April 5, 2022
Becoming A Facilitator
In an Agile classroom, educators change roles from the content expert and gatekeeper of knowledge to learning facilitator. This means that students take the lead in their learning while the teacher acts as a guide. As an educator for well over a decade, I know that it can be a difficult transition from leading to guiding.
Facilitator literally means a person that makes a process easier. It does not mean that a facilitator doles out knowledge, directs people, or jumps through hoops. A facilitator works with a group and aids in processing the information that is already present to create the conditions to help the group accomplish more efficient work. In the classroom, this takes pressure from the teacher to constantly have control, push information, maintain behavior, and amuse the class. The teacher is freed to create relationships, work in small groups, and provide intervention on an as-needed basis.
Preparation is EVERYTHING
The first step to creating an Agile classroom is preparation. Unlike writing single or weekly lesson plans, an Agile unit is planned upfront. At the beginning of the unit, students are given all of the required work, an open-ended essential question,…
