S2.2 Roles of the Virtual Teacher

In the traditional paradigm classroom, the roles were simple. The teacher taught and the students followed directions. In the 21^st century online classroom, teachers facilitate more than they teach; they need to help all the members of the learning community be successful. In this section, you will explore the different roles that virtual teachers may be asked to play while continuing to talk to your fellow online learners about the characteristics of an effective virtual teacher.

Blended Learning

As we talk about the roles of a virtual teacher, it is important to take a moment and talk about blended learning. As the name implies, blended learning is a combination of online and face-to-face instruction. The skills that we will talk about in this session are important for virtual teachers in online courses and will be applicable for the online component of a blended learning program. Read pages 3-5 of "Blended Learning: The Convergence of Online and Face-to-Face Education " for an introduction to the concept of blended learning and a comprehensive definition. If you anticipate using a blended approach as a virtual teacher you should save and read this report in its entirety!

So Many Hats and Only One Head!

Virtual teachers wear many hats—from administrative details to offering feedback, and from facilitating online discussions to holding virtual hands and fostering community. It all depends on the situation. Some programs want a virtual teacher to facilitate a provided program of study, while other schools are asking virtual teachers to facilitate as well as being counselors, mentors, instructional designers, curriculum specialists, parent liaisons, and more!

Review Table 3: Synthesis of Best Practices from "Virtual Schooling Standards and Best Practices for Teacher Education " and the lists of different skills under the Teachers' Roles. As you read, focus on the different activities that build community within the range of roles.

One of the most important hats a virtual teacher will wear is as the facilitator of the learning. Collison, Elbaum, Haavind, & Tinker (2000) divided the role of the online learning facilitator into three categories:

Guide on the Side;
Instructor/Project Leader; and
Group Process Facilitator.

Read "Key Facilitator Roles " for comprehensive descriptions of the three categories. As you read, notice how the online learning facilitator moves away from being the "sage on the stage" to the "guide on the side". Examples in the chapter are drawn from the authors' experiences with particular online courses. Focus on the roles and the specific tips that align with your current or anticipated virtual teaching situation.

Next, read "The Hats of the Online Educator" (from the bottom of page 37 and continuing to page 41) in Chapter 4 of Making the Move to eLearning: Putting Your Course Online (Links to an external site.). As you read, notice the different "hats" the virtual facilitator wears to enable students to learn and to build community.

Effective Virtual Teachers

In Session 1, you began discussing the characteristics of an effective virtual teacher. Now that you have explored how a virtual teacher can serve as a facilitator of learning, go back to the "Effective Virtual Teachers" discussion forum and continue the discussion with your fellow learners.

Community Building Tips:

In this PBS TeacherLine course, you have a facilitator who is guiding you through the learning experience. Think back to what you have read in "Key Facilitator Roles" and, as you progress through this course, watch and notice how your PBS TeacherLine facilitator models those facilitation roles through the announcements, emails, messages in the discussion forums, and feedback on your assignments.

Citations and References

Collison, G., Elbaum, B., Haavind, S., & Tinker, R. (2000). Facilitating online learning: Effective strategies for moderators. Madison, WI: Atwood Publishing. Used with permission. For ordering information, please see: http://www.atwoodpublishing.com/books/160.htm.

Ferdig, R., Cavanaugh, C., DiPietro, M., Black, E., Mukley, J., & Dawson, K. (2009). Virtual schooling standards and best practices for teacher education. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 17(4), 479-503.

Lehmann, K. J., & Chamberlin, L. (2009). Making the move to elearning: Putting your course online. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.

Watson J. F. (2008). Blended learning: The convergence of online and face-to-face education. iNACOL. Retrieved from http://www.inacol.org/resources/promisingpractices/NACOL_PP- BlendedLearning-lr.pdf.