to
create a learning community in which we are all partners, dedicated to expanding our mutual
horizons in an atmosphere of courtesy and respect.
the greatest and most important difficulty of human science is the education of
children. (deMontaigne, 1877, 2006) Although this sentiment was first articulated in 1877, most
teachers would agree wholehearted with M. deMontaigne today, despite the fact that the world of
education has changed significantly since the 1800s.

In fact, it has changed hugely in the last thirty years, with the advent of the digital age.
Marc Prensky (2001) maintains that young people have undergone a fundamental change, if
not in the physical wiring of their brain functions, then certainly in the way they perceive and
interact with the world: in essence, a functional shift of significant and sweeping proportions that
demands a resounding change in the ways in which we approach the education of the digital
generation natives... (Ishaya, 2013, p. 3) Traditional instructional practices no longer work.

Piaget, Papert, and Vygotsky provide the triune platform on which my own philosophy of
education has been based. Piaget, the father of constructivist theory (Glasersfeld, 2004),
maintained that children actively construct learning from their environment, engaging in the

PHILOSOPHY OF ONLINE FACILITATION AND LEARNING

dynamic process of constructing and re-constructing their own theories of the world based on
their growing experiential database. Papert, the constructionist, broadened this view to include
the notion that learning is situated in concrete terms, that learning through making is most
efficacious, and that The cycle of self-directed learning is an iterative process by which
learners invent for themselves the tools and mediations that best support the exploration of what
they most care about. (Ackermann, 2001?, p. 4) Vygotsky added the social component to the
constructivist theoretical stew, ensuring that the social and communicative aspects of being
human were part of the equation. Essentially, we co-construct meaning through our interactions
with our world and with each other; this learning process is enhanced and most effective when
we are able to grapple with it in concrete terms, and our learning is optimized when we construct
that learning in a social environment, engaged in the exploration of ideas with other
people (Kear, 2011, p. 2) This is certainly consistent with my own experience. Last summer,
I participated in a class that used a closed FB group as our class room: the learning was lively
and engaging!

Project-based learning, in which learners are presented with real world situations,
provides students with the best opportunities for learning. While using physical manipulatives
does not fit quite as well in the virtual world, project based learning can also take place online,
using web-based skills and abilities, involve small group collaboration, and be accomplished
synchronously or asynchronously. Ive had the experience of constructing a web site on
knowledge construction tools (podcasts, animations, and videos) with a group of students
ranging from China to various locations in North Carolina. Online collaboration fits well with
the digital learners that are moving inexorably away from brick and mortar schools, to inhabit the

PHILOSOPHY OF ONLINE FACILITATION AND LEARNING

virtual class room. The bottom line is that we need to make learning real, communal, and social
to truly meet our students needs, including chat rooms, FB, Edmodo, blogs, and social media,
along with project based learning, as part of our day to day curriculum.

Teachers themselves must be part of that equation. Meijer et al. (2009) address the
concept of congruence between the inner and outer self, the private person and the public
teacher: that one does not exist without the other. We are most effective as teachers when we are
in alignment with ourselves, conscious of our basic beliefs and motivations. If we have control
issues, for example, a challenging student will trigger a reactive state. If we remain unaware of
our issues, we run the risk of becoming a piata presence, oscillating wildly with the repeated
blows to our egos. This does not make for effective teaching, in any venue. Behavior is
purposeful. If students are acting out, there are reasons for it; engaging with our own issues is
counterproductive. As Meijer et al (2009) observed, our student/teacher interface is enhanced
because of a deeper awareness of the self (Meijer et al, 2009, p.299). Put another way,
teaching doesnt simply implement a set of procedures but also enlists and reveals the
individual, both in his or her particularity and entirety. (Laverty, 2006, p. 35) Teaching exposes
our inner self, whether we want it to or not.

We can choose to clamp down on our essential nature, to separate ourselves from our
instruction, but the stress is intense. We live two lives, and run the risk of shattering both. I
taught with a colleague who told me, I dont even smile until the week before Christmas. This
was not my approach to classroom management. A study on new teachers experiences reveals:

PHILOSOPHY OF ONLINE FACILITATION AND LEARNING

Many of them were suffering from feelings of insecurity, and almost all were grappling with
questions at the level of identity or mission, such as: Am I willingand ableto adopt the kind
of behavior that is apparently necessary to maintain classroom discipline? Does this behavior suit
me? (Korthagen, 2004, p. 90) It is far more advisable to develop a congruence between the
inner and outer self, to allow humor to have its sway, to tear up at poignant moments: to be real.
We were studying the novel All Quiet on the Western Front: our project was to create a wall of
honor with reminiscences of the men and women that had served in the Great War. A student
brought in medals his great-grandfather had earned, along with poetry the man had written from
the front. I made no attempt to hide my emotion; no student held it against me. This is
congruence, and the revelation of self to which Laverty refers.

If I could sum up my philosophy of teaching and communication, I would say: be real, be

engaging, be innovative, be consistent, be congruent; co-construct learning: meet students where
they are and bring them round to where they need to be; learn to use the tools at your disposal,
particularly the digital tools students need to become expert in using; be brave; be kind.

PHILOSOPHY OF ONLINE FACILITATION AND LEARNING

References
Ackermann, Edith. (2001?). Piagets Constructivism, Paperts Constructionism: Whats the
difference? Retrieved from:
http://learning.media.mit.edu/content/publications/EA.Piaget%20_%20Papert.pdf
de Montaigne, Michel. (1877, 2006). The Essays of Montaigne. Book the Second.
Chapter XXV: On the Education of Children. Project Gutenberg.
Ishaya, Jnanama (2013). The maker mindset in education. Unpublished manuscript.
Kear, Karen L. (2011). Online and social networking communities: a best practice guide for
educators. New York, NY: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group.
Korthhagen, F. (2004). In search of the essence of a good teacher: towards a more holistic
approach in teacher education.Teaching and Teacher Education, 20(1), 77- 97
Laverty, M. (2006). Philosophy of Education: Overcoming the theory/practice divide. Paideusis:
The Journal of the Canadian Philosophy of Education Society, 15(1), 31-44.
Meijer, P., Korthagen, F., & Vasalos, A. (2009). Supporting presence in teacher education: the
connection between the personal and professional aspects of teaching. Teaching and
Teacher Education: An International Journal of Research and Studies, 25(2), 297-308.
doi: 10.1016/j.tate.2008.09.013
Prensky, Marc (2001) Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, MCB University
Press, Vol 9 No. 5, October 2001

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von Glasersveld, Ernst (2004). Constructivism. Retrieved from:

http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/EvG/papers/263.pdf