Learning from imperfect lectures

[Geoff Gerrietts]

Quoting Peter Hansen (peter at engcorp.com):
> Roman Suzi wrote:
> > 
> > I do not remember who told me this, but it seems that students
> > better learn from poorly constructed lectures than perfect ones.
> > Because, they need to be _active_ in constructing their own system
> > rather than _passively_ "eat" readymaid knowledge frames.
> 
> Wow.  Deep... I like this (to me) completely new idea.  

This idea was new to me, too, in form but not in concept. Pedagogical
coursework -- like the stuff they teach to new grad students who are
going to be teaching assistants, or the stuff they teach to people in
education programs -- frequently talks about how important it is to
engage the student, and how involving them and making them think about
the material is the teacher's primary task, with presenting the
material actually being secondary.

The actual practice of an "imperfect presentation", though, is
something I'd not considered before -- the idea of leaving blanks for
the student to fill in is both appealing and a little alarming.

> Anyone know where it came from?  References to a study or something?

If you look for it, it will be there, but I can't provide you with
specific materials. Try checking into research in educational
techniques; that's where you're most likely to find something like
that. Failing that, developmental psych is likely where it came from,
but it's more likely to be a needle in a haystack, there.

> Someone I know worked for months (on and off) on a presentation that 
> could have been done (imperfectly) in a week.  When it was presented,
> the reception seemed to me rather luke-warm, in spite of apparently
> strong interest in the audience ahead of it (and after).  The 
> presentation struck me at the time as being _very_ "polished", but
> perhaps with too little unsaid for someone to question, or think
> about.  I suspect this is the reason why it didn't seem to work.

Interesting anecdotal evidence. I can think of several cases where
I've felt somewhat the same way about presentations that I've given.
It's often taught me and my audience both more if my presentation is
struggling to hold together at the seams.

-- 
Geoff Gerrietts             "I am always doing that which I can not do, 
<geoff at gerrietts net>     in order that I may learn how to do it." 
http://www.gerrietts.net                    --Pablo Picasso