In response to my post entitled Your Team’s Answer is Wrong, my colleague Bob Lee writes —
(You wrote) "The trainers passed out a copy of the correct answer for the case study to all of us." (emphasis added) The definite article the as opposed to the indefinite article a is a killer here. Had they framed their solution as a solution rather than the solution would you have the same issues? (Even a correct solution affords room for other and even better solutions)
Bob, you’ve significantly improved the frame, but the painting is still ugly.
The teams produced their solutions based on a set of conditions. Unless the conditions are the same as when the solution on the handout was created, then we are comparing a landscape painting by Monet with one by Van Gogh.
The workshop conditions are never the same. There is always something different that happens in a workshop. For instance, Jane asks a question that connects a set of ideas together that Sally, a participant at another workshop, never hears.
Despite conditions being different, participants do learn by exposure to alternate solutions. It’s all in how it’s done. The workshop leader knows the pattern of solutions that typically emerge during her workshop. She can finish each team’s presentation with a debrief period to increase the learning of all the participants. Rather than tell the members of the team "You misapplied this method." or " you missed this fact.", she can ask questions and capture the responses on a flipchart so participants can make their own discoveries.
Handouts, such as a bibliography or an article, are appreciated by everyone. People like me though are poisoned by the receipt of "the" solution or, even, "a" solution. Lead me to the solution. Don’t tell me. The best bet is to transcribe what was posted on the flipcharts and send it to the participants. That material is the best memory stimulator for what was learned.
A workshop is supposed to be about learning rather than specific solutions. The trainer’s job is to teach people how to paint rather than handing out her paintings.
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