I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand. Confucius
REVERSING THE ROLES
I used to teach on the Chartered Management Institute Programme for NVQ4 and NVQ5. I would often spend time explaining how to write an assignment, how to do Harvard referencing, and how to ensure that they met the marking criteria and achieved their qualifications. I had varying degrees of success.
One day I decided to give the students an assignment for them to mark. It was a dummy one, but they didn’t know that. What I also gave them was the marking criteria and a stop-watch and explained that a tutor, examiner or assessor might have limited time to mark 50 assignments. I put them in my shoes and asked then to mark and return the assignment.
This proved interesting. First may people said they found it really difficult to match the marking criteria to what was written in the assignment. Others said that the assignment was poorly structured and that made it difficult to discern the key points (and marks). Remarkably there was not much variance in standards: what was a “fail” was recognised as such by everyone.
In the debrief they were quick to criticise the style, structure, content, punctuation, referencing and all the other criteria which cumulatively effect the mood and scoring of a tutor, examiner or assessor.
They go it! After they experienced what it was like to be on the receiving end they had an epiphany, and from that point forward my job became easier and their marks got better!
DO NOT TEACH OR PREACH
It is really difficult not to intervene when you see a situation you know you could “rescue”.
I am reminded of a story about Dave Brailsford….
“I am comfortable in a room getting a group of people together to thrash things around so we know where we’re going. The greatest danger for me is that I am a bit of an orchestra conductor. If I think the violinist isn’t quite in tune, the worst thing I can do is grab the violin and say ‘this is how you do it’, play a little tune which probably isn’t any better and hand it back. I’m not going to make things better and that person is going to feel totally undermined. When I see something not working, I find it very hard not to dive in. So when I was at the races, I found I got caught in the 24 hours that you are in and it just keeps rolling along. You want to get out of it and start looking at the medium term but unless you stop and come up for air you’re almost trapped.”
I have found that it is better to create interest, curiosity and a willingness to learn than it is to teach. This means my approach is more inquisitive, challenging, questioning than directive and my thoughts are laid bare for people to offer feedback or criticism.
This is often made easier as a consultant or interim because my legacy (and future work) is dependent upon the knowledge and experience I give freely, not the ideas that I selfishly keep to myself.
BEING A MENTOR OR FACILITATOR
If you are not a teacher, but you are enthusiastic about learning and development (yours as well as other peoples) you are probably a mentor or facilitator.
I recollect once being asked to “answer any questions and be a sounding board, but don’t do anything”
I found the role of being a facilitator challenging and rewarding. It was challenging because I was keen to offer my ideas, my experience, my solutions but realised that I must not do this. I found it rewarding because being a guide for their ideas, their experience and their solutions both broadened my understanding and upon reflection, told me why my ideas would not have worked.
With an increasingly knowledgeable, professional and educated workforce it is important to commitment, co-operation, collaboration and communication co-create the future. Pre-packed plans may be accepted or rejected depending on elements of trust and resistance to change, but it is my experience that people are always more willing when they are the architects of their future.
Suggestions, feedback and alternative views are very welcome.
LINKS
http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/inside-the-mind-of-dave-brailsford-2615#4mJZ7cOyRzORcACo.99
THE AUTHOR
Tim Rogers is an experienced Project and Change Leader. He is founder of www.ciChange.org and curator for www.TEDxStHelier.Com . He is Programme Manager for the commercialization of Jersey Harbours and Jersey Airport, and previously Operations Change and Sales Support for RBSI/NatWest, and Project Manager for the Incorporation of Jersey Post. He is also Commonwealth Triathlete and World Championships Rower with a passion for teaching and learning and is a Tutor/Mentor on the Chartered Management Institute courses. He is a Chartered Member of the British Computer Society, has an MBA (Management Consultancy) and is both a PRINCE2 and Change Management Practitioner.
Tim HJ Rogers
PRINCE2 - MBA (Consultancy) - APMG Change Practitioner
www.timhjrogers.com | Twitter @timhjrogers | Skype @timhjrogers | Mobile: 07797762051
Curator TEDxStHelier www.TEDxStHelier.com
Founder ciChange www.ciChange.org
No comments:
Post a Comment