Extending the Architectural Metaphor

I mentioned in my D2L post for Week 10 that I had been struck by Sharon Friesen's use of of an architectural metaphor in her article on competency-based curriculum (Friesen 2013). Meanwhile, I just posted my link and question about an environmental issue for Week 12, which is about architecture--a subject of particular interest to me. As you know by now, my particular area of interest is in the design--the architecture--of "school", both as social institution and as built environment.

The metaphor of teachers as architects of learning has resonated very strongly with me, especially in light of everything we have considered this semester. Architects create designs, but they do not actually build. Architects have a vision of where they want a process to go, but they need many others to reach the goal. Architects must often revise, refine, or reject ideas, designs and plans. Architects coordinate and facilitate the work of many different groups and individuals, all of whom have their own strengths and weaknesses. Architects understand and use some technology, but they also rely on others who have particular or specific technological tools, without necessarily fully understanding how their colleagues use a particular tool.

This indeed sounds very much like the evolving role of the teacher. The teacher creates the overall design, but the students do the actual construction/building/learning/work. The teacher has a goal or outcome in mind, and designs a process by which to work toward the intended result. The teacher is constantly revising, refining, or rejecting ideas as the process unfolds. The teacher works with a variety of students, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, but each contributing to the overall goal. The teacher coordinates and facilitates the work being performed by the students. The teacher may not fully understand a particular technological tool being used by a student, but can see the value of the tool to the work being performed.

Architecture is a holistic practice. A building requires a variety of individual systems or components (the envelope, mechanical systems, electrical systems, plumbing systems, and so forth)--but they must all come together to create a whole which functions as a seamlessly integrated set of systems. No "subject" or "discipline" exists in isolation--they are all interdependent. Similarly, education must be a holistic, integrated practice. Subjects do not exist in isolated silos. They are interdependent. It is the teacher--or teachers--who coordinate and facilitate the coordination of various components to create an integrated set of systems which function as a whole.

Architects are not "experts" in any of the various fields which contribute to the completion of a building. They are not engineers, skilled tradespeople, or technology gurus. They are facilitators, coordinators, and problem-solvers. They have a certain degree of control, but they must also relinquish a great deal of control to those who turn their vision into a finished product. The metaphor seems truly apt for today's teacher. The work is indeed rich and challenging!

Reference:
Friesen, S. (2013). The rich and challenging work of competency-based curriculum. ATA Magazine. 93(4), no pages given.