This week, I spent some quality time with Bransford, Brown, & Cocking's (2000) How People Learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school, to learn more about, well, learning. I really got into Chapter 2, which breaks down the learning process of experts as compared to novices.
I thought about how this could connect to my own experiences and realized that the only thing I'm totally comfortable claiming expertise in would have to be sewing and making clothing. Thinking back on the times I have taught sewing classes to beginners, the distinctions discussed by Bransford, et. al make a lot of sense. One point that really resonated was the suggestion that experts are not automatically good teachers in their field because they often forget what is difficult for beginners. I remember initially making assumptions about what my sewing students would find easy and what they would struggle with, and often finding myself woefully wrong. It took a lot of practice to not only hone my craft, but to learn how to effectively teach it to others.
As part of this reflection and exploration I wrote an essay that dives into this topic. Read my full essay here, and let me know what you think in the comments!
References
Bransford, J., Brown, A.L., & Cocking, R. R. (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience and school. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press. Retrieved from http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?isbn=0309070368
Hey Taylor- great essay! I agree completely with your point that experts often have trouble remembering what aspects of their expert subject they initially struggled with. I've found that some of the hardest things for me to teach in my physics classes are actually really basic algebra skills. Some students make mistakes that I never would have seen coming in a million years! I also agreed with your point about how we should try and strengthen our students' learning processes. If students understand how they can become an expert in one area, they're more likely to apply those methods in other areas, making them much better learners in general!