Posted on 04/04/2007 6:50:36 PM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
Research points the finger at PowerPoint
University of NSW research shows the human brain processes and retains more information if it is digested in either its verbal or written form, but not both at the same time.
Photo: Andrew Meares
Anna Patty Education Editor
April 4, 2007
If you have ever wondered why your eyes start glazing over as you read those dot points on the screen, as the same words are being spoken, take heart in knowing there is a scientific explanation.
It is more difficult to process information if it is coming at you in the written and spoken form at the same time.
The Australian researchers who made the findings may have pronounced the death of the PowerPoint presentation.
They have also challenged popular teaching methods, suggesting that teachers should focus more on giving students the answers, instead of asking them to solve problems on their own.
Pioneered at the University of NSW, the research shows the human brain processes and retains more information if it is digested in either its verbal or written form, but not both at the same time.
It also questions the wisdom of centuries-old habits, such as reading along with Bible passages, at the same time they are being read aloud in church. More of the passages would be understood and retained, the researchers suggest, if heard or read separately.
The findings show there are limits on the brain's capacity to process and retain information in short-term memory.
John Sweller, from the university's faculty of education, developed the "cognitive load theory".
"The use of the PowerPoint presentation has been a disaster," Professor Sweller said. "It should be ditched."
"It is effective to speak to a diagram, because it presents information in a different form. But it is not effective to speak the same words that are written, because it is putting too much load on the mind and decreases your ability to understand what is being presented."
The findings that challenge common teaching methods suggest that instead of asking students to solve problems on their own, teachers helped students more if they presented already solved problems.
"Looking at an already solved problem reduces the working memory load and allows you to learn. It means the next time you come across a problem like that, you have a better chance at solving it," Professor Sweller said.
The working memory was only effective in juggling two or three tasks at the same time, retaining them for a few seconds. When too many mental tasks were taken on some things were forgotten.
I wish that were so but you know that the East Coast Pruple Pampered Princes in the Pentagon won’t hear of it.
POWERPOINT HUMOR —
Ballad of the PowerPoint Rangers
PowerPoint Haikus
etc....
http://www.nbc-links.com/powerpoint.html
If you have nothing to say, say it in the PowerPoint, as the commandment goes.
Large pictures are a must.
Use short and pithy Anglo-Saxon words rather than Latin-based speech (Churchill’s dictum).
Tolerate no interruptions except to go to the bathroom.
I teach kindergartners.
It will take more than this one study to knock off the Socratic dialog.
Agreed. The worst presentation is to have someone read material that they already have displayed on screen. PP text should be minimal, just the outline of the presentation--the speaker's notes. It's also effective to put in visuals and explain them.
Thats a good one. If someone chats during one of my presentations, I look directly at the offenders and stop talking until they finish, or will ask them to share their input with the group.
BTTT
The entire concept of people showing up for a presentation should be ditched. We now have web pages, email, and discussion boards. If something needs to be seen by a group of people, a very informative web page can be created on a company or school intranet or public website, the people who need the information can be emailed the link, if there are any questions the would be presenter can be emailed the question, and can respond with good answers. Another way would be a discussion board format where a topic could be posted onto a web page at a given time with information and Q&A could happen on a discussion board. If the technology of today were used to its potential, 90% of meetings, presentations, and phone calls would be a thing of the past.
Like I tell the older folks I work with: "Talking to people is so 20th century".
I’m not a teacher, but I have what sounds like the same approach.
I do a lot of briefings, and for me PowerPoint is the basic outline or notes and that’s it.
Maybe I’m in the minority here, but I find a speaker with slides much less annoying than a speaker who constantly refers to note cards.
Today, I can watch a 40's or 50's film and understand every word. Anything made after 1980 is iffy and anything made in the 3rd millenium is total greek.
However, with closed captioning, no problem!
My hoh friends all say after a few days they don't even notice that the cc is there. They actually hear the words because the brain inserts the extra info necessary to sort out the mumbles and funny accents.
Of course, all of us are NOT products of the leftwing school system. We all got out before the left took over.
This has to do with something called NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming). We all communicate using different modalities (aural, visual, kinethetic)
What happens with powerpoint is that if you are geared towards visual learning and someone is talking to you at the same time, you can get a confused message. Especially if they are talking to you in a modality that you don’t use to communicate.
An example: You communicate using kinethetic (feel). A slide is showing a pretty picture of a network diagram. (visual). The person giving the presentation is saying, “when we talk about networks, we are saying that connecting routers to switches to hubs to blah blah blah.. (aural)
At this point you go MEGO (My Eyes Glazed Over)
Powerpoint isn’t the problem. The presenter is the problem because he/she isn’t communicating in a modality that is common among the audience. Basically, they are all over the place, which confuses more then informs.
Hope this helps.
My husband, [who is a great teacher, by the way ;-) ] would agree with these findings.
I'm anxious to show him this thread.
bump for later
ping
I know that should be true. My calculus instructor kept telling me I should be watching him, rather than taking copious notes. But I knew what worked for me, and did very, very well in the course.
BTTT
I think the well-timed use of questions by a teacher is very useful.
My husband asks questions of his HS astronomy and physics students, before he introduces a topic.
He asks pertinent questions while he is teaching the topic, too, but he doesn't force the kids to continually make stabs at solving a problem. Instead, he presents the material.
I remember a study from a few years back, which said that, if questions are not handled correctly by a teacher, students might remember an incorrect answer, given by a fellow classmate, better than they remember the correct answer.
Many of their newspeople make an effort to communicate loudly and clearly and could succeed on Talk Radio.
Fox News seems to realize that Conservatives are busy people, who like to listen while they work.
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