Teachers and Experts |
Role of a Teacher
A teacher is more of a guide and a learning facilitator, than a primary source of knowledge (although they can be if the happen to be a professional, or well read in a certain field). It is helpful to know a subject in order to know the learning path, but it isn't necessary to be the expert to be a good teacher. Teachers provide a framework of learning, helping their students ask useful questions, how to know what questions to ask, and the means and places to find the answers to those questions.
Really the basic tools a good teacher needs is the ability to read and think logically. A basic grasp of other subject is of course helpful, and higher education may provide extra tools to make the guiding and facilitating process easier. But it is entirely possible for a teacher to learn alongside their student, learning enough to determine what paths to take and if the student is doing well. Not that they should do this in isolation. A teacher should read after and talk to experts to see what a student should be learning.
And lack of knowledge in a certain area definitely a handicap, but one that can be overcome with some reading on the part of the teacher, and isn't a permanent obstacle.
The Expert
If the expert isn't necessarily the teacher, and doesn't have to be, for the student to do well, who is this expert? Primarily, authors:
Authors of books and other forms of media such as video, who are themselves experts in their fields, or have compiled the information from the experts. Indeed there is value in learning subjects from their primary sources rather than second and third hand summaries (where the usefulness lies in learning guides of what to study).
Showing a student what resources to study, how to evaluate an author's credibility and credentials, and what hands on projects are useful, are among the main strengths of a good teacher.