Teaching

[The Stranger:Me]

I suggest good teaching is fulfilling a want in the student. It follows that almost any teacher able to clearly enunciate a lesson can teach a willing learner, yet the most skilled teacher will rarely teach an unwilling learner.

Subsuming that of course, is the teacher's requirement to discover the absorption rate and style of the willing learner. Some students are slow, some not so. Some thrive on being provided with theory which they can later test in practice. Others don't quickly comprehend theory but respond well to hands-on application of a lesson. Some are strong, audially, while others are strong, visually. Thus, 'writing' to the former, or 'telling' the latter diminishes the value of the lesson to the recipient.

Also, one must consider the uptake rate of a student. The slow ones (slow to learn a particular subject, as opposed to being essentially slow) may need A-to-Z and many letters (steps) in between. Whereas those quick on the uptake may be the AB-Z type. One cannot treat the both the same.

Furthermore, given the likely students have no compulsion to learn and, in some cases the admission of needing/wanting to learn may be an ego-threat, the teacher must allow for personal issues the student may have; ego being a significant issue.

But the student can easily help the teacher by simply being asked a range of personal questions. What would you like to learn today? Would you prefer I show you or tell you? Would you like this pamphlet on the 'lesson'? And so on.

Students often feel the (new) teacher knows everything about a subject. Woe betide the arrogant teacher who truly shares that belief. Because sure as hell the adult biker student is asking a lot of folk the same questions. Any teacher who adopts "my way or the highway" will surely fail to maintain the student's confidence.

To attempt to design 'formal, A-to-Z' learning courses is, in my opinion, a recipe for disaster. The mentoring programme offers a wonderful opportunity to match those who truly wish to learn with those who can teach.

So to summarise, the ability to impart knowledge is important.

But Stranger, sadly you have to accept that some will want to know how to corner without wanting to know the physics of it.

Oh, that's quite alright, I do accept that, it takes all kinds. Who knows though, maybe something said to those that don't want to know about the physics will get them thinking, wondering, questioning.

Me? I want to know it all, but that's me. Almost the ideal biker student. Old enough to have lost my ego, wise enough to sift opinions, and eager enough to want to learn everything I can.

Fortunately, there really are a lot of bikers like you around.
Though we do see a few at RRRS that turn up and waste half a day of thier time to come to the realisation that they don't know it all then start learning.