show the human side
how many of us admit that we have made mistakes and use this human side to make a point and that if we learn from our mistakes that the knowledge gained will far out way the embarassment of it in the first place
The industry that I am in is one where you will never know everything. By making the occasional mistake you can reinforce the necessity of using the service manual instead of relying on memory.
i can not agree with you more but to often instructor are not secure in letting themselves be seen as any thing less than perfect.big egos or a fear that it will be taken as a sign of weakness either way the student and the instructor lose.
i agree we should share things we have done in the field that did not goe as exactly planned. That way we show that we also learn by doing and we are not perfect.
I am not afraid to let my students know that they just taught me something. They enjoy knowing that they did this and they also see that I am open to learning all the time. I do tell my students about things that went wrong in the field and how I or we fixed the problem as a team in our shop. It helps students know that they will not be alone in the field.
you hit the nail on the head being taught by or being made to think out side the box to answer a question from a student from the perspective is one of the best moments you can have
Hi Gregory,
You are displaying a total approach to teaching in that you are the class leader as well as the person that is seeking to share knowledge with students and learn from them as well. This will help you to develop rapport with them. Keep up the good work.
Gary
I make it a point to let my students know I'm human. I tell them about my day and ask about their's. We discuss weekend activities and mistakes or bad choices we have made. Then, we work on solutions (depending on the course, of course!) - but I find all goes much better with my students when they know I'm human, too. I make mistakes, I forget things, and I am tired at 8AM (or 10PM) as well.
I think it empowers students to let them know we learn from them, too. It's often the most rewarding sessions for me!
I think we must show the student this side of us. e are all still learning. we make mistakes and learn from them.
i definatly i have there before with so much information packed into a short class
The course that I instruct is very diverse. I encourage students to share any materials pertaining to the class that I may or may not be aware of.
Absolutely. Alot of times when you show that you are not perfect especially in this industry, the students understand and usually won't be too hard on themselves when mistakes happen. They look at it as well if it can happen to the instructor it could happen to me
I have made a point of telling my students that even with 30 years of experience I do not know everything and it gets some good discussion in the class. It really seems to loosen them up.It really gets some smiles when I tell them that that I actually learn from them.I think more instructors should try this.
Hi Steven,
Not only does it get your students going but it also shows that you are human. We all make mistakes or have blanks in our knowledge so we can certainly learn from our students if we are open to it. You are and your students benefit from it.
Gary
Gregory, I love your post and agree that it is not a bad thing to let students know that you have learned something from them. Each class is different with a different set of dynamic factors. We as instructors must be willing to acknowledge this and be willing to change things around to fit the needs of the new class. This also lets the students know that you are listening to their needs and understand them. Great post.
I like to use my real world situations from the field as a baseline for stories that play into the curriculum. I think it important for the students to see that I, too, used to be a newbie in my field and I started the same place as they did.
showing the human side can make some great stories for your students I always share stories with the students about my career and the mistakes I made. It alows the student that your human to and you are sharring things that might happen to them. A little exageration can realy make it fun to.
