The Curriculum Guide describes Lead Learner as a paradigm where the instructor’s role shifts from being the source of knowledge to being a leader in seeking knowledge. The lead learner’s mantra is: “I may not know the answer, but I know that together we can figure it out.” Modeling how to learn new things is part and parcel of teaching any subject, but it’s a vital life skill in computer science. In fact, not having complete knowledge of everything is part of the very nature of doing work in computing and it’s what keeps the course interesting year after year.
TEALS Volunteers as Lead Learners
As content experts, it’s important that you have space to leverage expertise while also fostering the classroom environment and dynamic that the teacher is working to build. Below are some strategies for how to use Lead Learner techniques in the classroom:
Allow students to dive into an activity without presenting all the content first
Encourage students to rely on each other for support
Don’t give the answer right away, even if you know it
Feel open to making mistakes in front of students so that they see it is part of the learning process
Ask students questions that direct their attention toward the issue to investigate without giving away what they need to change
Model the steps you would go through to find an answer to a question. Explain the different questions you ask yourself along the way and the ways you go about finding answers.