Re: Educating Judges

[MORRISJE1@aol.com]

Both Bob and John make some good points.  I believe we always should  try 
to involve the students in the teaching/learning process.  To this end  I 
always ask my classes what classification of judging they have obtained and  
what they hope to learn in this particular class.  Know your  audience.  Then 
I hand tailor the instruction accordingly.  Garden  judging lends itself to 
class involvement most easily.  But it can be done  in the classroom as 
well.  I use props such as charts and silk flowers  (live ones if possible).  I 
also feel cheated when an experienced judge  parrots back the Judges' 
Handbook without providing input from his/her  experience base.  Although I 
readily admit that I learn something new or  that I have forgotten each time I 
read the handbook or take a class.  When  I taught classes at University or in 
the Corporate world, my preparation time  usually was three or more hours 
effort for each one-hour of instruction.  
 
I agree that we as AIS judges have done little to incorporate the new  
technologies of the internet and hope to see us do more, but I would caution  
those who have begun not to rely on it as a "crutch" just as we have not  
recommended use of slides as a crutch either.  This has been  an interesting 
discussion.  Hope we all learn something from it.
 
Jim M.
 
 In a message dated 1/3/2012 7:29:52 A.M. Central Standard Time,  
robertpries@embarqmail.com writes:
 
I think  we are missing the point of the article that Dennis presented. Our 
judges  trainings have traditionally a fairly rigid format, usually 45 
minutes of talk  and a 15 minute, 10 question test = 1 hour training. While this 
is an  efficient method of presenting material, it is not necessarily the 
only or  best method.
I do like the Socratic Method, but to be effective it requires  a skilled 
and knowledgeable instructor, and not everyone can pull this off. I  use a 
convention that works well for me. I hand out the test ahead of time. By  
carefully crafting the questions, I use them as discussion points to employ  the 
Socratic Method. But I believe the article that Dennis provided suggests  
further innovations that are foreign to our present structure. As I 
understand  the professor provides material ahead of class, which the students then  
discuss, then more input is provided, and new conclusions are reached. I 
think  this is something akin to workshops which we have not done in years.  
Beginning judges often have little knowledge to draw upon and often give  
trainings that are essentially a read of the Judges Handbook. Teaching is  
actually a great way to learn. But when experienced judges simply parrot back  
the Judges Handbook I feel cheated. I always hope they will provide 
personal  incites to the application of the rules. I like to think that judges 
continue  to improve and that their experience adds to understanding. I can 
enjoy a  great presentation, even if it is but a lecture. But I think what the 
article  suggests is that there are many more ways of teaching than we 
presently  utilize. It would be interesting to ask young or potential judges what, 
and  how they expect to learn and what level of accomplishment they would 
like to  feel that would go with the title of AIS judge. If we are really 
interested in  training judges well we should be constantly re-evaluating and 
experimenting.  We have done little with the new technologies of the internet 
nor played  wi!
th social concepts such as mentors.


----- Original Message  -----
From: "John Jones" <jijones@usjoneses.com>
To:  aisdiscuss@aisboard.org
Sent: Tuesday, January 3, 2012 12:53:54  AM
Subject: Re: [AISdiscuss] Educating Judges

I think I would agree  that lecturing is not the best method to teach JT.

I have given JT a  lot of times, mostly in the garden. My method, and I 
think it is well  received, involves getting the student involved in the 
process. Students don't  get away with just standing there and listening. If they 
don't volunteer to  answer a question or get involved in the discussion 
about a subject, I will  call on them - an I tell them that at the start of the 
training.

I am  not out to embarrass anyone so my questions are often to elicit a 
comment  about their experience on the particular topic. Sort of the socratic 
method  without the confrontational and disputative aspect of it.

I will then  often put them in groups to go look at a clump and discuss the 
various aspects  that we have been talking about. That brings out the 
experiences of all the  participants for everyone to benefit from. I think a lot 
of judges do that.  

JT can be fun and it is about teaching. You have to remember that it  is 
not the student's responsibility to learn but the teachers responsibility  to 
teach in a manner that communicates to the student.  

John

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