The hardest thing I find is learning how far that zone extends from our current skills without being overwhelming/frustrating. Learning when to intervene – even occasionally (very occasionally) “give the right answer” – so as to avoid too much frustration has been a key issue for me.

I think how far that zone extends from our current skills is a very individual thing – dependent on a whole bunch of factors such as our confidence, how we deal with anger/frustration, previous bad experiences, our ability to shake of mistakes and keep going etc… which is why it’s so important to get to know each other as we learn.

Yes Michael, it seems we are taught to be trainers and learn to be educators through osmosis.

Well put Jude!

The feeling I get from the conversation (and tell me if I’m wrong!) is that (initially at least) filtering information for learners is one of the most important things a facilitator can do (Jen, Jesse, Leigh and Jude). Here’s a few related quotes:

Leigh:

You are there to map the way between information and relevance and application.

Jesse:

it can be hard to know where to start and where to go next

or Jen’s comment that:

Having a teacher allows for a structured approach to the web, less confronting

So filtering and structuring the great professional resources out there into ‘bite-sized chunks’ of learning that don’t overwhelm the learner seem to be important points.

At the same time, I think Jude, Leigh and Jen are also identifying that it’s important that we all learn this skill of filtering relevant information for each other:

Jenn said:

There is so much out there and sometimes it’s all to much. Having a teacher, and being in a learning environment, where everyone is looking for the most helpful and affecting information is vital, for me anyway.

Jude said:

There is also lot of crap out there, part of your role is to guide learners to be discerning, to apply filters.

So, so far we’ve got that the most important tasks for a ‘teacher’ or ‘facilitator’ (or whatever you want to call them) of a web design class (or any class) are:

• Filtering and structuring learning into bite-sized, relevant, consumable chunks (and I’d add: chunks that are consumable for each individual), and
• Helping learners to learn and practise the first point above for each other.

And for my 2c worth, I reckon the best way to help learners to learn how to filter and structure their own learning is by Living what we teach and modelling learning ourselves.

Next, from Jude, Leigh, Angel and Jesse I get the feeling that it is just as important that we all foster a fun, social, accepting, encouraging and supportive learning environment (That’s the bit that Jude mentioned we’re meant to learn by osmosis!)

Warren said:

We will always need teachers its just a matter of how best to deliver…

I’d be keen to know what we will need teachers for in your view Warren – were you thinking along the lines outlined above by the others? (BTW: It was great to see you being the teacher in class today a number of times – helping one person solve their CSS problem, and filter relevant information for us with the news of new broadband plans for Australia in the political arena!)

Have I summarised peoples thoughts accurately? Does anyone have other points that they think a web facilitator can provide to a network of learners that can’t be provided by the excellent professional resources out there on the net?