World Café

Question 1:
What is the role of the learning guide (teacher, trainer, consultant) in facilitating learning from practice? What about his or her personal point of view?

The learning guide must be able to wear multiple hats and shift between these different roles, depending on the situation. Some of the roles and responsibilities that were mentioned included:
• Focusing attention on different issues in the workplace
• Advocating for the learner
• Being a “cheerleader” and motivator for the learner
• Facilitating conversation, especially in a group or reflective session
• Facilitating connections within the workplace
• Challenging the learner to see other points of view and cross boundaries
Context may dictate which role the learning guide will play at any given time.

The learning guide may also be viewed as the coordinator of a community of learners. In this role, the guide should help learners reflect on their roles and, in particular, think about what gifts they can give to their own communities.

The learning guide can impart knowledge to the learner in different ways:
• Elicit tacit knowledge that the learner brought into the learning environment
• Help the learner make this tacit knowledge explicit, critique and even transform it
• Point out gaps in pre-existing knowledge and help learners expand their knowledge to close these gaps
• Assist learners in discovering and developing their own theories
• At times, provide explicit or content knowledge from an expert. It is possible for learning guides to also be experts, although that can conflict with their facilitator role.

The learning guide needs to create the appropriate climate for learning and to cultivate qualities in the learner that will promote future learning. A receptive learning climate was described as:
• One that allows for open discussion
• An inclusive climate where everyone feels safe
• An atmosphere where a conversation of the whole person – both known and unknown – can take place
An important goal is to promote the learner’s ability to learn, including:
• Taking responsibility for his own learning
• Developing her own theory of learning
• Motivating himself

Questions raised in the discussion:
• How does a conversation of the whole person unfold?
• Do you motivate someone or does someone motivate himself (i.e., is motivation a transitive or intransitive property)?

The learning guide needs to judiciously manage points of view and when possible, use differing points of view as a learning tool. Learning guides may express a point of view as long as they do not impose it on the community. Allowing learners to express points of view may create more passion for the learning. Disagreements between people often trigger learning. Finally, it might be permissible to advocate a point of view or position as long as you follow it with an inquiry.

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