Teaching the Experts

Many aspects of this independent study process have been challenging for me. Today, I wanted to really think through one of the grab bags. With the semester looming on the horizon, I've been working on building my 259A course for the fall. Maybe it's because I've been in the mood, but I sat down and typed out a draft for a grab bag. I quickly realized there were some fundamental differences in designing for undergrads and designing for graduate students and/or faculty. While I admit students know a lot, they are typically not considered experts in their field. With faculty, they are. I pondered the question, how do you design for someone who is an expert? What do experts still need to know, and how do you convey to them, or convince them, they need to know what you have to teach them?

I'm hardly the expert in their content. There are days where I barely feel like an expert in my own content area, but do I have expertise to share with them? Yes. Am I an expert in teaching? No. Yet, there are things, aspects of teaching, I feel I have a level of expertise in. If I start from the perspective of them, my "learners", being the expert, how do I impart knowledge to them? 

I think for me, I settled on started with the research. By starting with the sources that proved my suggested content held merit for everyone. I think that freed me a bit; I didn't have to play the expert. I believe in what I was encouraging them to try, and I found other people who could back up my belief with facts. Then, I invited them to try it out - to test it for themselves. 

By allowing them to embark on a self-guided learning experience, they were the ones in control of their learning. They would be able to infuse their expertise into their own educational experience. Maybe it was the right approach; maybe it wasn't. I once again find myself in the "learner" and "teacher" position. The process remains inherently iterative. Keep it going until I figure it out, until it works.