Who Are Our Students?

All performers know that the audience is different every night. The same holds for every new class you teach. All effective communication begins with an analysis of who the audience is. You cannot teach effectively if you do not know who your students are-or worse, if you assume they learn one way, when in fact, they learn another. Teaching means creating an environment in which students can learn. When that happens, the students change. This chapter is about what they are like before they change. It is our starting point.