Teaching Is Not a Prompt

Teaching is about guiding students toward mastery, like a modern-day apprenticeship. 🔨

I was hanging out with Dr Ben Byrne (Program Manager, Digital Media) last week, chatting about the exciting studios lined up for our Digital Media program next semester. As always, it’s a real Digital Design smorgasbord – UX/UI, immersive design, interactive, sound design, digital environments etc.

I got so excited I offered to teach a UX class myself. I’ve been out of teaching since taking this Associate Dean role the past year – students have been asking if I’d ever make a comeback.

“Oh, I’d teach the hell out of that class,” I told Ben.

Ben – stoic as always – reminded me that as AD, I don’t have time for teaching anymore. There are bigger priorities – I’m needed to focus on creating a wider impact across Digital Design discipline and School of Design. Dang, he’s right.

That conversation got me thinking about how much I miss hands-on teaching. It also got me reflecting on this book I came across recently – The Skill Code – the idea of learning through guided experience. Some liken it to Vygotsky’s ZPD, but I see stronger alignment with Cognitive Apprenticeship – a model that shaped much of my PhD.

The gist of Cognitive Apprenticeship is this: the teacher-student relationship is akin to a master and apprentice. Think glassblowers, carpenters, tailors – through observation, practice and expert feedback, the apprentice gains experience until they achieve mastery. A timeless approach to learning.

I tend to romanticise both the old and new. It might seem odd to link apprenticeship with Digital Design – but over my years of teaching – whether it’s coding, 3D modeling etc – students observe, try, ask for feedback and repeat. I’m infamous for moving too quickly during demos – students often ask me to slow down and show them again.

“Fine, I’ll do it in slow motion this time! Don’t blink! 😏” I’d joke.

Hands-on practice + repetition leads to mastery. It’s the student-teacher relationship – like the master-apprentice bond, that builds mastery over time. We call that “Learning Outcomes” now – I wish we had more than 12 weeks a semester to foster real mastery.

Even in Digital Design, where we deal with lots of tech – core principles of pedagogy remain the same. The deepest learning happens through human connection. Relationships are what drive real mastery in the classroom.

There’s growing concern among educators about being rendered obsolete by AI, with students getting instant answers at the tap of a finger. But you know what? AI can never replace the shared experiences and personal guidance that shape growth and mastery. That’s what a teacher is there for.

So here’s my provocation to all teachers:

If AI can replace you as a teacher – are you even teaching in the first place?