Why professionals are better teachers
If you want to learn the concept, learn from teachers. If you want to learn the skill, learn from professionals.
Can you imagine growing up learning science from a Scientist? How about learning music from a Musician? Or learning business from a Businessman?
15 years ago, this isn’t happening. I’ve never experienced this in my school life. So if you do, you are way luckier than most of us. Why?
Because professionals with years of experience are better teachers if you want to accelerate your skills.
Disclaimer: Don’t get me wrong. School teachers are great in what they do: teaching. I learned a lot from my teachers. I fully respect them as they influenced my values growing up. But… what I didn’t learn is how to apply those theories in real life, and how to turn them into valuable skills.
Society told us to get a degree for 4 years, then apply for an internship in our last year. You’ll learn theories mostly in the first years and you’re expected to apply them during your internship.
During the first years, your teacher = professor.
During internship, your teacher = supervisor/manager.
To whom do you learn the most? To whom do you improve your skills?
Combining and compressing the current structure.
This structure is country-dependent because countries have their own educational system. In general, the concept of getting a degree, theoretical learning before real-life application are similar to anywhere in the world.
What if we flip the current structure? What if we tell students to apply for an internship in the first 3 years so they can learn concepts in the last year?
OR what if we combine theories & applications, compress them into a year or a 6-month program? Structure them in a project-based learning approach?
This is currently happening in online learning formats such as MOOCs, cohort-based courses, and community-based or peer-led learning.
Courses are compressed.
Lessons & activities are combined.
The traditional framework is flipped.
Experts become instructors.
Teachers vs Professionals
Since the online learning structure promotes the learn-by-doing approach, learning directly from professionals is a good way to go. Why?
Because they can show you how they do it.
They can train you to be like them.
They are experts in the field.
On the contrary, this doesn’t mean you won’t learn anything from teachers.
But…
If you want to learn the concept, learn from teachers.
If you want to learn the skill, learn from professionals.
More like this at cohortland.com
