Viewpoint , Dancing in the Back Row
By Susan Boyd
Tuesday, September 1 1998
Tuesday, September 1 1998
Published on AllBusiness.com
Recently I attended a national computer training conference in Nashville, the country music capital of the world. At the closing party, trainers got a chance to be learners?only this time we were dancing to a new tune, country and western line dancing.
One thing became quickly apparent about our diverse group: All learners are not created equal. After only a few minutes it was easy to pick out the experienced line dancers and the quick studies from the rest of us. The coordinated people went right to the front, while others, like me, found a person to hide behind. No great surprise here; how many times in my own classes have I noticed people signal their prior experience or comfort level by where they position themselves?
Our trainer was from the "tell them, show them, let them do it, and let them do it again? school of teaching. She carefully demonstrated each new step as she went along. But because she was rather short, it was hard for those of us in the back to see what she did. The experienced dancers in front, of course, got it on the first try and, just like the bright front-row students in my computer classes, grew impatient to go on. The rest of us, trying to take our cue from those front-line stars, managed to shuffle along somewhat by the second repetition. The instructor assured us we were all doing great, though she never left her spot up front.
The instructor would teach a group of steps, repeat it twice, and then add another step. At first, it was possible to follow, but as new steps got added, I began forgetting the earlier steps. I made a mental note to myself to think about how quickly I'd pile on new concepts in the next class I taught.
Once we'd learned all the steps, it was time to turn to the left and repeat the sequence. Suddenly our role models weren't in front of us, and the
familiar movements didn't seem so familiar from this new angle. Then we turned again, and those of us who had hung in the last row were suddenly promoted to front-line chorus for the rest of the group to watch. Stage fright set in. We had no one to guide us, as our instructor hadn't moved from her original position. Finally, a couple more turns brought us back to the safety and anonymity of our back-row starting position. Mental Teaching Note No. 2: Am I providing adequate models and guidance for my students, or do I sometimes leave them hanging?
If we had stuck to practicing that same dance over and over to the music, I might have started to feel comfortable. But the instructor, gleefully pronouncing us ready to go on, proceeded to teach us three more dances, each more
One thing became quickly apparent about our diverse group: All learners are not created equal. After only a few minutes it was easy to pick out the experienced line dancers and the quick studies from the rest of us. The coordinated people went right to the front, while others, like me, found a person to hide behind. No great surprise here; how many times in my own classes have I noticed people signal their prior experience or comfort level by where they position themselves?
Our trainer was from the "tell them, show them, let them do it, and let them do it again? school of teaching. She carefully demonstrated each new step as she went along. But because she was rather short, it was hard for those of us in the back to see what she did. The experienced dancers in front, of course, got it on the first try and, just like the bright front-row students in my computer classes, grew impatient to go on. The rest of us, trying to take our cue from those front-line stars, managed to shuffle along somewhat by the second repetition. The instructor assured us we were all doing great, though she never left her spot up front.
The instructor would teach a group of steps, repeat it twice, and then add another step. At first, it was possible to follow, but as new steps got added, I began forgetting the earlier steps. I made a mental note to myself to think about how quickly I'd pile on new concepts in the next class I taught.
Once we'd learned all the steps, it was time to turn to the left and repeat the sequence. Suddenly our role models weren't in front of us, and the
familiar movements didn't seem so familiar from this new angle. Then we turned again, and those of us who had hung in the last row were suddenly promoted to front-line chorus for the rest of the group to watch. Stage fright set in. We had no one to guide us, as our instructor hadn't moved from her original position. Finally, a couple more turns brought us back to the safety and anonymity of our back-row starting position. Mental Teaching Note No. 2: Am I providing adequate models and guidance for my students, or do I sometimes leave them hanging?
If we had stuck to practicing that same dance over and over to the music, I might have started to feel comfortable. But the instructor, gleefully pronouncing us ready to go on, proceeded to teach us three more dances, each more
