I have been thinking a lot about how one size definitely does not fit all when it comes to teaching family history or, for that matter, learning it ourselves. Everyone comes to the table with a different set of circumstances, skills, priorities, etc. For some people this seems obvious but to others it doesn't.
Learning and teaching are both about being very flexible in our approach. Do you know yourself well enough to know which type of learning suits you best? Are you a person who does best with audio or visual learning or do you prefer to read and study and takes notes as your favorite learning style? Are you prone to love lectures or is a more interactive style of sharing ideas with a teacher or others in a group setting seem more appealing? Perhaps you are a person who enjoys the variety of all these things? But if you really ponder over this you will see some methods are more effective than others for you. I am a very visual person so auditory learning is not my favorite. But give me a video that I can watch on YouTube as many times as I need to and I've got it.
What about when a person comes to you to learn how to do their family history? One on one for your first time together what is your approach?
Just like in an ER you need to do a little triage work right off the bat. First, what is their goal? How much time do they have? Are they interested in learning to do Family History for the long haul or trying to just to solve one thing about an ancestor. Do they even understand that it is very difficult to get information on living people in a family history library? We've had people come into the library trying to find living family that owes them money. No, it is not like that, in a FamilySearch Library. Did they think to bring any vital information with them that will help you help them? One time a person came in and said, "I've got about 30 minutes so I have come to get my family tree! Oh, that it were that easy! But no. So assessment is vital to helping and learning. Does the person have computer skills, or are they old school with...papers everywhere? Do they come in with a suitcase full of stuff or fly in wearing their biking clothes? Discover their purpose and their skills before you dig into your huge cache of enthusiasm about family history and genealogy.
Be careful not to overwhelm them with too much information all at once. Beware of that need that you may have to hit them with a fire hose of great information when they are just curious and new. If you want them to come back be intentional about your approach. Find their specific need and fill it. What do you do if you don't know the answers they seek. Open the Family History Guide and find it. It's there, but if you are not familiar with what is there, ask yourself how can I really help them? Be prepared in a broad sense by being familiar with your resources.
It is not so much about what you know, as it is about how you can help them find what they want to know. Each person's family history journey is as unique as their finger print. You have to know how to find help in a library or on the internet, not know everything about everything. That has never been your job. A librarian does not have every book memorized, but he/she knows where to look. Your job is to teach correct principles about research and discovery. There is nothing wrong with learning along with your trainee. We have them participate in discovery by allowing them to learn by doing.
The Family History Guide has many sections that help you help an individual. The home page if full of help! You have to go to TFHG www.thefhguide.com and see what is there. Explore the sections and learn what you don't know. It takes time, it takes dedication, it takes repetition and review. But it is all very worth it.
In my next post I will convey a case study about one patron and what I learned from her.
What about when a person comes to you to learn how to do their family history? One on one for your first time together what is your approach?
Just like in an ER you need to do a little triage work right off the bat. First, what is their goal? How much time do they have? Are they interested in learning to do Family History for the long haul or trying to just to solve one thing about an ancestor. Do they even understand that it is very difficult to get information on living people in a family history library? We've had people come into the library trying to find living family that owes them money. No, it is not like that, in a FamilySearch Library. Did they think to bring any vital information with them that will help you help them? One time a person came in and said, "I've got about 30 minutes so I have come to get my family tree! Oh, that it were that easy! But no. So assessment is vital to helping and learning. Does the person have computer skills, or are they old school with...papers everywhere? Do they come in with a suitcase full of stuff or fly in wearing their biking clothes? Discover their purpose and their skills before you dig into your huge cache of enthusiasm about family history and genealogy.
Be careful not to overwhelm them with too much information all at once. Beware of that need that you may have to hit them with a fire hose of great information when they are just curious and new. If you want them to come back be intentional about your approach. Find their specific need and fill it. What do you do if you don't know the answers they seek. Open the Family History Guide and find it. It's there, but if you are not familiar with what is there, ask yourself how can I really help them? Be prepared in a broad sense by being familiar with your resources.
It is not so much about what you know, as it is about how you can help them find what they want to know. Each person's family history journey is as unique as their finger print. You have to know how to find help in a library or on the internet, not know everything about everything. That has never been your job. A librarian does not have every book memorized, but he/she knows where to look. Your job is to teach correct principles about research and discovery. There is nothing wrong with learning along with your trainee. We have them participate in discovery by allowing them to learn by doing.
The Family History Guide has many sections that help you help an individual. The home page if full of help! You have to go to TFHG www.thefhguide.com and see what is there. Explore the sections and learn what you don't know. It takes time, it takes dedication, it takes repetition and review. But it is all very worth it.
In my next post I will convey a case study about one patron and what I learned from her.
