August 2008 — News
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Expert Teachers: The Risk of Becoming Knowledge Workers
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The idea of teachers being experts is certainly not a new one in the field of education. For centuries, the tutor or teacher has been the recognized expert in the field from whom students must learn. In this conventional context, the expert teacher transfers information and/or skill to the student through explanations, demonstrations, and examples. The overall goal is that in turn, what has been learned becomes useful to that student within relevant life contexts. While the concept of learning seems feasible and remains the overall goal of all education, the reality is that there are several stages in the process of learning that may or may not be facilitated by the teacher. That is, while the initial transfer of information from teacher to student is widely accepted as necessary in the process of learning, often stages of ideas sharing and application of the learning, which help to actually build knowledge, are often not included in the process. In other words, many learning contexts (courses, seminars, workshops, etc.) remain in the information transfer stages and never attain the level needed to develop new knowledge.
This is, in my opinion, for two main reasons:
- Teachers believe their job is to transfer information--the understanding of which can be easily measured in standardized tests; and
- Student do not recognize the difference between understanding information and building new knowledge and, therefore, do not necessarily a difference between the two.
The Problem
As evidence of learning has generally been diminished to test data, teachers are faced with a risk they must take if their goal is to become that of knowledge worker rather than information manager or transmitter. That risk is to perhaps seem to not have "covered" all the material or to be spending too much time in non-essentials, which would undermine a teacher's perceived success as an educator. Students, too, run the risk of seeming too inquisitive or wasting time or stalling the progress of learning, as well as presenting themselves as lacking in knowledge in order to pursue knowledge. As we look closer at the risks involved in becoming knowledge workers in the learning process, we must also address various approaches to teaching and learning that can heighten knowledge development for both teachers and students.
