The Bandwagon Effect

Several positive factors for learning are created when a facilitator is able to connect, and evenly better interconnect, the students experience and backgrounds in the classroom. 

I am sure if we would want,  we could also find easily some negative aspects too when we do bring these backgrounds into our learning activities and discussions; for once, time is of essence, as by its nature, one always feels that time is too short to cover the whole session's content properly; let alone, incorporating or adding each student's wagon of experiences.  Hence, many facilitators just skip this practice or technique altogether. 

I would say to them, please do not "hop or jump on that bandwagon;" perhaps it would simplify your instruction's structure and implementation but by the same token, you are missing an incredible opportunity to enrich your facilitation process, the learning of your students, and your own learning as well. 

We know well at the University that learning is both, and individual endeavor process, and a product of Learning Team experiences too; in addition, with the years, we understand that there are not two instants in any class that are totally the same, and that no matter how well we would have planned and prepared for each instructional second, something very especial could happen, to you and to your students; for instance, suddenly sometimes there is a deep silence because one miraculous sensation that all in the classroom would have sensed simultaneously; or perhaps, a mutual level of understanding about a process, a system, or about a certain discussed transformation so necessary to acquire and develop or master a new skill. Other times, it is just a genuine "wow! experience" that we only manage to read in the students' faces, and becomes again the magical main reason why we love so much to be teachers in the first place. Yes! You can't buy that, nope, and you won't be able to find it anywhere but at your classroom.

I am not always feeling completely prepared to learn from the University's students, but as we know, education is an art; we are maestros, and as educators we only can dig and mine a little bit into the hearts, souls and minds of our students to find their greatest great.

It might take some time, it does, and it may mean for you to take some risks too, that it is for sure; however,  the importance of sharing and exploring our students experiences and backgrounds is imponderable, as extremely effective, if you would  have found the secret chemistry formula to blend them with the course learning objectives in the classroom; so if you have  done it, this practice shall be always applied for our instructional planning, and learning methodologies implementations.

Now you can jump or hop on this bandwagon instead... well, at least I am doing my best to do so...