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Expert Yogi
Posts: 5098
 
Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | ahh the power of words and their meanings. It's interesting when you start really playing around with their meanings isn't it?? Once I had a friend that was much older and wiser than I. She taught me the practice of learning about words and their meanings...wow, it was so amazing when I started playing with them. It's kinda fun to do actually and its amazing about the ones we "think" we may know that we really don't understand at all. |
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| This has been a great thread; I've enjoyed reading everbody's thoughts. Seems like "teacher" takes on a connotation of authority to Westeners and we kinda don't like that as we have flashbacks many instances where it was nothing of substance being taught but rather, "Do it and do it my way." We probably should have called them instructors then. But again, nothing wrong with that label if one is OK with it. I never wanted to be a yoga instructor, I wanted to be a yoga teacher so that's my goal and I realize it's not a single rung on the ladder but will be a constant trek. The other night at a very beginner ashtanga class, the "teacher" used rudimentary terminology and all in English and referred used phrases like, "This exercise...". She, in my mind, was instructing; however, she must be a very good teacher to know that that's what the crowd of newbies needed.
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| I think the word should probably be "Facillitator" instead of teacher or instructor.
The yoga's already there, it's just easing it out that the facillitator needs to do.
Edited by DownwardDog 2006-07-27 4:38 AM
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| i don't know how well facilitator will work, even though it's a good thought. food for thought and all that. |
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| Mishoga, for what its worth, I always called myself a craftsperson, other people say I'm an artist. Hey, maybe I'm a fabric facilitator. That ought to confuse everyone. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 5098
Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | See, this is interesting. I always think of a facilitator as someone who is not quite specialized in any particular field, works in an office facilitating a paraticular project and managing paperwork, 
Edited by Cyndi 2006-07-27 10:55 AM
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
  
| Yep, I think of a facilitator as either someone who is in love with trendy words and wants to elevate their own posiiton in a group or someone who sets up the room and introduces the real expert. |
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| yeah, it's a fuzzier term.
but there are specialized facilitators. legal dispute resolution facilitators are not quite as 'powerful' as moderators (who start, lead, and change the conversation in negotiations), but they do 'lead' or 'ease' the conversation between two or more disputing individuals. their primary job is to repeat information that each side is saying so that 'everyone is on the same page' to be able to give general legal information (which laws might apply and how and the expenses and reprocussions of various legal actions), and ultimately they aid all of the individuals in determining what the possible solutions are and then which to choose and how to move forward on it.
in a sense, they're objective aids to consensus building.
so, in that sense, they are a bit more than someone who doesn't have specialized knowledge (they do), but they are facilitating the group in finding what is available to them.
in this way, i think it can be applied to yoga teaching. the yoga facilitator knows more about yoga than the others in the room. everyone has a desire to achieve yoga. therefore, the facilitator helps the individuals in the room discover methods for achieving yoga and offers information abut yoga and it's various aspects, and then helps them implement this information to achieve their aims.
so, it could work.
but i don't think i would use it because of it's other, fuzzier connotations. |
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instructor vs teacher
