Community of Inquiry and the Five Stage Model

A few years ago I delved into the world of extreme climbing from my couch. My sister introduced me to Everest: Beyond the Limit and I was enthralled. As I viewed Climbing the Learning Mountain (Salmon 2006) and an Everest metaphor was used, I considered why the Sherpas were so important, and reflected on how they were portrayed in that show that I loved so much. The relationship between the climbers and the Sherpas was a matter of life or death, but in this metaphor, a matter of success in learning. Each stage of the mountain brings its own challenges, and meeting those challenges as a facilitator is a delicate balance. The Sherpas connect the ropes to allow for safe passage, but the climbers must bring their own knowledge, expertise and be fit for the trek.

In the video, Salmon outlines the role of the facilitator as a guide to climbing the learning mountain as if they were climbing Mount Everest:

 Stage 1 – coming from different places – bring them together.

Stage 2 – pointing out pathways – rope them together – look back and see how far they have come

Stage 3- dependent on others. Sherpa provides information, knowledge they need, direction and options

Stage 4- misty – what they need to plan for the summit – feedback and help

Stage 5- summit – lots of feedback to get there (Salmon 2006)

I will try to extend this metaphor to explore the Community of Inquiry Framework (CoI). When someone summits Everest, it is seen as an individual achievement, but climbers move in groups, with support of Sherpas and expedition leaders that have a deep understanding of the needs of learners to reach the summit.

While the Five Stage Model compares the facilitation experience to that of the Sherpa, the CoI Framework uses the facilitator as an expedition leader, or a guide from one of the Base Camps. They communicate with the climbers through the Sherpas to guide their ascent. The guides and Sherpas work together to provide feedback to the climbers and the Sherpas to ensure they meet the task safely.

There are several camps along the way, that allow for communication between the climbers, Sherpas and expedition leaders. Sharing a meal and reflecting on past climbs allows for “Setting Climate” and “Supporting Discourse” and the intersection between Social Presence and Teaching Presence, as well as between Social and Cognitive Presence. For “Selecting Content”- I imagine the expedition leader would use feedback form the Sherpas in determining the most useful content for the climb.

The group of climbers (learners) are working together to achieve the same goal. If they all move up together it becomes dangerous. The expedition leader decides how to group climbers based on their needs and their abilities to work together to reach the summit. The expedition leader will give feedback specific to the learners in order to meet their learning needs. To continue the metaphor, if the leader recognizes that one of the climbers is climbing ahead and getting into trouble physically, they might get them to reflect on how that might impede their journey when they reach the “Death Zone” as they won’t have the help necessary if they move to far past the group and find themselves in trouble. “It is very important to facilitate and yet not dominate the discourse and, at the same time, be prepared to provide crucial input to ensure that the community moves to resolution” (Garrison, 2007, p. 66)

Bringing the two models together with the Everest metaphor: 

 Stage 1 – coming from different places – bring them together – Social Presence – The Expedition Leader brings Sherpas and climbers together

Stage 2 – pointing out pathways – rope them together – look back and see how far they have come – Teaching Presence- The Expedition Leader selects groupings and provides feedback

Stage 3- dependent on others. Sherpa provides information, knowledge they need, direction and options – Teaching and Cognitive Presence – The Expedition Leader provides information they receive via Satellite phones and other resources they keep at base camp

Stage 4- misty – what they need to plan for the summit – feedback and help – Teaching and Cognitive Presence- The Expedition Leader provides feedback to allow climbers to make safe decisions

Stage 5- summit – lots of feedback to get there (Salmon 2006) – Social, Teaching and Cognitive Presence – The Expedition Leader tailors feedback to their needs and reminds them that the summit is just halfway, and the descent is just as important. This is where the learning continues to be applied in other circumstances and allows them to use their learning beyond the classroom (Reflective Teaching in a Digital Age, 2020).

References:

Garrison, D. (2007). Online community of inquiry review: social, cognitive, and teaching presence issues. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 11 (1), 61-72. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ842688.pdf

MountEverest.net http://www.mounteverest.net/expguide/route.htm

Reflective Teaching in a Digital Age (2020). Dr. Randy Garrison – Community of Inquiry (CoI) Framework and Online Teaching. https://reflectiveteaching.buzzsprout.com/1384834/5950516-dr-randy-garrison-community-of-inquiry-coi-framework-and-online-teaching?play=true

Salmon, G. (2006). Climbing the Learning Mountain [Video file]. Source: https://youtu.be/GbwJMKWFfbl