How Much Do They Really Need To Know?
Happy New Year! I can see clearly now, I have 2020. This next year many of you will be helping others to learn about turning on a wood lathe. There is so much to learn that it can be really daunting (read discouraging and intimidating) to a new turner.
So keep it simple. The reason schools present material to 1st-grade students on a 1st-grade level is that a 12th-grade level would be overwhelming. That is exactly what we tend to do with new turning students. We are full of knowledge we want to give them along with the benefit of all of our study and the shortcuts we have learned. We want to help them avoid the mistakes we’ve made. Instead, we scare the bejesus out of them before they even get started.
Your job as a teacher is to make the complex simple, easy and fun to learn about. Think of your subject matter as Turning 101. These lessons should be basic and simple to understand. Turning 201 will come after they master Turning 101 and can better understand the finer points. Later there will be time for Turning 201, 301, 401, etc.
It is so hard to not want to share everything you have learned all at once. It doesn’t work. Over the years I have explained new ideas, methods and techniques to many different kinds of people both men and women in every kind of setting you can imagine. The tendency was always to include too much detail too early on in the process. I had to constantly remind myself to leave the details for later or if they had a more advanced understanding until they asked about something requiring more detail. The way I always knew it was happening to me was that a great explanation or demonstration which should only take10 minutes was now taking 20 minutes. I had to reset and eliminate the extra unnecessary stuff.
A key indicator that you are including too much detail in your presentation or lesson is this simple question: “How am I ever going to cover all of this information in the time allotted?” If you can’t keep to the schedule without rushing through the material, you are including too much. It could be too much detail, too many steps or just too much material in general. And don’t forget that you have to allow time for questions. That’s how you verify that your audience understood what you were trying to impart.
There is a time for detail and you will know it when you see it. Perhaps a one-on-one lesson, or an advanced techniques class where your focus is very narrow and your audience is already well versed on the subject. The rest of the time, save some information for later. Your students will actually learn much more and can often figure out the rest through their own experiences, you did. Remember that wherever you go, there you are.
Here is my inspiration for this weeks message: Psalm 119:130 NIV The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. Psalm 119:27 NIV Cause me to understand the way of your precepts, that I may meditate on your wonderful deeds. Mark 9:32 NIV But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.
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