On Fri, Feb 5, 2016 at 04:32 am, Jason White <[email protected]> wrote: I'm a long-term proponent of the idea that people should be taught the foundations which enable them to read documentation, participate in the user community and learn independently. I couldn't agree with you more.
Now, I'll add that this is often far, far, far more difficult to achieve than many imagine. I try to take this route to the maximal extent possible, but reality often precludes it. I will include here, with identifying information redacted, a direct quote from an e-mail to one of my clients' field counselors in regard to tutoring and having goals: ------------------------ That being said, for ClientX and a number of my other clients who are college students our tutoring goals are often created based upon what has become the latest "crisis du jour" because they are now being asked to do something that they've never encountered before, even if it's using programs they're familiar with. Some of the tasks get complicated, and I am often figuring out the exact details along with the client because they are not things I typically do, but because I can see I can rapidly figure out what's happening as far as required keyboard shortcuts, etc., because I can literally see things they can't and that are often not presented by JAWS. Right now ClientX seems to be getting presented with challenges of this type, as does my other client who's a graduate student in his last semester. While there may be a couple of goals that can be reasonably anticipated in advance, some of the tutoring is directly related to "putting out fires" that are springing up, and we don't know what those "fires" are until they do spring up. ------------------------ This has been the case far more often than not with a number of my adult clients whether in a higher education or work setting. While they'd love to have more time to explore JAWS more indepth than we are, other issues of their real life make that next to impossible. I try to equip my clients as best as possible for doing their own self-guided learning as the need arises but I will openly admit that I often do a very poor job of that due to circumstances well beyond my control. Brian
