Defining Teacher Roles in Online Discussions
Silent Moderator- Teacher only posts quality questions to the discussion forum with no participation in the follow-up discussion.
- Students have more freedom to discover and lead the conversation - Teacher reads student responses in a timely manner to monitor respect is maintained and expectations are being met. |
Common RolesThese are common roles for the teacher to follow in order to facilitate effective online discussions:
- Remove posts that are detrimental to the conversation or others - Respond to email or individual messages/questions posted by students - Bring online discussions into class work making the online contributions a valuable part of the course - Monitor participation reports to ensure expectations are met. - Avoid giving the "right" answers. |
Involved Participant- Teacher posts quality questions and also engages in the conversation to keep discussion focused on the topic.
- Teacher models conversation techniques by asking questions, complimenting, clarifying, offering insights, challenging, summarizing. - Teacher should their limit responses. All students do not have to get a teacher response. Try to maintain participation with same expectations as the students must meet. |
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