Episode 3
Frustration
Moving on from our conversation about tools students can use in learning, we come to a state of mind or state of being: frustration. In this episode, we explore a highly ambiguous part of the learning process. For some, frustration is a spur, a sign that learning is picking up steam and that they just have to keep working because they're getting closer than ever to their goals. But for many students at our open enrollment college, frustration can feel like a sign that they are not any good at what they're trying to do and that they never will be good at it. Frustration can set off a chain reaction that leads to withdrawal. Our two guests will explore how frustration looks in their classes and how they help students respond to it.
First, Jeremy Gilliam, professor of Machine Tool Technology in our School of Advanced Manufacturing and Skilled Trades, talks about frustration students encounter as they learn their new trade. He builds frustration management in as a skill for a lifetime of work.
Then, Ashley Bennett joins us. Ashley teaches dance in our community and has returned to school our CCE Clinical Massage Therapy program. She'll talk with us from the perspective as a teacher AND a learner and how once again mindset is a crucial part of learning. In this case, mindset can help a learner manage inevitable frustration and persist despite the challenges.
Listen in and see how you experience frustration - your own and your students - aligns with their ideas about how to encounter and engage with it.
Listen to Episode 3
Listen here or on either of the podcast apps.
Further Foundations for Teaching Growth Mindset
Ashley bases a great deal of her teaching on the principles of growth mindset. Here are a few resources from her pedagogical background: a talk by Carol Dweck and the book by Daniel Coyle that she often refers to as she plans and teaches her classes. Both can be powerful tools when engaging in student frustration in the learning process.
The Power of Yet
Carol Dweck, who Ashley mentions in our conversation, brought mindset to the fore of learning conversations. Here is a talk she gave about the importance of a word that Ashley uses in her teachiing and learning: "yet."
The Little Book of Talent
Coyle's book teaches that talent is something that doesn't have to be innate - it can be learned. If you're curious about the "zones" that Ashley mentions in our conversation, Coyle defines how success rate and frustration can be gamed to improve learning and encourage students to keep going, especially when the going gets tough.
An MTC Student Teaching and Learning in Our Community
Ashley learned not only tribal fusion bellydance from Rachel Brice but also how to use learning theory and pedagogy in her classes. Below are two videos that show you the dance style that Ashley learns and teaches that she talks about in our conversation. Our students are the community; we are rich in stories, talents and lives.
Meet Rachel Brice
Here is a short video introducing the iconic Rachel Brice and her internationally famous tribal fusion belly dance choreography.
Ashley Bennett's Dance Company
Here is a video of Ashley's dance company, Tiny Coven, who perform locally several times a year.
Permission to Take a Break
Both Jeremy and Ashley talk about the need to take breaks when learning. But timing those breaks can be tricky. Jeremy recalls that when a student becomes intensely emotional, it's definitely time to step away and find calm before attempting again. And Ashley reminds us that even though it's important to persist through frustration, there's definitely a point when rest and sustenance are crucial to perspective.
Frustration can be an ambiguous invitation. Is it time to dig in and keep going or to rest and reset?
Students may be surprised that it's okay to take a break. How do you help them determine when a break is necessary and when it's time to push just a bit longer and get more practice in before stopping to rest and reflect? This is a complex and delicate art and one that is worth talking about in your discipline.
The Shock of the New
The surprise students feel when a first attempt is totally different than what they expected is important. In Machine Tool classes, Jeremy says that students have to come to know the machines and that the physical shape and size, noise and vibration of the machines when they're near them can be a lot of get used to. Likewise, Ashley is constantly teaching new techniques and choreography that are challenging and look impossible to a novice.
Both instructors talk about how important it is to remember what parts of your classes are the biggest surprises or challenges for your students. What surprises are consistent for new students in your discipline? How does your teaching acknowledge this surprise and allow for time to process and adapt to new skills, tasks and habits?
