The Weaver

A teacher today is like a weaver. Just as a weaver intertwines the threads of a fabric, the teacher weaves together information, ideas, and people in order to facilitate learning. Each thread, no matter how small, creates new nodes, or connecting points with other threads, and contributes to the overall quality of the fabric. In his YouTube video, “The Network is the Learning,” Siemens argues that, “adding a node to a network increases the entire network exponentially.” The more threads that a teacher is able to weave together, the stronger the fabric.

The teacher’s role as the weaver is to help students to recognize the patterns used to create the fabric and to encourage their students to add their own thread to the fabric. It is also the teacher’s responsibility as the weaver to stay current with the evolving methodologies of their field in order to continuously improve their craft. As students become accustomed to the patterns used to make the fabric by adding their own thread, they will be able to take control over their learning and make their own fabric. Over time, students will eventually be able to alter these patterns to create entirely new connections or patterns. In his article, “Connectivism: Learning in the Digital Age,” Siemens writes: “Our ability to learn what we need for tomorrow is more important than what we know today.” By teaching our students how to recognize patterns and digitally collaborate with others, it is our aim as teachers to help our students develop into independent thinkers and life-long learners.