Discussion of IA education

[James Spahr <james AT spahr.org>]

On Nov 11, 2003, at 9:41 AM, Daniel Stouffer wrote:

> Of course, I not being a teacher do not fully understand how to put in 
> place the checks and balances necessary in a classroom. As far as 
> self-directed learning goes, I found exploring and train-of-thought 
> navigation very fulfilling.

I do not have a degree in education, but I am paid to have close to 50 
twenty-somethings calling me by my last name on a weekly basis.

The best book I have found on the subject of teaching on a college 
level is 'McKeachie's Teaching Tips' (I know -- it's a dorky name). It 
was recommended by Edward Tufte, and the chapters I have read have been 
outstanding.

Chapters 13 through 17 about methods of learning (buzzword: active 
learning) and how to teach so students learn by these different 
methods. But I think the real pay dirt in this book that we are looking 
for is in Chapters 23 & 24, which are entitled 'Teaching Students How 
to Learn' and 'Teaching Thinking'

Can you tell I have not read them yet? -- If people care, I'll try to 
summarize them here after I have a chance to digest them.

::

The thoughts I have to contribute now have to do with my experience as 
a student, and only mildly as an educator. I went through a typical 
visual design program as an undergraduate. Designers like to boast that 
they went to school to learn how to think and solve problems -- and at 
it's best this is what a design education is all about. (Unfortunately 
most students miss opportunities to get this kind of education -- but 
that is a lengthy and passionate tangent that I won't go into).

The teaching process is about giving students problems that they are 
required to solve. In the process of solving these problems, they 
learn; and the skill of the educator is to assign problems that will 
cause the students to learn what you want them to learn. Reflection and 
self evaluation happens in the classroom when we has class discussions 
(ie. critiques) about the solutions that the students conceived.

Paul Rand once wrote a wonderful essay on the whole process (which I 
wish I could find right now) when he was teaching at Yale.

The biggest problem I find with teaching IA in this model is the amount 
of time it takes to absorb and consider a student's solution is 
substantial -- and this makes group critiques difficult because we 
rarely focus on the stuff that needs to be focused on.

Regardless -- this method is how I was taught to solve problems and to 
think creatively. Is it the best way? I have no idea. Did it work for 
me? I like to think so.

James.