rethinking your role

The Role Of A Teacher In Online Discussions

A teacher can choose to be a silent moderator or an involved participant in discussions depending on his or her objectives. There are benefits to each style of moderation. It is important that each individual teacher construct a clear role for their involvement in the online forum so students know what to expect during online discussions.

Silent Moderator

A teacher who uses online discussions to compliment and extend in-class curriculum may choose to be a silent moderator by limiting his or her involvement to posting questions for students to discuss. This role allows students the opportunity to take charge of the discussion and, subsequently, their own discovery of knowledge.

Teachers who choose not to actively engage in the discussions can take the information, insights, ideas, etc. presented in the online forum and weave them into classroom discussions and activities. [For more on this read “Weaving the Online Discussions Into the Classroom.”] By restricting the teacher role to that of a silent moderator, the teacher does not filter or determine the direction of the discussion. Instead, students are allowed to engage freely in dialogue with their peers.

Tasks of a silent moderator include:

•  Posting questions that will drive higher-level thinking and engage students in dynamic discussions.

•  Reading student responses in a timely manner to ensure the tone of the conversation stays respectful.

•  Removing any postings that are not conducive to maintaining a safe online environment, then communicating with students via individual messages or email to ensure future adherence to established expectations.

•  Responding to student questions and concerns via email or individual messages. •  Actively referring to and drawing from online discussions while in class to ensure

students see the value of their discussion in relation to curriculum. •  Using the participation report each week to ensure all students are participating

in the online discussion according to set expectations.

Go to www.CollaborizeClassroom.com for more information

Involved Participant

A teacher who plans to use the online environment to build on concepts or content introduced in class may choose to be an involved participant by regularly engaging in the discussion. This role allows the teacher to steer the direction of the dialogue to ensure that the conversations stay focused on particular aspects of the curriculum. The teacher also has the freedom to model online etiquette, ask follow-up questions, compliment student responses and clarify confusions.

The teacher who chooses to be an involved facilitator must be careful not to over power the discussion or post an overwhelming number of responses. It can be helpful for an involved facilitator to limit his or her responses to the same number of responses required of his or her students each week. This will also alleviate the burden of feeling that the facilitator must respond to each student or each discussion thread.

Tasks of an involved facilitator include:

•  Posting questions that will drive higher-level thinking and engage students in dynamic discussions.

•  Reading student responses in a timely manner to ensure the conversation stays on track and tone stays respectful.

•  Responding to strong postings with complementary feedback, asking follow up questions that redirect the conversation, encouraging more depth in student responses, playing devil’s advocate, clarifying confusions, offering insights, etc.

•  Removing any postings that are not conducive to maintaining the safe space, then using the incidence as a teachable moment where safe space expectations are revisited.

•  Answering student questions in the online forum so all students can benefit from the answer.

•  Actively referring to and drawing from online discussions while in class to ensure students see the value of their discussion in relation to curriculum.

•  Using the participation report each week to ensure all students are participating in the online discussion according to set expectations.



Keep Your Community Thriving

To maximize student involvement, the involved facilitator should:

•  Limit commentary. Do not be overly involved in the discussion. •  Allow the students to reach conclusions on their own, even if it takes time. Do

not be the source of “right answers.” •  Keep positive feedback specific, genuine and authentic. Avoid generic or vague

compliments.



Catlin Tucker is an English teacher at Windsor High School and has worked in Sonoma County for nine years. She currently teaches 9th and 10th grade English and has previously taught 11th grade Advanced Placement English. She also teaches online college research writing courses through Axia College.

Catlin earned her B.A. in English Literature from the University of California, Los Angeles and her Single Subject English Credential and Education Masters from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her Masters in Education focused on creating and maintaining a safe space in the classroom to lower the affective filter and create a more supportive and effective learning environment.

She is currently part of the Collaborize Team, designing resources for the education market.