From instructor to instigator: Rethinking our role in learning
In this blog, Guilia Mauri, Design Technology Co-ordinator, St. Gilgen International School, Salzburg, shares a deeply personal shift many educators eventually face—the moment we realise that teaching content and facilitating learning are not the same thing. Fresh from her training as a workshop leader, she reflects on how stepping back, listening more, and creating the right conditions for discovery has transformed the way she sees her role in the classroom.
Her journey invites us all to rethink where true learning begins—and how often it starts when we stop trying to control it.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been on a professional learning journey that has genuinely reshaped the way I think about teaching, learning, and my role within both. The IBEN Workshop Facilitator training has not only broadened my understanding of what facilitation really means — it has fundamentally changed my practice in the classroom and beyond. And without hesitation, I can say: this has been the best CPD I’ve done in years.
Letting go of “teaching” — and making space for learning
Before this course, I used to think that a facilitator’s role was quite similar to that of a teacher: prepare resources, create engaging content, guide every moment, and keep the learning “on track.” But through this training, I’ve come to understand that facilitation is something different, something richer, something more human...
It’s not about crafting every piece of content or being the driving force behind every discussion. It’s about creating the conditions in which learning can happen — and then stepping back enough to let it happen.
This shift has already influenced my classroom practice. I’m leaving more space now: more space for inquiry, for conversation, for collaboration, for the unexpected. I’m noticing how much more deeply students engage when they feel they have ownership. I’m realising that the teacher's voice shouldn't be the loudest in the room.
A community of like-minded educators
CPD is so often a solitary experience — you listen, you take notes, and you go back to your school to make sense of it all. This course was the opposite. I had the pleasure of meeting a group of passionate, thoughtful, generous educators from across Europe — colleagues who shared similar values and similar hopes for what professional learning can be. Our conversations, challenges, laughs, and moments of insight were some of the richest professional exchanges I’ve had in a long time.
Final reflection
I’m leaving this experience with a renewed sense of purpose and a clearer understanding of what it means to be a facilitator — not only in IB workshops, but in my own classroom and professional relationships. I feel more attuned to how learning happens. I feel more comfortable stepping back. And I feel more inspired to create spaces where participants and students can take charge of their own learning journeys. If the aim of professional development is to transform practice, not just inform it — then this IBEN course has absolutely achieved that for me.
Definition:
Micro-behaviours are small, intentional actions or habits that teachers can integrate into their practice to shift the learning environment. Over time, these tiny changes accumulate and help move a classroom from teacher-directed to learner-driven.
Micro-behaviours for stepping back
- Wait 3–5 seconds after asking a question before speaking again.
- Replace immediate answers with: “What do you think?” or “Who can build on that?”
- Move physically to the side or back of the room during group work.
- Use hand signals or non-verbal cues instead of verbal instructions when appropriate.
Micro-behaviours for increasing student voice
- Ask students to generate success criteria rather than providing it.
- Start lessons with student questions, not teacher questions.
- Invite students to summarise each other’s ideas rather than summarising yourself.
Micro-behaviours for agency
- Offer two or three ways to complete a task — or invite students to propose their own.
- Allow students to choose seating based on what type of collaboration they need.
- Ask: “How might you approach this differently?”
Micro-behaviours for building a learning community
- Use structured protocols (think-pair-share, circle discussions, visible feedback rounds).
- Rotate group roles (facilitator, recorder, timekeeper, questioner).
- Celebrate process over product — “What helped you learn today?”
Micro-behaviours for reflection
- End lessons with a one-minute reflection (oral or written).
- Have students self-assess and name next steps before receiving your feedback.
- Ask learners: “What did you discover today that surprised you?”
Shifting from “teaching” to “facilitating”: Consider the balance of voices in your classroom. Are you speaking more than your learners, and what might that reveal about your assumptions? Reflect on how often you create space for students to offer their ideas before you step in with your own, and what this says about the trust you place in their capabilities.
Creating space — physical, cognitive, and emotional: Think about the environments you design. Are you leaving intentional moments of silence for thinking, and arranging your classroom in ways that foster collaboration rather than dependence on you? Notice the subtle signals you send that either elevate or diminish the value of students’ ideas.
Ownership and agency: Reflect on who is making the real decisions during learning. Do students have opportunities to choose how they work or demonstrate their understanding? Consider whether your routines allow them to question, challenge, or even reshape the learning journey.
Depth of engagement: Ask yourself how you recognise genuine thinking rather than task completion. When do you see curiosity spark, and what have you done to nurture it? Pay attention to the patterns in participation — who leads, who contributes, and who remains quiet — and what this reveals about your classroom dynamics.
The facilitator’s stance: Take time to explore what “stepping back” looks like in your daily practice. Do you trust the process enough to let students explore unexpected paths? Reflect on which of your behaviours create psychological safety for learners to take risks — and which might unintentionally constrain them.
Community and collaboration: Consider whether your learners see each other as valuable sources of insight. How do you encourage them to turn to one another before turning to you? Reflect on the rituals, routines, and structures that help strengthen your learning community and deepen shared responsibility.