FOC09 Teachers, facilitators and moderators

Having assumed quite naively when I first qualified as an occupational therapist, that all teachers were experts in their field, I avoided “teaching” based on my limited perception. However, I love sharing what skills I have gained, at any given time, on any given placement when somebody else has maybe a little less knowledge or, a different knowledge that could result in learning. I was perhaps a little slow that this “skill sharing” was actually a form of teaching.

Leigh Blackall’s discussion thread on To facilitate or to teach, certainly had me reflecting my current perceptions. So teachers could teach and not necessarily be experts all the time in the given field and, teaching was about being skilled in getting the learning material across to the learner.

Another fact that had escaped me is, that in order to teach, a teacher not only needs to continue to learn but also be able to pass that knowledge on, so that another learner is learning. As a clinical supervisor and presenter at conferences and workshops, I had been involved in some teaching and getting feedback that learners were learning from what I had “taught.”

According to Dale Hunter (2007) in The Art of Facilitation, a teacher’s primary role of transferring of information or knowledge to individual participant, needs to focus on individual learning. The individual’s learning is likely to be assessed in some way by the teacher. However, a facilitator’s primary role is to work with the group dynamic and is not involved in assessing individual performance which is done by the group itself, or possibly by some other party outside the group. If attempting to achieve the role of assessing the individual learning that is taking place in the group, is a teacher role is likely to undermine this facilitative process? If we are to consider Hunter’s definition of facilitator, it is not the role of the facilitator to evaluate or contribute substantive ideas to a discussion which is in conflict with the role of teacher. However, Hunter goes on to state that “Almost anyone can be facilitative if they seek to provide space for others to build relationships, think and reflect, exercise choice and express their creative potential... Listen, encourage, and support others to become their full selves”.

Moderation is defined as “somebody who ... acts as a mediator in discussions or negotiations" (Encarta online). When might the role of a facilitator undermine the role of a teacher or moderator? A facilitator guides the meeting towards an end group goal and is not leading the group. A facilitator serves the group and offers process suggestions enforcing ground rules agreed to by the group. The facilitator therefore encourages full participation, promotes mutual understanding and cultivates shared responsibility (Sam Kaner et al in Hunter 2007). A teacher and a moderator both tend to lead the group, intervening with knowledge sharing or guiding the group towards a negotiated outcome.

Maybe we should consider Hunter’s alternative to being teacher AND facilitator and instead think of the "teacher being facilitative", as the teacher also needs to manage the group process as a secondary objective, while this individual learning is taking place.