The Big Idea – Training and Mentoring

How do you effectively teach, train,  instruct,  demonstrate, or even mentor?

The Big Idea: Train, Instruct, Demonstrate, Mentor, and effectively succeed in doing so. It’s as hard as you make it, or as easy as you make it.  There are a lot of examples in History, Mathematics, and Science (including technology) regarding training methods.  I have run into my own mental blocks and some deep-seated misconceptions along the way, trying to learn the proper methods.  Studying how people learn can and will be challenging.

Pedagogical content knowledge & Effective teaching.

A little description might help. Nothing too technical, just bits and pieces to pull it together. It’s good to understand the difference:

1.     Knowledge & effective teaching

2.     Knowledge of teaching methods

Example:  I will use myself as the pigeon here.

Years ago, I developed a mental block that began after I decided to skip the physics section in some instructional reading material. I kept thinking that I wouldn’t need to read that portion of the book to understand the content for something else. I learned everything I needed to know prior to taking this silly course.

 I remember becoming frustrated and then packing up my books and heading to the gym to read on the treadmill.  Like the treadmill was going to make it all better – right?  Nope.  I had a similar experience when I attempted to re-read the part about Qualitative Strategies.   I was determined to continue to skip over anything that was related to formulas.

 It took me two days to decide to look over the chapter a third time.  When I finally did, the formulas were no longer as problematic for me. Why? Because I had shifted the way I viewed the information, and was now able to understand the content.  It was in MY approach to the readings that I had to adjust.  Our students can have the same reaction. Similar to a fight-or-flight response, our emotions can become distractions to learning. Emotions get in the way of solid learning. Sometimes you have to read the boring or hard content, too. Just do it. The interesting part is that you generally feel better when you do. This is the area of learning where you need to search inside yourself for those problem-solving skills. You have to start!

You have to start!

Misconceptions and how we tend to deal with problems, whether they are real or not – that is an area that everyone could benefit from exploring.  You have to ask the hard questions in education.   But you have to ask them yourself first, before passing them on to your students. Here are a few questions to start with:

How did I come to a certain conclusion about the content of what I was reading?

When did this behavior first start?

Who is available to help me bridge those misconceptions?

What challenges would keep me from overcoming my false belief system?

Why did I think I couldn’t understand the formulas when I really could?

Why did it take me two days to return to the problem I created?

What teaching approaches would best fit the content that I needed to understand?

The impact

What barriers and obstacles do educators need to overcome? To be able to help students bridge their misconceptions, we first have to deal with our own misconceptions.  We need to own up to our own limitations as instructors as well.  The fact that some of us will never be a math teacher might not bother you at all.  But the idea that your belief system could stand in the way of a student learning –that should bother you.

But the idea that your belief system, could stand in the way of a student learning –that should bother you

When instructing a student, it is important that you have a clear vision of what you want your students to understand.  The teaching approaches that you utilize need to adequately fit the subject content as well.

 In reflection, pedagogical content knowledge is vastly different from knowledge of basic teaching methods. You can know a subject well, but that doesn’t necessarily equate to teaching the subject well.  Not every approach will work well in every setting, either.  We have to learn as educators to be more adaptive. I still have a lot to learn, but I’m not done yet

 To all those K-6 grade teachers out there – you have my admiration. That is a level of instruction I would equate to new formula creation. Good Luck!

 Good Luck!