Teacher or Facilitator: Is it just semantics?

What is the first thing that comes to mind when someone uses the word, facilitator? Perhaps you
think of words like planner, coordinator, promoter, developer, or designer. All of these definitions lead us
to think of a facilitator as someone who sets up, designs, and oversees an environment that is
conducive to the goal at hand but they are not at the center of the scene.
Now what is the first thing that comes to mind when someone uses the word, teacher? Words like
coach, disciplinarian, faculty, instructor, lecturer, and trainer come to mind. All of these associations
make the word teacher feel like a central part of the environment and the goal.
Lets bring this around to the classroom and look more closely at the role of a teacher or facilitator in
education. In a classroom with a traditional teacher, the students are relying on the educator to feed
them the proper instruction, principles, and training. In a classroom with a facilitator, he or she sets up
a learning environment and largely gives the students the ability to learn on their own. Facilitators are
often used more in adult settings where its thought that adults can handle independent learning more
readily. But is this really true?
A Stunning Experiment in Ethiopia
An article in the MIT Technology Review in October discussed a bold experiment conducted by the One
Laptop Per Child Organization. Imagine the scene
Children in a remote Ethiopian village wake up one morning and find a large set of boxes outside.
Theyve never seen a written word anywhere- no street signs, printed books, or even cardboard
packaging. Now there are boxes with something completely foreign inside.
Would they even open the boxes? The officials werent sure. There were no written instructions with the
delivery (not that they could have read it anyway). According to the article, it took one child 5 minutes
to open the box, grab the tablet inside, find the on/off switch, and power it up.
With no prior experience using technology, the English language, or any printed materials, within days
these children were actively playing on average 47 apps a day. Two weeks later they were able to sing
the ABC song. And five months later? Some children hacked the tablet to customize the look and feel of
the computer.
In this experiment, the children taught the OLPC officials that even without a teacher, as long as they
had a tool, they could educate themselves. Traditional educators can learn from this- we must move out
of the way and give students the opportunity to learn on their own.
The benefits of self-learning are well documented. Just look at all the advantages an independent
learner takes away from their own education.
1. Learn how to learn.
There is a difference between regurgitating materials on an exam vs. understanding the process of
learning. Students who arent given the opportunity for independent learning dont acquire the skill of
HOW to learn and how to examine a principle from multiple angles. The teacher stands in the way of
the students natural curiosity.
2. Independent learning focuses on the process and not simply the goal.
The process of learning is an exciting adventure that can be interrupted when the primary focus of the
classroom is on the goal. We can learn from famous inventors whose failure in the process became the
seed for amazing success down the road.
3. Flexibility for different levels of intelligence.
Not every student is going to work at the same pace. A facilitator in the classroom can oversee the
environment so that each student can work at their own pace and timing.

4. Independent learning includes time management and other life skills.

Traditional classroom environments can hamper a childs ability to function in the real world where
deadlines, distractions, and other obstacles are in the way. Bosses on the job dont act like teachers.
Office areas are not like pristine classrooms where everything is methodical and routine. Independent
learning requires the student to develop other secondary skills like planning and making priority lists
and deadlines to achieve their goals. They must also learn how to deal with distraction effectively.
5. Passion and curiosity cement learning.
Can you imagine the difference in motivation if you allowed a student to research a topic that truly
piqued his or her interest? Motivation to climb over obstacles is far easier to muster when the student is
allowed to choose what educational mountain to tackle first.
6. Internal satisfaction.
The world isnt going to cheer us all on always. When things get tough, those who dont quit are the
ones who are determined to rely on their own sense of satisfaction and not someone patting them on
the back. Students who have a facilitator rather than a teacher will come to depend on themselves for
a job well done.
7. Independent learners are more aware of their own strengths and weaknesses.
A weakness is only as dangerous as the level of ignorance the person has about it. Independent
learning forces students to grapple with both their strengths and weaknesses through the educational
process.
8. Students learn how to educate others.
If a facilitator invites the student to plan the lesson, then he or she is also learning about how to teach
someone else. What good is genius locked up inside of someone who has no idea how to communicate
to others?
9. Students can self-critique more effectively.
When the process is part of the goal, failure isnt quite so scary. When the fear of failure disappears, it
is much easier to learn the art of self-critique. Traditional teachers and classrooms make little room for
failure as everything is based on grades and exams.
10. Resourcefulness.
Learning is not always a straight path. Oftentimes it is a messy walk in the woods with a lot of detours.
Independent learners are ready and capable of navigating the process whereas pupils that are fed
information from the teacher will get discouraged when they venture out on their own.
What Stands In The Way of Independent Learning?
Unfortunately, money often drives many of the current educational trends. Standardized testing is the
benchmark for funding, and teachers are instructed to teach to the test to ensure good marks. Failure
is not an option for many of the students who are terrified of a less than perfect report card.
The children in Ethiopia may have many many more disadvantages than our wealthy school systems,
but they do have one advantage: There was no fear of failure, an abundance of innate curiosity, and a
serious drive to learn and teach themselves for their own sense of satisfaction and pleasure.
That is what we need to bring back into the classroom. The question is, how do we make our teachers
excellent facilitators that promote independent learning?