An Expert’s Guide to being a Non-Expert
The last day of the TCEA Tech Directors Academy was three days ago and I am just now able to blog about it and post my reflection. I was really thrown by that day and it wasn’t a reach for me. It was a concept I am really familiar with but haven’t been implementing: facilitative learning.
As a classroom teacher, I was pretty good at this idea. I took the lecturn out of my classroom and provided differentiated, problem-based teaching with the basis that “I don’t have the answers” so students learned to find answers on their own. I implemented the “Ask Three Before Me” concept that had students ask three of their peers before asking me for help. Not only did this help them with collaboration, but it gave me time to consult my Dummies books for answers.:)
A stinging reflection has been that I feel I strayed from this method as a campus technologist and became the “expert” in my old job; thus leading to fast burnout. I became the expert in so many things that I didn’t allow people on the campus to become the experts. People called me for help in everything. They didn’t know how to find answers on their own. This isn’t an exercise in making me out to be something super. Nope. In fact, this is an embarrassment to me. This is a reflection on how poor I have been as a teacher the past 5 years.
As I prepare to start professional development next week, I see that I need to completely renovate how I develop training so that I don’t do this to myself in this new role. In other words, I need to change…..everything…..again. I need to go back to the basics. Each staff development program I offer needs to be about the audience learning to find solutions on their own; and not about me being the one with all the knowledge.
The truth is, I am not the one with all the knowledge! I really think the only thing I am good at is putting in the right terms in a search engine for the answers. This is what I need to show staff to do – show them how I find the answers and how they can find their own answers. Let them become their own search experts.
I know this sounds basic to some of you who are in this role and you probably do this very well. I want to say that I used to be doing this. I was good at letting go and letting the class take learning above the level I could teach. The frustration is that I did not carry this over with the adults I was teaching. As I look back on how I worked at WHS, I (embarrassingly) look back and see that the training was about what I was doing with technology.
Such a shame.
Thus the reason for not posting a reflection on the last day of the Tech Directors Academy. It was a hard lesson to learn and may be harder to put into effect. But I will try! I will adapt. I will let go!
June 12th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
Well said. I have a lot of guilt with the same issues that I left behind at my former campus. While there is nothing more prideful than being thought of as super human when it comes to technology (or karaoke for that matter), it leaves the teachers with a deficit in an area that they all need to grow in. While dependency is not a good thing for learning and development of staff, trust is. They need to feel secure in themselves (and you) in order to take risks, make mistakes, learn from their mistakes, and inevitably, make the same mistakes again. It’s amazing to me how many teachers are actually AFRAID to make a mistake or not be the expert in something, which is why a great many steer clear of technology and continue teaching from the same 1988 textbook that still has Sri Lanka labeled as Ceylon. Until that fear is overcome, you can change yourself all you want, but they’ll never buy in.
June 12th, 2009 at 8:34 pm
Thanks Carl! I guess the question becomes how do we help them get over their fear? How do you teach people that risk taking is okay? I think teaching in itself is a big risk. I can remember people telling me that I shouldn’t go into education because of how little teachers can make financially. I took that risk (and I liked summers off!).
But for teachers who don’t like to take those risks, how do you guide them toward this? How do we encourage risk-taking and mistake-making?
June 16th, 2009 at 8:42 am
Wow, that’s pretty impressive! It is a rare educator who can question being the expert and is willing to put others first in this area. My hat’s off to you!
June 17th, 2009 at 10:49 pm
Well I am here to disagree with your complete post above. I was on campus with you when you came to our district. I learned by doing and you not telling me all the answers. You challenged me as well as many others on campus.
I admire your self reflection and rededication to your belief of your teaching style. I agree with that more teachers should be self directed and go find the answers. We should stick our neck out of our shell (current teaching methods) and challenge ourselves.
I think many teachers are fearful (as does Carl above “It’s amazing to me how many teachers are actually AFRAID to make a mistake or not be the expert in something, which is why a great many steer clear of technology and continue teaching from the same 1988 textbook that still has Sri Lanka labeled as Ceylon”) they will not know all the answers in front of the students, but I think that is a good thing. Students need to know that teachers are learners just the same. We only learn by doing and sometimes the best teacher is failure.
Most teachers are not willing to follow the “Ask three before me” principle. I think some of that has to do with the fact that they may not three people to ask (can you say PLN). They need to expand their circle of influence and influencers for themselves. They have knowledge others are seeking. While they are seeking for the answers to their questions, most often we find others who want or need the answers or information we have within us.
I am not judge by the number of times I fail but the number of times I succeed and the number of times I fail is in direct proportion to the number of times I can fail. This comes from a poster my Aunt gave me for a birthday when I was about 10 or 11. Fail faster means more successes.