Second Opinion
When you visit your physician, you are entitled to seek a second opinion if you are unsure of the advice you’ve been given. What do you do if you are uncomfortable with the way you are being educated? I think we often give credence to instructors simply because of their position of authority. The system offers no simple method of seeking a second opinion.
Rather than seeking another instructor, I recommend students learn how to validate and confirm the views of their instructors and then work through the differences of opinion directly with the “offending” instructor. In some situations, it can be difficult not to take things personally. However, if you take the “person” out of the situation and focus on the circumstances, it creates an environment more conducive to resolution.
Develop your own Second Opinion. Take the initiative to research the problem and find out if there is something wrong with the way you are being taught. For example, if you don’t agree with the amount of homework you are given, find out how much is being given in similar courses in similar schools and present that information to your instructor. If you feel the content your instructor is delivering is inaccurate, verify the correct information through primary sources and provide your instructor with the research. If you feel the instructor is teaching from dated or irrelevant materials, take the initiative to find the current information and share it with the instructor.
Don’t feel the instructor’s methods are always correct, simply because this is their career and what they have been trained to do. Be responsible for your own learning. Set personal goals and share them with your teachers. Encourage them to seek professional development. Do not be confrontational about it. You can request a meeting seeking their professional opinion and then gently bring up your concerns. The Second Opinion is on your shoulders.
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