Examples Are Juicy!
If you sink your teeth into a good one, they can give you a refreshing learning experience
“It’s like you’re looking for your husband. You’re in a big crowd. You’re like, ‘Yeah, there are lots of husbands here,’ but what’s the use of that? You want your husband, not just any husband.”
I nodded, trying to be polite, but I didn’t get it. I was a newbie in website-land, trying to redo my organization’s website. My mind was not sorting out the difference between a web designer and a web developer. My colleague’s attempt at an example didn’t help.
I used to believe everyone understood how to make examples. During one of our critical thinking courses, trainer Jesús Vila asked a teacher to make an example. She replied, “Can you give an example of an example?”
Let me first say that I am not the best example maker. I fall in the fair-average range. I’m kind of like Simon in America’s Got Talent. I can tell when an example is outstanding, or when it’s bad, but don’t put me on the spot to make a really great one myself.
I’m not talking about similes, like ”throwing away your umbrella in a rainstorm” or analogies like, “SATs are to boring as ham is to pink.” I am talking about how to simplify a complex idea by making it relatable to an everyday experience.
