I’m Dr. Connie Wanstreet, and my role in the educational process is based on a combination of nurturing and developing adult learners.
Interaction and collaboration within the learning group in the creation of meaning is central to my approach to design and facilitation. I respect the experience adults bring to a learning situation, and I support their efforts and personal development by creating and maintaining a welcoming environment.
- Specifically, my design and teaching philosophy incorporates tools, participants, social practices, and learning outcomes.
- In relation to tools, my role is to know how to combine technologies to achieve the desired learning outcomes.
- As a participant in the course, my role is to help generate critical thought and manage the learning environment by orchestrating multiple views and pulling them together coherently. In that way, I move from being a primary source of content to a facilitator of the learning experience.
- Social practices include the actions and interactions in the classroom. As an instructor, I help learners manage interactions to promote critical thought and deep learning. This involves coaching, providing feedback, and offering guidance on expressing oneself in face-to-face and online environments.
- Regarding outcomes, I help students connect their experience of learning to real-world applications.
In addition, I feel a strong obligation to attend to my own professional development through my research, writing, and participation in conferences. In that way, I apply what I’ve learned to my course design and facilitation.