----- Original Message -----
From: "Greg Woodhouse" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Hardhats" <hardhats-members@lists.sourceforge.net>
Sent: Friday, January 13, 2006 11:38 AM
Subject: [Hardhats-members] Teaching and Learning
Well, I caught myself saying something this morning that I'm not at all
sure I believe. True enough, one of my perennial concerns with VistA is
the amount of knowledge it seems to require to get it up and running.
Does it really have to be so hard? But the very way that I pose this
question is telling: I've long been convinced that the key to really
learning VistA (or anything else, for that matter) is to move beyond
thr mindset of acquiring information; i.e., "cookbook" style solutions
to problems, or more of the seemingly endless body of *information*
that is needed -- or so it seems -- to understand VistA.
True, there is a lot to learn, and specific information about VistA
*is* important, but we human beings simply can't learn by compiling
information. We're just not built that way. The key to learning any
subject is being able to step back and start to appreciate that there
are general principles that we need to grasp. I try to encourage people
not to worry so much about details of language syntax and APIs, and
instead focus on concepts like aggregation, procedural abstraction
(maybe not by that name!) or sater invariants. But most people just
protest that they are "too busy" to worry about such abstract concepts.
They just want to know how to get the job done! That sounds nice, of
course, but the approach is ultimately self-defeating. Unless we are
willing to let go of our attachment to ready made solutions lacking any
real theoretical context, we are doomed to hitting a wall of
complexity. It is only by beginning to ponder (and take seriously)
these very impractical sounding matters that we are able to really
become effective at what we do.
And that brings me to the question I have for th group. Is there any
way to teach this idea?
I am not sure what this idea is. Are you referring to aggregation,
procedural abstraction, or sater invariants.
Any way to teach curiosity?
Definitely. Give them more rewards for showing curiosity than for not
showing it. It would probably be best to start at about the age of 3. I
would like to make a distinction here. Experimental Psychologist make a
distinction between learning and motivation. Learning is about things you
can do or know how to do. Motivation is about things you want to do. I
assume you are talking about motivation.
To teach people not
to be so worried about "practical" matters and simply enjoy trying to
develop a deeper understanding of their field? If there is one, I have
yet to find it.
If people are rewarded for being curious they are more likely to be curious.
Most people are more likely to get rewarded for being practical.
It almost seems like this is a lesson people have to
learn themselves, and as teachers, we have no option but to wait for
them to make that leap. But can it not at least be encouraged? In an
academic setting, curiosity is (generally) valued, but in the business
world, this is no longer so. It always saddens me to hear people say
that work should not be interesting, exciting, or to put it simply,
fun.
I guess I do not hear people saying that.
True enough, work is work, and it can't always be pleasurable --
but who are the people who truly excel at their work. it is certainly
not those who, by sheer foce of will, learn how to execute procedure
upon procedure, without also learning how to take pleasure in the work
they do.
===
Gregory Woodhouse <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
"If you give someone Fortran, he has Fortran.
If you give someone Lisp, he has any language he pleases."
--Guy L. Steele, Jr.
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