Online teaching styles and personality

Odd as this may sound, the type of online teaching that applies to your personal situation depends upon the specific class I am teaching. Having said that, in the online environment I work from the perspective of facilitation using a student centered approach rather than as a teacher from a content or teacher centered foundation. If one were to visualize a continuum from these contrasting points of view, I move back and forth depending upon the class, the students and the material under study.

My preference for a facilitation model of learning is based both upon my philosophy of instruction that follows the constructivist approach as well as an agreement with what Lehmann outlines on page 18 of chapter 2 in her description of Facilitator.

She writes: “It is also important to connect with students . . . adding a touch of humanity and even humor . . .”(18). Two of my personality traits seem to integrate well in the online world. I do have a sense of humor that is often irrepressible and I have a need to connect with those in my learning communities.

As Lehmann indicates, this process “is as much art as it is science” (18) and I understand that to mean that at times a congruence develops between personality, philosophy and skill. So, if one reads student evaluations of my online classes, it is apparent that I do connect and my efforts to build a comfortable learning and authentic online learning environment using my “voice” see to work.

Both my official evaluations and comments on Rate My Professor (3.8 out of 5.0 on helpfulness) comments this to be the case in both my online and face to face classes.

These student comments reflect my belief that some of the foundational aspects of instruction are delivery agnostic. This point came up in a module 1 discussion exchange between myself and Jeanne Egasse and is on point to this topic.

Jeanne wrote that"qualities described in the assigned readings for Module 1 apply to both face to face-to-face (f2f) classes as well as online ones".

I replied: “Thank you for your description of a CoP sounds stimulating, engaging and above all authentic. I found your reading of both Lehmann and Pratt et al parallel to mine. First, in referring to your comment above, I could not agree more. I think that the challenges and benefits of learning communities or communities of practice are delivery format agnostic. While the obstacles and tools may be different, the qualities that were articulated in the first chapter of both books apply across the board.”

Looking at Lehmann’s taxomony of online categories on page 23 is a solid way to see how my constructivist views are translated into practice. These 5 categories, it should be noted, apply to all levels of instruction, not just online class delivery. These categories informed my self evaluation in light of my reading of Defining and Redefining Community, Chapter 4 in Pratt and Palloff.

On page 22 these authors bullet 5 key attributes of the learner in a cyber community. Four are familiar to the student or practitioner, but one warrents special consideration. Pratt and Palloff talk, in point 2 about a process of internal privacy. I think that this is both provocative and reflective of what we try to do in facilitation. Mentors, coaches and online facilitators need to actualize the respect for diversity that lies at the heart of a student centered instructional milieu. Learners online, is like the face to face classroom, can be vulnerable on the discussion board, in chat, in group assignments and the respect for the private learning zone is a challenging concept to conceive and encourage. I do think that, over the years, I have come to recognize this and to strive to foster this safety.

As a community college instructor, this key distinction between andragogy and pedagogy is significant to the way I teach. Back in chapter 1 Pratt and Palloff differentiate the adult learner from the immature or adolescent learner. On page 8 the 4 characteristics of voluntarism, self discipline, age, and attitude inform a construction and delivery of instruction predicated on authenticity and the recognition of learning style differences. Indeed a constructivist approach to instruction is not only compatible with the notions of andragogy, but almost a natural extension.


Finally, in my approach to student learning I have evolved in a way that, I hope, reflects the 7 points Pratt and Palloff describe on page 24 to promote community and connectedness. The unifying thread behind all of these is an empowerment of students within an instructional design that is self consciously tied to relevant and authentic learning outcomes.

References above are to:
Building Learning Communities in Cyberspace - Pratt/Palloff
How to be a Great Online Teacher - Lehmann

Greg