The Frustration And Satisfaction Of Learning Something New

Yesterday I met with Angela Maiers and Mike Sansone while I was visiting in Des Moines (Thanks Mike for the great lunch at Huhot!).  They decided that as it was the second anniversary of the date I started my teaching blog that I was ready to learn something new.  I am now on Twitter and soon hope to develop my own wiki for my classes.

Professor Lisa M. Lane (MiraCosta College) writes about the fear of learning new things...when everyone else seems to be ahead of you and you're struggling to figure things out.

"I dreamt the other night that I went to the first day of class as a student, an upper division or graduate class of some kind. About 20 students. The professor walks in and begins an interactive lecture. I realize I don’t understand what he’s talking about. I look around and see that each of the other students has a stack of about 7 books. Seeing I’m lost, a helpful student opens one and points to a chapter for me. But it’s obvious from the way the professor is talking that everyone has read this already. Before the first day of class. Everyone is quite literally “on the same page”, and I have no idea what’s being discussed."

I think it's good for us as teachers to attempt something new and thus remember the frustration and then the satisfaction of learning, something our students experience on a regular basis.

Comments

[Angela Maiers]

First of all-HAPPY BLOGVERSARY! Your blog is amazing! It was an absolute pleasure to meet you as well. I can completely agree with Dr. Lane about the feelings that surround learning something new. Each day there seems to be something newer, better, faster...it is both overwhelming and exhilarating! I would not want it to be any other way!