Live Classes Are WAY Better Than Virtual Ones. Change My Mind?

Not too long ago, I was back in a classroom, teaching live.

Yes, everyone had masks on and inter-mingling wasn't "allowed", but it was miles better than running the class online.

I'm no fan of virtual versions of hands-on activities, because a lot of the learning points and, let's face it, fun, are in the unpredictability of what may happen and how your group members will react.

Dissecting a virtual mouse is nowhere near the learning experience of dissecting a real one (that has been humanely killed).

So, I'm glad to be back after so many months.

Based on what I heard, my students had a memorable learning experience.

And that’s what makes it all worth it.

Have You Been In My Classroom? You May Have Been the Subject of an Experiment.

Despite having been an educator for such a long time, I still test out new methods and information whenever I get the opportunity.

Which means that, if you've ever been in my classroom, lecture theatre, webinar, or similar setting, there's a very high probability that I conducted some kind of experiment on you.

Don't worry, you weren't being bombarded with gamma rays or breathing in odourless chemicals I infused into the air.

It was more likely a test to see how you would react to a certain way of delivery, a new activity, or a new way of conducting an established activity.

I approach it the way a stand-up comedian approaches new material that he/she has written - basically, test it until you know whether to keep it or dump it.

And I've dumped a whole lot more material than I've kept.

So, this is to say thank you for allowing me to test them out on you, and for participating (albeit mostly unknowingly - oops!) in my experiments. ;)

Making Mistakes Isn't a Death Sentence. Learn From Them. Help Others Learn From Theirs.

I make tonnes of mistakes.

Not every second of every day of my life, but while at work, I may spell something incorrectly, mess up a presentation slide, or mispronounce something when I'm teaching.

In my interactions with people, I may speak too quickly, say the wrong thing, or commit some social faux pas that I wasn't aware of.

Even while doing something as innocuous as ordering food, I may get a meat dish that's sweet (I know a lot of locals in SG love sweet sauces on meat dishes, but I hate them with a passion) or forget to tell the lady boss at the soy curd / drink stall to make mine with less sugar.

Each mistake I make gives me an opportunity to learn so I don't repeat it (until or unless it happens to slip my mind before I've formed a habit or I "get it").

I figured at some point that I should extend this opportunity to my students.

If they answer incorrectly, miss a step in their experiment that causes it to fail, or do the wrong thing at the wrong time, I get them to try again when they're ready.

Not all of them always take me up on my offer, but enough of them do that I've noticed it's not a trivial thing to them.

Perhaps they have always been harshly penalised for making mistakes, and this is a relief to them. I'm not sure.

Whatever the case, I want to keep giving them opportunities to learn and better themselves.

Because that's my job as an educator, isn't it?

Autonomy in the Classroom Case Study: Forgery and Financial Crime

One of the modules I teach my students covers lessons on Forgery and Financial Crime.

One of the activities involves my students examining currency notes from different countries around the world, as well as bank cheques.

They perform the examinations with UV lights and a digital microscope. Of course, I show them what safety features to look out for before they go at it.

Here’s the thing:

I’ve had teachers from the schools I teach at expressing concern over the fact that I’m “distributing money” and worrying that I won’t get it back.

I tell them that I’ve done this for years and I’ve never lost a single currency note or any apparatus used for this activity.

All I do at the start of the activity is tell my students matter-of-factly that I want my currency notes and bank cheques back at the end of the session.

I don’t mention this again until it’s time to return everything.

There have been multiple cases of students trying to raise a reaction in me by playfully threatening to walk off with the currency notes. I simply smile (now quite hard to see, because I’m wearing a mask) and tell them that, when they’re done, they can put it back on my table.

The point is this: Students will test boundaries and they will test you. They often do this in order to feel you out - to see whether they can look up to you, treat you as a friend, or to see if they should avoid you.

It is up to you as a teacher to set those boundaries and stick to them. It is also up to you to express confidence in your students and their moral values - that they will do the right thing, given the opportunity.

Students don’t need to be nagged or coddled. They are fully capable of doing the right thing at the right time in the right way. Give them the space to do so.

To help your confidence, I haven’t lost a single currency note.