Learning @ the edge

READING TIME: 3 minutes

Most of us can remember what it is like to learn something new. Imagine for a minute you are back in your first ever accounting class. The words being said (assets, liability, depreciation) may or may not make sense, they may or may not be familiar, and there is this fuzziness around the context. On day one, you’re not quite sure how it all links together, or even if it is supposed to link together.

When we teach, it’s important to try and remember what it was like to not know. We get so familiar with what we are saying, and after a few times of taking the same class, you often find yourself almost robotically saying the same phrase that you have said time and time before, but for your students it is most likely the first time they have heard it. Think about what you are saying, and try to imagine it is the first time you say that particular phrase, can you say it in a different way, or give a different example to make it ‘fresh’ for yourself (as well as for your students!). Give the students a moment or two to think about what you are saying, give them some time (even just a second or two) to find something to attach it to. We all learn at the edge of what we know already. So we need to provide something familiar that students can attach the new knowledge to.

For example, when I teach budgets, I always start with a personal example, not a business one so that they can become familiar with the language used. The context is familiar, because most students understand cash coming in and out of their pocket! By starting here, they get to learn the language and start thinking about the concepts. Another example, when teaching CVP, I always revert to a really simple example about cupcakes. What does it cost you to make one cupcake? Do you pay yourself a wage? Do you have a friend that will help you? What does the sugar cost? What do you want to sell the cupcake for? How much does the cupcake stand cost? Does the stand cost change depending on how many you make or sell? etc etc…You can see that students start to use logic to solve the problem. Then once they are understanding this simple version, and not just hearing ‘words’ I will start to introduce more difficult cases. Remember, we know what we are talking about, but our students may not. Try to find an edge to teach from.