Trying to Teach

Handouts, handouts, handouts!
Give your learners something to read, something which explains everything in clear steps, and which they can take away with them to use when the workshop is over. (I’ve had handouts for absolute beginners which began with: Plug in the computer. Push the Power button and then release it.) A workshop delivers a lot of information in a short amount of time, and it’s unfair to expect that your learners can retain everything when they leave.

Keep your class size manageable.
The right size will depend to some extent on your teaching style, but will depend even more on the facilities and equipment you have available, and most importantly, on the level of skill and Internet experience of the learners. If you can arrange a co-teacher, do it. That way, one person can roam around the room to help individuals with things which might not be interesting or important for the rest of the group.

Know what the learners want and expect.
Before you walk in to the workshop, you should already know what the learners expect of you. I learned this the hard way! Don’t make any assumptions about what the learners came to learn. If it’s at all possible, make phone contact with them before the workshop to determine what their skill level is, and what they are expecting from you. Then you can design a workshop which will meet the needs of the group. Be very flexible, and prepare to change course in midstream if you see that the learners are heading in a different direction.

Never, ever, ever, try to teach something you know little about.
If your specialty is e-mail, but you know very little about ftp, then stick to what you know. Don’t try to bluff your way through ftp, because it will only confuse the learners. They show up to benefit from your knowledge and experience, not to hear your guesses.

Learn to read body language.
When people are in a group, they are often reluctant to admit that they haven’t understood something, or that they have fallen behind in a series of steps or explanations. Keep watching everybody’s face for those expressions of bewilderment or frustration. I always tell the learners at the beginning of the workshop that we are going to try to accomplish a certain amount, but that we will sacrifice quantity for quality, and make sure everyone leaves with a sense of having learned something useful and accessible. You’ll probably find, as I did, that there are no objections to this.

Dump the “expert attitude.”
Encourage women to help each other through the workshop, and always make lots of time for questions. It’s more important for women to learn that we can help each other than it is for the teacher to show off all her knowledge. And never worry about telling people that a particularly technical and advanced question is beyond the scope of the workshop, if you feel that the answer will leave others in the group behind. Give the learners a reason to be online.

When you make contact with them before the workshop, you’ll get some idea of what they want to get from the Internet. Have a bunch of URLs already bookmarked so you can demonstrate the usefulness of the Internet. I usually include a talk about women online, feminism online, what women are doing and achieving with the help of the Internet. It’s good to do this halfway through the workshop, when people might be getting headaches and sore eyes from staring at their screens and concentrating. Encourage your learners to shut off their monitors while you have a discussion. They’ll go back to the screens more refreshed and enthusiastic after they’ve had a break.

And tips for learners? Ask questions!
This is your time to learn, so take advantage of it. A good teacher will welcome questions and interruptions, because she’s there to help you learn. No question is stupid. If you want to ask it, chances are that there are others in the class who are wondering the same thing, so go ahead and ask. Once you’ve learned the basics, go out and tell your friends, your mothers, your daughters. Mentor each other. The Internet is a powerful communication and networking tool, so use it in any way which helps you in your personal and political life.

If we all pay attention to each other, we can increase the online strength we already have.