sages and stages

Most of us were taught to be sages on stages, and the role models who were pointed out to us as paragons of teaching epitomized that model (though the best were much more than that).  I think the ‘sage on stage’ vs ‘curator’ dichotomy is false; it makes for a smug and provocative article, but the best teachers I know have always combined the two functions, imparting knowledge in a personal venue in which the enthusiasm of the instructor was clear, and also providing students with the tools to evaluate data, results, claims, etc, on their own.  Good courses (at least in my field) have always had a strong curatorial component, it is just that the curatorial component is now broader, deeper, and multi-media–harder to manage, certainly, but in principle not that much different.

 

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One Response to sages and stages

  1. Cub Kahn says:

    Yes, there is a spectrum of teaching styles! Many contemporary instructors in higher ed serve at various times as guides, as mentors, as coaches, as learning facilitators, as information curators, as advisers and, yes, as sages. An instructor’s skill at navigating these roles, and knowing which one is appropriate when, seems increasingly important as the pathways for learning–including hybrid courses–become more diverse.

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