If we are not in the classroom for the learners then should we be in there at all? The answer may seem obvious. And yet, what does it mean to be fully present and engaged for the learner? From my experience teaching for the past 15 years across learning environments, it means that you need to adapt your curriculum according to the uniqueness that each learner brings to the situation.

Each learner brings with them a set of knowledge that is unique, a specialty perhaps, a way of learning, a way of collaborating with others, a communication style or pattern. If you design your courses with a one-way information highway style, then there is no dialogue. Without dialogue, then you’ll never know anything about your learners, except that they are just as eager to be present as they are to be acknowledged. The challenge is, how do you design learning for multiple learners while considering the needs of individuals as well? One solution is to ask learners at the onset of deploying your design that knowing what they think they course is, what do they want to get out of it? This can also be asked prior to the first class. The goal after that is to uncover new ideas, extract common themes and allow them to influence your design. The map below can also be used to reflect on what you’ve just taught. Using it may inform iterative changes to your design.