(BTW, I have no idea how to remove that gigantic photo at the top of this blog; I meant to make it my profile picture, not a massive shrine to myself, sorry.)
The first story involving 'shun' words is a situation that probably sounds very familiar to new instructors. I suppose veteran instructors encounter similar situations too as new/unfamiliar words and theories start to emerge into an instructors jargon. The simple misunderstanding of ‘shun’ words though is a great reminder to ask for clarification from colleagues. Every colleague has something to offer in terms of experience or information, and if nobody asks, nobody gains what they have to offer. Frequently, at least for me, new instructors can feel intimidated by colleagues that have been at an institution for a much longer time period. Not many people like to expose themselves as ignorant or unaware, so they may avoid questioning their colleagues with what they may think are simple questions. However, instructors sometimes need to take the advice they give their students, “there are no dumb questions.” Now, I know that some professors are thinking, “yes, there are,” but for the most part, if one person wants/needs to know, somebody else does too. In this way, if teachers ask for clarification, they will gain the knowledge and be able to answer the same question if they are asked by another person, thus a dissemination of knowledge occurs.
The first story involving 'shun' words is a situation that probably sounds very familiar to new instructors. I suppose veteran instructors encounter similar situations too as new/unfamiliar words and theories start to emerge into an instructors jargon. The simple misunderstanding of ‘shun’ words though is a great reminder to ask for clarification from colleagues. Every colleague has something to offer in terms of experience or information, and if nobody asks, nobody gains what they have to offer. Frequently, at least for me, new instructors can feel intimidated by colleagues that have been at an institution for a much longer time period. Not many people like to expose themselves as ignorant or unaware, so they may avoid questioning their colleagues with what they may think are simple questions. However, instructors sometimes need to take the advice they give their students, “there are no dumb questions.” Now, I know that some professors are thinking, “yes, there are,” but for the most part, if one person wants/needs to know, somebody else does too. In this way, if teachers ask for clarification, they will gain the knowledge and be able to answer the same question if they are asked by another person, thus a dissemination of knowledge occurs.
I think questions are so important to the classroom; I had one grad class at the school where I was previously where few of us would have known what was going on with the class organizationally if we had not been asking questions, and generally our teacher was more than happy to answer and help us move through the topic of linguistics somehow. I think when students are afraid to ask, there are learning opportunities being missed, and the more open the class is for dialogue, the more they can potentially learn and engage with.
ReplyDeleteI agree that there is much to learn from seasoned colleagues. How can we sidestep common issues (especially institution-specific common issues) if we do not feel comfortable approaching the ones with the answers? I find it difficult to seek out answers from individuals that I have no established connection with, but I am trying to get better (both as an avenue to gather institutional knowledge and to lay a foundation for future networks and relationships). I don't think that there is a way to have instructors overcome their fears of inadequacy overnight. I think it is only through experiencing shortcomings and viewing idiosyncrasies of our colleagues that we can finally understand that we are all human and that there is much we can learn from our peers--if only we are brave enough to ask questions!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I laughed so damn hard when you referenced the picture as a "shrine to yourself." Slightly sacrilegious considering the content. ANYWAY:
ReplyDeleteI could not agree with you more, Danita. I experience this myself quite often--almost daily in fact. Instead of asking questions, however, I play it off like I know what people are talking about--I totally Google it later. What you said, "New instructors can feel intimidated by colleagues that have been at an institution for a much longer time period," is so incredibly accurate. But I find it's not even just with the instructors, but older graduate students (2nd year MA or PhD). I tend to put everyone that has more experience than me on this "knowledge-pedestal," but I also seem to forget that we are all human and have to learn these things at some point. I think it is important for faculty and people who have experience to remember that there are no dumb questions and that it is important to foster a learning environment in as many ways as possible.
I laughed at the picture thing, too. Do you have it as a banner image rather than a profile pic? Either way, I always know which blog I'm clicking on. :)
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