The Educator’s Impact: Roles, Attitudes & Methods
The Educator’s Role: Support and Facilitation
The role of the teacher or educator is primarily one of help and support for learners.
Educator Duties and Responsibilities
- Prepare and manage educational sessions.
- Select appropriate teaching techniques, activities, and content.
- Manage session time effectively.
- Organize the learning space, ensuring appropriate and flexible physical conditions (e.g., comfortable temperature, movable furniture).
- Act as a key resource alongside other materials and support systems.
- Foster a positive climate within the learning group.
Creating a Positive Classroom Climate
The educator is responsible for creating the climate within the classroom or learning environment. This climate can be:
- Defensive: Characterized by evaluation, judging, control, rigidity, distance, superiority, subordination, dependence, and certainty.
- Tolerant (Supportive): Characterized by description, problem orientation, spontaneity, empathy, equality, provisionalism (problematical), and service-oriented authority.
Essential Educator Attitudes
- Clarity/Awareness: Explanations must have a clear structure, allowing learners to follow the theme of the class.
- Acceptance: Valuing learners’ contributions and perspectives.
- Empathy: Understanding and responding to learners’ feelings and viewpoints.
Choosing Effective Teaching Techniques
Before choosing a technique, it’s crucial to first determine the specific learning objectives to be achieved. The same objective can often be addressed using different techniques or activities.
1. Classroom Research Techniques
These techniques are often scheduled first in a session, typically used to investigate learners’ preconceptions or prior knowledge.
Objective: To express, reflect, organize, and share knowledge, experiences, and feelings.
Focus: Primarily addresses the affective domain (personal experiences, feelings) and cognitive skills.
Examples:
- Brainstorming
- Picture-Word Association
- Grid Analysis
- Survey
- Mumble Groups
- Phillips 66
- Rumor Clinic
- Interview
- Questionnaires
- Incomplete Sentences
Grid Analysis (Reja) Technique Explained
This technique helps introduce and organize experiences, attitudes, feelings, values, and beliefs. It facilitates information extraction, analysis, consideration of different viewpoints, and suggestions for future work. Learning is often inductive.
- Duration: Typically around 45 minutes. Often done in two parts; using three parts may reduce effectiveness.
- Preparation: Define the research objective and the header fields for the grid.
- Variations: Can be conducted orally or in writing, using many or few indicators (grid cells/prompts).
- Management/Facilitation:
- If the group is large (e.g., over 15 people), separate it into smaller subgroups.
- Provide necessary materials (e.g., flip chart paper, markers) and set clear time limits.
- The educator’s role involves: collecting information non-judgmentally, managing discussion time, avoiding confrontation, verbalizing the synthesis from participants, summarizing information across the grid fields, and linking the group’s findings to the next activity.
2. Classroom Analysis Techniques
Objective: To analyze different perspectives, identify causal factors, compare findings with reality, and explore alternative solutions.
Focus: Addresses cognitive skills and the affective domain.
Examples:
- Case Study
- Phrase Analysis
- Myth Analysis
- Study of Factors/Results
- Problem Analysis and Solution Seeking
- Discussions
- Competitive Groups
- Seminars
- Panels
- Advertising Analysis
- Analysis of Proverbs and Songs
- Mock Trial / Court Session Simulation
The Case Study Method
This is a widely used technique, particularly in fields like Health Education. It involves presenting historical facts or realistic scenarios (real or fictional) for participants to analyze contributing factors and key highlights.
- Benefits: Allows learners to practice analyzing problems, deal realistically with complex themes, and engage in rational decision-making.
- Types: Can be open-ended (where the solution or outcome is not provided) or closed (where the outcome or solution is revealed).
- Presentation: Can be presented as a dramatized scene, a written story, or a narrated account.
- Purpose: Typically focuses on cause analysis and the search for solutions.
- Content: Often involves historical events or realistic situations.
- Important Note: The language used must always be appropriate for the target audience.
Example Scenario Draft: A story is written for teenagers to analyze within 30 minutes. For instance: “Eva plans to go out with her friends on Saturday night. She mentioned to them she ‘rolled with Juan’ that night. Later, at the disco, Eva and Juan meet and spend the evening together.” Discussion Prompt: Does this scenario feel realistic? What factors might be involved?