As any teacher or trainer will certainly tell you, “Teachable Moments” are like gold. Teachable moments are those marvelous opportunities, when space and time seem to stand still and your students, much like sponges, anxiously pause, and more importantly, want to learn. These moments are also not very frequent and when they do arrive, need to be seized upon and nurtured for as long as you possibly can. For it is in these rare and special moments when an entire class begins to make connections and, almost as one, strive for that “Ah Hah” understanding when everything they have learned before now arrives with a bang and starts to make sense. This is the stuff that keeps all trainers and teachers coming back for more.
I recall, as a student, one particular teachable moment that helped shape my understanding of Algebra, a subject I dreaded and despised until that special day. Our teacher, one of the newest in the school system, was once again reviewing homework assignments, with the usual plodding dullness familiar to every high school student on the planet. On that day, however, he took to the chalk board to explain the “why” of what we were attempting to solve and 24 light bulbs seemed to go on at once in that dull and drab classroom that as a place that masqueraded as a classroom. I still remember the look on his face as he explained how to solve for both ‘x’ and “y” but this time, he told us why it would be so useful to us in our lives. He then proceeded to solve the equation and then gave us all another to solve with him. The energy in that room increased tenfold and in an instant, we all came to the realization that we could, in fact, not only solve that equation, but understand how and why we were suffering through the attempt. Algebra was no longer the enemy and, at least for me and that course, became a subject I looked forward to every day. I got an “A” in Algebra that year, but discovered my vocation in the process. I wanted to produce those “Ah ha ” moments for my students. by searching, and utilizing those teachable moments.
I never let go of that goal to teach students and became, about a decade later, a teacher and then a few years later, a trainer of adults. Throughout my career, I have been fortunate enough to have identified many teachable moments, when the material, the students and the trainer become one and learning is not only easy, but fun. I have discovered that one subject, in particular, has produced the most teachable moments in my career, and every time I train on the subject, I can rest assured that my students will not only learn, but also enjoy their learning, and even more importantly, use their knowledge back in the real world of corporate America.
That class teaches participants how to identify various management styles and involves a lot of pre-work where questionnaires are completed by selected colleagues which then help the students place themselves into one management type that is defined as their preferred management style. Participants also complete a questionnaire themselves, where they attempt to identify their own style. In my experience, however, I have discovered that self-awareness is a very unique gift indeed, and a vast majority of my participants do not agree with the styles their colleagues have identified as their preferred style. By the end of the workshop, however, the participants almost always gain an understanding that their actions and preferences may not be always be perceived the same way as that of their friends and colleagues and that teachable moment arrives.
I ask my class, which is more important, what you think your style is or how your actions are being perceived by others? In almost every case, the latter is chosen and the teachable moment becomes an “ah ha” event, right before my eyes. Years of misunderstanding begin to fade away and the students in my class, leap into actions designed to understand not only their own style, but those of the people around them. Those are the moments trainers and teachers live for. Behaviors are changed, learning has taken place and you leave the seminar room that day knowing you have made a real difference in the lives of many people. It just does get any better than that.
I wish I could say that all of my classes and workshops produced the same “ah ha” moments, where understanding, learning and desire all come together to make magic. I wish I could say that it even happens a lot, but it does not. I wish I could say that I understand how to produce those moments each and every time I enter a classroom, but I cannot. What I can say is that I know the ingredients that make up that magical concoction that produces teachable moments. And I can also say that they are the proper materials that need to be present.
Those ingredients are:1) A subject that means something to a student, 2) A teacher or trainer who honestly loves what they are doing and 3) An instructional design or lesson plan that is well beyond brilliant. 4) You will also need a class that really wants to be there, 5) An environment that is conducive to learning and 6) A willingness, on behalf of the teacher to immediately shift out of the lesson plan in an instant when that teachable moment first appears. That is why I believe those moments are so rare. You see, every element has to be present at the same time to make the recipe work. 90% is not good enough, it must be 100%. Everything has to be in place. Nothing can be missing.
So, I will continue on in search of those “teachable moments.” I do know that I discover them more and more as I age and I am much more willing now, than I was in my early days, to scrap what I had originally planned in order to mine the gold of those teachable moments when they arrive. I had one teachable moment, just a few weeks ago and I can vividly recall how I looked out into the classroom and saw every eye focused and every person was literally leaning forward in their seats. I know it may sound strange, and almost impossible to believe, but I could literally feel time slow down as I searched for just the right words to keep that teachable moment alive for just another few minutes. I could also feel the energy rise in the room, I could sense that the learning was not only taking place, but was actually and really teaching something to everyone and they were learning, right there in front of me. I did not want it to end, and neither did the participants. I remember thinking to myself that this is why I do what I do. And, in fact, it was and still is.
So now, I ask, where are your teachable moments? When can you best teach your children, motivate your fellow workers or make a difference in someone’s life? I now know that those moments are out there each and every day and when the magic elixir of ingredients come together, I challenge all of you to immediately drop what you are doing, toss out your plans and milk that teachable moment for all it is worth. Those moments are rare indeed and you must and have to seize them when they arrive in your life. Do not waste them, use them and discover the power that they can produce. The choice is up to you.