Leading by example

This is another thought from the SLIME conference I was at a few weeks ago down at Brooklands Museum.

Someone mentioned there that they've found that people are a lot more likely to do something if someone has already done it. This makes sense to me; apart from the select few (I'm thinking budding Christopher Columbuses and so on), most people don't like to be the first to do something. Most people prefer to have someone else test the waters, be the guinea pig and smooth out all the potential creases before they get to having a go. Once they've seen that it's an achievable goal (and that they're not going to get hurt, or splashed with water, or humiliated, or whatever) then they'll find it a lot easier to pluck up the courage to have a go themselves.

I rely on this principle a lot. We always have examples of craft items around when we're doing a make-and-take activity, so that kids can better visualise the end result of their potential efforts. It works well in building their confidence before they even start, and often acts as a springboard for them to create bigger and better models than the ones we put out for show; they're very rarely just carbon copies.

What left me thinking though, was that this same person suggested that perhaps we should be telling visitors that others have already Boldy Gone before them even when actually, they haven't.

Now, this idea I'm not sure whether I like or not. If it builds confidence enough to have a go at something, is it right to say that it's been done before? Our models are made by myself and my staff usually, rather than other children. Is that a cheat, or is that fine as long as I'm honest about who has done the making? I'm fairly sure that I draw the line when this 'fake achievement' is no longer promoting a sense of creative confidence. If you're making up reviews of products to sell something, then I'm not in favour of that. Encourgaging people to fulfil their potential is one thing. Manipulating them out of money is another. But then, maybe that's why I'm in education and not advertising...

I'd be interested to hear other views about this, so do drop a line in the comments or through twitter if you've got a point of view for discussion.