Instructor’s and Students’ roles April 10, 2010

We need to think on how the teacher’s role has to change. The teacher who is a lecturer and believes he/she is the only source of information, and controller of the teaching process is wrong. He/she needs to change his/her mind. That teacher needs to become a facilitator, negotiator, encourager, and co-creator of an e-learning environment. Furthermore, the teacher needs to become more aware of each of his/her learners’ needs, likes, and learning styles.

From the part of the students it is also required some changes in their roles.  The learners have to shift their roles from passive receivers and observers to active participants and contributors who build and negotiate knowledge and learning in a collaborative manner. They need to take responsibility of their own learning process and develop critical skills.

When participants of the teaching-learning process change their roles most of the humanizing process is already accomplished.

HUMANIZING AN ONLINE LANGUAGE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT April 10, 2010

The new learning environments imply new learning spaces, new communities, new literacies, and new generations. The tendency shows that everything will be technology mediated; for instance, every single day new relationships rise from computer interaction, business are closed, games are played, and even teaching/learning processes take place online. Does it mean that people will become machines too? Are we losing our human side? It all depends on how technology is used and the role that people takes when using it.

It is known that education is a social process in which interaction among people becomes important, but how can we make of an online language learning environment and effective but still human space? The responsibility of humanizing an online language learning environment is of the teacher who will need, of course, learners’ collaboration as well. Bellow, you will be presented some tips to help you to humanize an online learning space.

1. Instructor’s and Students’ roles

2. Pedagogy Paradigm

3. Introducing each other

4. Presentation of the syllabus

5. Negotiation of rules

6. Birth dates and others

7. Avatars or photos?

8. Conveying feelings

9. Interaction

10. Support hours

Certainly the human side of an online course cannot be forgotten because it is an essential part of people’s lives: emotions, feelings, dialogues, and interactions are aspects that make us feel alive. Hence, it is teacher’s responsibility to humanize their online learning environments, creating a collaborative environment that enhances learning processes.