What do you mean by teaching?

When helping a professor new to distance learning I am often asked how a course should be taught on line, followed quickly by the question “how do other people do it?” It seems tat these questions usually mean “Wow do I make this technology work?” A good question. I think, however, another one should precede it: “What is my theory of good teaching and how can use this technology to do it?”

I am pursuing a certificate in Distance Learning from the University of Wisconsin. In the first module, where I am developing a conceptual framework for distance learning, I’m encouraged to ask colleagues “What do you mean by teaching?” It is a simple question with large implications. Embedded in the answer are assumptions about how people learn, or how we want them to learn in order to match our preferred method of teaching. There are resource implications as well. As we evaluate and adopt technology to deliver content or enhance collaboration, what type of teaching do these technologies favor, if any? In which should we invest money and energy?

So, what do you mean by teaching? As a prompt, consider these four teaching theories defined by D. Fox (1983 Personal Theories of Teaching. Studies in Higher Education, 8, pp.151-163):

• Transfer Theory: knowledge is a commodity to be transferred
• Shaping Theory: teaching is a process of molding students into a predetermined pattern
• Traveling Theory: the teacher is a guide and learning is akin to exploring unfamiliar terrain
• Growing Theory: the teacher provides resources for the emotional and intellectual development of the student

I’m curious if there is a consensus among DL instructors about what teaching is.

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