Signposting is a Superpower

Let’s say you and I are going to Santa Monica. You hop in the car knowing that my sense of direction is not the best. I start driving and you realize that we are not in a part of the city that you recognize. “How many miles out are we?” you ask. “Not clear.” I say. “How long do you think it will take?” “Not sure.” I say.

You might be feeling a bit nervous. Perhaps anxious. Frustrated, even. And rightly so! You are stuck in a car where someone else is the driver, and while they’ve told you they want to get to Santa Monica, there’s no sign that they’re going to get you there.

Then suddenly you see a sign that says “Santa Monica 50 miles.” You calm down. You feel better. You know where you’re going, and you know there’s at least a chance of more signs telling you that you are headed in the right direction.

Here’s the secret: the learning objectives are the signposts.

Let’s say you know very little about tea, and you’ve come to class to learn about how to make it.

You find out that to make a great cup of tea, you need to learn how to boil water, and steep tea.

You get books, exercises, a hot plate, a pan, a host of tea, tea sleeves, tea steepers, a timer, multiple teacups, and multiple teapots.

You don’t know how to use any of it. You become overwhelmed. You don’t know what to focus on. Learning the tea names? The steeping amounts? Hot plate safety? You have a limited amount of time and energy and you don’t know where to put your focus.

Then you see the instructor’s handout: Objective 1: Boil water. Objective 2: Steep tea.

Those are your targets. The course materials are scaffolded, with multiple low-stakes chances to practice and get feedback. And every time you practice, you are reminded that you are practicing one of the core skills: boiling water, or steeping tea.

Yes, these examples are cutesy. Trust me, if I could be using an actual example from my classrooms, I would be. But I’m afraid it would be too complicated to translate well. And I wanted you to focus less of the content, and more in the form.

State the objective. State it again. Align your material around it, and your learner won’t feel lost. They won’t get frustrated. They’ll know where to put their energy, and they’ll know when they’re succeeding.

The photo for this post is by maroubal2, and is posted with their permission.