Summer Camp Questions

[John Steinmetz]

I like this a lot:

"one of my favorite approaches to teaching young people and old is to have
them use the computer to learn something that interests THEM.  To me, it
always goes back to asking the person about THEIR interests, interviewing
them.  Then, where possible, customizing the instruction to meet their
needs."

I have noticed, as I'm sure you have, how often people in the 
position of teacher devote their energies to whatever interests or 
animates themselves instead of finding out what animates or inspires 
their customers, the learners. This is only natural--of course people 
tend to aim their energy in the direction of their enthusiasms--but I 
think learning happens much more quickly and easily when the learner 
has he/r own reasons for learning instead of somebody else's reasons.

As far as I can tell, one of the most difficult tasks for human 
beings is to imagine that another person's mentality might be 
different from one's own. And even those who can imagine this have 
trouble remembering. This adds immeasurably to the already difficulty 
task of assisting learning.

As a result of these and other complications, it is really hard to 
figure out why people don't  partake of a given offering. If a 
certain group of people is not participating (i.e., girls at computer 
camp), consider inviting some members of the target group to help 
design something they would want to attend. If you watch and listen 
carefully, you will learn lots about what animates that group, and 
about what repels them. Of course the members of the group will have 
a variety of likes and dislikes--there won't be one right answer--but 
themes will begin to emerge.

(As a musician, I have done a couple of projects like this, inviting 
non-musicians to design music events for people like themselves. Of 
course such events are usually designed by musicians, who can't 
remember what it is like to be a non-musician. Non-musicians gave 
these events many features that musicians never would have thought to 
include. One of many fabulous side-effects was that the target 
audience showed up in great numbers.)

	John
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