Getting harder to teach?

IqAndreas · 11-15-2009, 06:09 PM

I'm not sure if I'm the only one who is experiencing this, but it seems as I get better at and learn more about ActionScript, the more difficult it is for me to teach or help others.

When reading a post, I find myself thinking "Well, I could show them this way, but then I would have to teach them about that, that, and that." and "Or I could show them that way, but it uses a lot more code, and they might not understand it all."

I try to look at what I write from a beginners perspective, but I'm finding that more and more difficult to do.

Does anyone else understand what I am trying to convey, or am I just going crazy?

You know what else is getting harder? - The Todd!

blazes · 11-15-2009, 06:54 PM

A) Awesome outro you have on this soliloquy.
B) I feel the same way. But I think that there's always a tiered system on how poeple help. Think of it this way:
Beginners (TimmyTots)
Intermediates (me)
Advanced (Senocular)

And when you ask, the tier above you answers. That way you can always assume a level of knowledge.

shane-c · 11-15-2009, 08:04 PM

Yeah, I know what you mean, too. And it's not just on the boards, it also happens when trying to communicate something to a client or co-worker that doesn't have experience with the subject. It's definitely a pain. And yeah, like blazes said, you really have to look at it from their perspective and try and figure out what kind of answer they're looking for. If it's just a casual Joe Everyman, he probably just wants a quick fix that will get him past whatever specific problem is in his way, and doesn't care about an explanation. If it's a professional, they will (hopefully) want a more advanced response, and (hopefully) be open to just being pointed in the right direction for where to learn what they need to know.

graylensman · 11-16-2009, 09:26 AM

I basically have stopped lending help in the forums for two - well, three reasons: 1)I don't have the time, (2) I'm not doing a whole lot of AS these days, and my knowledge is strictly AS2, and (3- the biggest reason) too many queries were past my knowledge base, or too complex to deal with. Someone would say they have problems changing a property of a movie clip, then post two hundred lines of code. Sorry, dude, I don't have the time or desire to weed through all that.

ChrisTurn · 11-16-2009, 09:29 AM

Oh, you are not so good teachers...It sounds a little bit selfish

excogitator · 11-16-2009, 11:06 AM

I be wondering too when replying whether there could be a better solution than what I may post, and then just wait for someone else more well versed to reply. Sometimes safer than leading the wrong way.

Esherido · 11-16-2009, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChrisTurn

Oh, you are not so good teachers...It sounds a little bit selfish

Have you answered hundreds or thousands of idiotic questions by impatient noobs with little or no thanks for it? Might want to shrink your entitlement complex some, because right now you sound like a rich jack-[other name for a donkey].

IqAndreas · 11-16-2009, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Esherido

Have you answered hundreds or thousands of idiotic questions by impatient noobs with little or no thanks for it?

Actually, I have received "thank you"s many times for my help. In the past year, I have received a total of $50, and three people have offered to buy me a beer if I'm ever in the area.

Most people are genuinely sincere and thankful when you help them. I pretty much live for that satisfaction that comes with helping people.

I just wish it wasn't getting more difficult to help others. Most of the time, I just want to reply "Look. You have got it all wrong, and your logic is off. Here is a free online book which teaches ActionScript. If you finish it from start to end, you will definitely be a hundred times better at ActionScript, and your code will improve." Sadly, most beginners don't want to learn, and just want a quick fix for a school project. They usually don't want to know why, they just want it out of the way.

However, now and then you find someone who is genuinely interested in learning, so you take them under your wing, and lead them along the way until they are old enough to start flying on their own.

It is at that point you find total satisfaction in all the hard work you put into teaching ActionScript to others. That is the purpose of life (at least mine)

TheCanadian · 11-16-2009, 06:19 PM

I've never received any money! Beer offers sure but I'm never in their area and I quit drinking.

Iamthejuggler · 11-16-2009, 06:26 PM

And you call yourself a canadian?!

IqAndreas · 11-16-2009, 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheCanadian

Beer offers sure but I'm never in their area and I quit drinking.

Hold on a minute! I'm starting to doubt weather you really are Canadian or not...

A Canadian who doesn't drink beer... Suspicious...

Perhaps you finally realized we could smell your breath as you creep around the user's profiles along with Krilnon. Oh we know...

EDIT: See! Iamthejuggler (with his suspiciously quick posting) reaffirms my theory. You are definitely not Canadian.

TheCanadian · 11-16-2009, 06:37 PM

My burly biceps and pet wapiti beg to differ. Besides, beer is what my grandma drinks. True men (ie Canadians) drink, or used to drink, whiskey.

shane-c · 11-16-2009, 07:14 PM

My grandma drinks whiskey. I enjoy half a bottle of Arbor Mist while my friends are over watching Sex and the City.

TheCanadian · 11-16-2009, 07:46 PM

Is your grandma a true man?

glosrfc · 11-16-2009, 08:26 PM

Back on topic:

A thank you goes a long way. Every one I receive encourages me to answer another dozen threads. Of course $$$ (or beer) would encourage me even more so, if anyone's feeling generous and has a difficult problem to solve....

I enjoy the more challenging requests which, for a few minutes at least, manage to exercise my brain. Examples include a perpetual hourly countdown, a request for an unusual preloader, or how to use boolean values in a switch/case statement. Whether they're the "right ways" doesn't really matter to me so long as I feel that I've provided sufficient explanation for the other person to understand how I arrived at the result, and how they can incorporate it into their own code.

I try to avoid the vague requests for an all-singing, all-dancing Flash site that don't even have a hint of code from the requester. I won't usually answer a request that starts with "My homework is due today/yesterday...." and, for the most part, I won't bother with threads where it's apparent that no prior research has taken place. So a thread asking "Why do I have to click my movie" is usually ignored. The one exception are requests about dynamic or embedded fonts which, traditionally, have never been explained sufficiently well in Flash.

Yes, sometimes it's very easy to get sucked into a thread where you have to explain the elementary rudiments of logic. These requests are particularly frustrating when the real problem isn't revealed until much later in the thread, usually around page 2 or 3. But the more threads you answer, the more you begin to recognise the potential pitfalls.

So, while I think I can understand the sentiments you're trying to put across in your post, all I can say is to stick with it. For every dozen vague requests that you've seen before, you'll end up answering at least one that gives you a sense of satisfaction from answering it; whether that's free beer, kudos, a warm fuzzy feeling, or occasionally, a thank you.

Ultimately you only get out of these boards what you're prepared to put into them...and that goes for those who are asking the questions too.