[1106] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
RE:CASUAL INSTRUCTIONS
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (BALLARD)
Tue Sep 1 09:43:34 1992
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1992 08:38:45 CDT
Reply-To: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <PACS-L%UHUPVM1.BITNET@ricevm1.rice.edu>
From: BALLARD <BALLARD.FRANKLIN@panther.adelphi.edu>
To: Multiple recipients of list PACS-L <PACS-L%UHUPVM1.BITNET@ricevm1.rice.edu>
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
At Adelphi University, I supply our OPAC screen with a weekly
quote. The one I chose this morning leapt out at me as something
that applies to the discussion about Casual Instruction:
"Spoon feeding in the long run teaches you nothing but the
shape of the spoon."
E.M. Forster
You may infer from this that I am squarely on the side of
Stuart Spore and others who have spoken out on behalf of casual
instruction. In any learning situation involving new software or
CD-ROMs, I am the kind of person who likes to get just enough
from the documentation to enable me to start playing with it and
learn for myself.
As a product of an Educational Technology Master's degree
program, I well remember that designers of any educational or
training materials must keep in mind the fact that different
people have different learning styles. Most software producers
recognize these differences by providing various kinds of
documentation for the same product, ranging from brief "cheat
sheets" to complete descriptions of every function.
I also agree with Spore that calculus is not a good analogy
for learning automation. Anyone who works with Wordperfect of
Quattro knows that these programs give a wide range of methods
for arriving at the same results. Subjects like calculus or
flying an airline lend themselves to a rigorous and well-defined
mode of instruction. In the second case, a mistake the
consequence of doing something unusual could be very costly. On
the other hand, training in automation lends itself to a more
Taoistic approach.
|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
| Terry Ballard | ballard@panther.adelphi.edu |
| Systems Librarian | or ballard@auvax1.adelphi.edu |
| Adelphi University | Garden City, New York, 11530 |
| 516-877-3547 | Fax: 516-877-3592 |
| | |
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
* "Things always seem darkest just before the bottom *
* drops out." *
* Arthur Lifshin *
* *
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