It is said that a true master learns from his students. Since I'm tutoring at university, from time to time a question or a comment from the students I'm working with made me to see something from a different perspective, you get deeper insights, etc. So, what have you learned from your students/junior developers/... ?
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A:
I've learned that no two people learn exactly the same way. Some need repetition, some need gentle encouragement, while others need constant direction. Rarely I've come across people that need no teaching, instead they need a person to throw ideas off of and analyze a problem.
Note: This is workplace teaching.
ChaosPandion
2010-05-03 17:55:58
Intriguing, I tend to be the last one "Need someone to throw ideas off of and analyze a problem". Never heard the types of learners put quite like that. Thanks for some new insight ;)
drachenstern
2010-05-03 18:30:09
+1 At our university students start Java programming by using a very simple IDE (well, it's more of a text editor ;-)). The idea is that the student can start writing code without bothering using a complex and feature-rich IDE (like Eclipse). While this worked for most of the students, I've recognized that some learned much better using Eclipse and features like autocompletion, and in the end also had no problems using the simple IDE.
Helper Method
2010-05-03 20:54:28
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A:
I have had many students who don't get as much information from a graphic as a list or worked example. I need pictures, and thought everyone else did. I'm ashamed to say it took me years to work that one out.
Graham Lee
2010-05-03 17:59:41
Why ashamed? Maybe that's a bad choice of words? I think it's just important that people learn how they learn, so they can ask better questions. Remember, the unasked question is the only bad question.
drachenstern
2010-05-03 18:31:00
@drachenstern The unasked question is bad, but don't forget the pretends-to-be-a-question-but-is-actually-a-statement: those can really be annoying and need to be nipped in the bud.
Yar
2010-05-03 18:44:20
There's an online survey somewhere that asks a bunch of questions and at the end spits out some information about how you learn. I had a professor that made that survey the first assignment for every course, so he'd have an idea how each of his students learned and how to tailor the lectures.
Jeff Barger
2010-05-03 19:46:43
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A:
When I was teaching software development, I learned that when you don't know something and your students do, never take the defense. They're probably just dying to take the floor and explain their brilliant solution. If you listen to them carefully and merely understand their solution, they will still respect you. If this happens too often, though, you will lose their respect. Try to be the one who knows more most of the time.
[Later I'll try to rewrite this so it sounds like a page from The Art of War]
Yar
2010-05-03 18:07:34
I realized your first point when I was a teenager. All through college I could convince very few people of this fact. Everyone complains at how bad the teachers are when they can't do the projects but they can't be bothered to look at the material themselves. My education suffered because of this.
ChaosPandion
2010-05-03 19:58:56