We have all had that teacher. The teacher who was so boring that his or her class still gives you nightmares. What went wrong in the classroom? They knew the material; they came prepared to class; and they even spent time on their lessons. None of this equaled a successful classroom experience for the learner. Why?!
Is this a question Instructional Design has an answer for? I mean, could Instructional Design help boring teachers become exciting? Is instruction enough, or does it really come down to some people lack of charisma? In that case, could we teach charisma? Are there skills we cannot teach teachers?
I for one believe there are skills we cannot teach; no matter how good our analysis. For instance, we cannot teach passion for teaching; we cannot teach patience for learners; nor can we teach a sincere caring for learners' success. We can fix overcrowded classrooms and how teachers format their lessons; but are these issues what really produce the most success? or are the most important issues also the most elusive issues for instructional designers?
Could anyone use an Instructional Design process to break down, package, and deliver charisma, passion, or caring?
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Oh man, I totally agree with you! I think I posted a similar comment on Carter's blog. You can be the BIGGEST expert in anything, but it doesn't mean you are good at teaching it or even SHOULD teach it. I think you're so right that there are some things we really cannot teach. We can't teach personality, we can't really teach judgment very effectively and we certainly can't teach someone to care if they just don't have it in them to care.
ReplyDeleteI feel sorry for the teachers who realize that they just don't have what it takes to be a good teacher. And I feel even sorrier for the students of the teachers who don't realize that they don't have what it takes. I am not an educator but taking these classes gives me a whole new appreciation for what it really takes.
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