Tuesday 25 July 2017

The Resistant Learner

We have most probably all come across a resistant learner in our classrooms. I have and it damn near burnt me out.

I teach an Intro to Digital Arts class to ceramics and jewelry makers. These are students that love the art of hand craftsmanship and don't use computers any time other than to check facebook.
For most students it is a rather an eye opener in a good way. They learn about taking their sketches and digitizing them, then using those files to run laser cutters and vinyl cutter to create art.
I have had some amazing and unique pieces come from my students.

Then there are the resistors. The ones that hate even seeing the screen turn on in the mornings. they would rather be covered from fingers to neck in wet clay then be dragged through a lesson on photoshop. I had one student who just couldn't deal with it emotionally, he would roll his eyes and give loud sighs throughout the lesson. I spent almost 50% of the lesson figuratively holding his hand.

He walked out my lesson numerous times with frustration at the mouse or the pen tool. He'd always come back but I could see it just wasn't clicking. So, i made a conscious effort to try to inspire this student into being more engaged. I collected tons of reference images that I thought would appeal to him. I changed up a few lessons to cater more to thing that he would be able to do. Alas, it was a failure. I could not break through that wall and it eventually left me burnt out and incredibly disappointed in myself for not being a better teacher.

Reading through chapters 16 and 17 of Brookfield’s, The skillful teachers showed me that I was not alone in this situation and even though we try hard to reach out to that students. Sometimes they just don't want to learn and that is that.

He goes on to talk about involving past students who had trouble in that class and went on to be successful in their projects. We want to also let the students know that I am not trying to change them into some digital art junkie but merely opening another door to a world of other possibilities.


In the end hopefully clarity and little patience will lead both student and teacher on a path to resistance free learning.

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