[Air-L] text, readers, p.s.

[Samuel Klein]

Kevin Guidry writes:
>On Mon, May 18, 2009 at 11:23 AM, Ted Coopman <ted.coopman at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> I have found most students desire having a textbook that is laid out in easy to
>> follow format with definitive statements (x means y). Perhaps it is all the
>> testing they get in high school.
>
>It's probably just where they're at developmentally as young
>people.  While dated, William Perry's work in intellectual and moral
>development is still foundational and useful.

This paternalism is probably misleading.  Definitive statements have
their place.

I prefer some of both worlds - easy to follow definitions where they
exist, gathered together and richly annotated with uncertainties and
discussions around them.  Discussion without definitions is just as
frustrating as the opposite.  Hypertext, transclusions, and dynamic
reader interfaces allow for a greater variety of crisp distinct views
than is easily accomplished in print readers -- including switching
between short definitions and lemmas, raw data, and critical analysis.
 [published works are still somehow quite linear - if you find a
reader like that, please share! ]

On Mon, May 18, 2009 at 7:06 PM, Barry Wellman
<wellman at chass.utoronto.ca> wrote:
> a. I find that my newbie Master's students, unless extremely well trained
> as undergrads, also are making the transition between the "right answer"
> and thinking critically.

Clever PhD's also sometimes remain attached to the idea of the right
answer.  It seems to me the earlier people and students are encouraged
to contribute useful new analysis and work, the sooner they can
recognize and assess the gray areas beyond facts and straight answers.
If you get out of middle school without having done original work,
your teachers have done you a disservice.

> b. One reason why internet stuff is becoming routinized is that it is now
> the great majority of the North American young adult population. So no
> "gee whiz" (altho possibilities always changing) and less early adopter
> extra-special smartness. The institutional of the Internet -- and of
> Internet studies.

I think there's still much gee whiz to go around -- though people have
internalized the idea of a universal internet, so it takes a different
form.  perhaps it takes different filters to find the same groups of
students.  People have to be reminded to experience things slowly to
internalize all of their ramifications and gems... even the sighted
benefit from color theory.

SJ