Thoughts on Teaching Technology

For the last twenty-five years, I’ve been teaching technology; at universities, private schools and my own company. I’ve taught students who are in high school, college and the work force. I’ve taught or lectured around the world. I think a lot about teaching.

More specifically, I’ve been reflecting on the challenges in teaching technology. And I’m starting to think we, as teachers, may be making it harder for our students to retain information due to the way we teach.

The genesis of these ideas occurred years ago when I was at Apple for four days of training for Apple-Certified Instructors on the then-new software Apple Motion.

At the start of the first day, we jumped right into 3D space and I promptly got lost. As the instructor said “click here” or “your screen should now look like this” I got further and further behind. Finally, I was so confused, I couldn’t learn anything.

I could not believe how angry I was at the end of that first day. I was so busy controlling my anger, that I was no longer able to learn. I just couldn’t make sense of what they were saying.

Yes, we need to teach specific information, but until a student feels confident they can learn, they won’t learn. In brief, in-class training comes down to overcoming fear and providing reassurance that “you can learn this.” (Actually, I think almost all training revolves around this, but it is most obvious in a classroom setting.)

I think that one major obstacle to learning is fear. Fear that they aren’t smart enough to understand the software. Fear that if they can’t learn it, they won’t get work; or keep their job. Fear that the knowledge they desire is just beyond their reach.

As one editor told me years ago: “I think some of my darkest days in my broadcast journalism career came when my station stepped away from tape-to-tape editing to acquire Sony ES-7 non-linear editing systems. The system came with no operating manuals. The more I tried to learn about and use the ES-7, the more frustrated I became. Yet, there was a clearly stated expectation by my news director that as Chief News Photographer I had better master this technology, or else.”

No student I’ve ever taught has ever said they were afraid. They use phrases like: “I want to make myself more marketable,” “I want to get a promotion,” “I need to do more in less time;” but their underlying concern is “What if I can’t?”

For this reason, I devote lots of time during the first day to helping students feel successful. I don’t have them open the book, as I don’t want them worrying about what page they should be on, or why their screen doesn’t look “right.” In some cases, I ask them not to take notes, just be in the moment and “do.” The experience of getting something to work is far superior to taking notes — at least in the beginning.

This is a really important concept for me. I call it “Creating Garbage.” I explain that the very first project we will create will look awful — so awful that they won’t believe how awful it will look. I go into over-the-top detail about how bad it will look. This takes all the fear of failure away. If they know it will look awful, then whatever they create will be a success; because it looks awful.

If I tell the class whatever they create will look bad, they stop worrying about their results and, instead, concentrate on the process. This is exactly what it takes to get someone familiar with software. Learn how it works, first, then each student’s natural creativity will guide them into creating something that will appeal to an audience.

Before teaching any software, I always explain the principals behind what we are doing, describe where we are going, and give them signposts they’ll see along the way so they don’t get lost. (I’m a firm believer in building a strong foundation by teaching fundamental principles.) Once we start using the software, I am never a stickler for precision; not at the start. Precision comes after you get comfortable with what you are doing.

The problem I had with the Motion class wasn’t the software, it wasn’t the book. It was that I was completely lost on the whole concept of 3D and while the book said “move the camera here,” a 3D camera was like no video camera I’ve ever worked with. I was lost in the concepts and getting farther behind. I needed help understanding the big picture before I could appreciate the details. I didn’t need to create glorious art on the first take. I just wanted to create anything, to know how I got there, then how to get back.

Take a minute and think about the software that scares you. Maybe it’s video editing software, accounting software, databases, design or, perhaps, foreign languages.

Think about why it frightens you — maybe you don’t understand how it “thinks,” or how it’s used in real-life, or your brain just “doesn’t think that way.” In other words, it has you intimidated.

If students are intimidated by something, trying to get them to learn it perfectly is the worst thing we can do. We first need to help them feel confident, that they CAN learn this, before they can put this knowledge to work.

If they have an affinity for the software, they will quickly start to demand more and more detail. But only after we’ve given them the freedom to learn without penalizing them for mistakes.

Get them oriented, comfortable, and confident and they become excited. Explain the fundamentals so they know where they stand. Allow them to create garbage without penalty.

Students CAN learn. They CAN master even the most difficult subject. However, precision and expertise come with time. But they’ll never spend that time if they become angry at themselves for being too confused to learn.

Reduce fear, build on fundamentals and enable confidence. Those are the keys to successful students.

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