When a yoga teacher decides to take the plunge and develop teacher training, a fundamental shift must take place: we must begin to think like an educator rather than an expert.
And an expert is someone who is passionate, experienced and knowledgeable about their chosen topic. An educator is someone who can inspire others to achieve a different level of performance. Let’s see how they are different.
If we approach our teacher training like an expert, we risk making what I call “the big mistake.” The big mistake is to think that education depends on what I say to my students. If we think this way, then we are tempted to give students the contents of our heads. We believe that if we give them enough information, they will be educated. While this is very well intentioned, it often leads to a “fire hose” approach where we overwhelm students with information.
Instead, to think like an educator, we must change our perspective. Rather than thinking that education depends on what I tell my students, I am changing my focus. I reframe the experience and define education as what my students can DO.
By educating about what our students can do as a result of the learning experience, I change the focus of the experience from me (what I say or show) to the student (how the student can perform differently). From this point of view, I now focus on the measurable performance. I can set a clear benchmark for what I want the student to be able to demonstrate or articulate at the end of the lesson.
This change may seem simple, but it will profoundly transform the learning experience:
- As an educator, I must now set clear goals for student performance,
- I turn away from myself and put it on the student,
- I clearly understand the “inputs” that the student needs to achieve the desired performance, which defuses the danger of “launching” them with unnecessary information,
- I have a clear idea of how I will evaluate the student’s success.
Before creating your next lesson plan, workshop or teacher training, consider:
What do I want the student to be able to DO as a result of this learning experience?
This simple survey will help you go from expert to educator and help your students have a successful learning experience.