Rick wrote... To bring this back to the original question: if we are going to do research directly comparing the use of PowerPoint to traditional lecture, we need to allow both forms to fully play to their strengths. We need to get away from simplistic comparisons showing that if you directly translate your lecture into PowerPoint, surprise, there will be no benefit to using PowerPoint. On the other hand, if you allow the additional opportunities afforded by PowerPoint to transform your lecture, you will be at the starting point for a more useful comparison of the two formats.
Aubyn writes... Some very helpful insights here, Rick, thanks. You address what is perhaps the more ecologically interesting question - is there a way of making use of PP that will enhance student learning? I am interested in the answer to this question. I suspect that the answer is yes - though I also suspect that colleagues who chose not to use PP can (and often do) get at least as much learning from their students. (At some point in the past, was there a raging controversy over the use of the chalkboard?). But my interest is in admittedly a more limited question - does presenting information via PP result in better retention than presenting the same information in traditional lecture format? The design here is fairly straightforward (and the answer seems to be "no"). Clearly there still may be good reasons for making use of PP (I use PP in about 1/3 to 1/2 of my class sessions). PP may allow creative teachers to explore new ways of teaching and learning - but it seems likely that the confident assertion, often made in educational and business settings, that presenting information in PP increases retention, is simply not true (this may not be surprising to you and me, but it would be a big surprise for a lot of public presenters). In somewhat more sophisticated forms the claim is often made that PP increases retention via some kind of "dual processing" or by encouraging more active processing. Again, I have not seen any evidence to support these claims. In fact, my own observation is that, unless the teacher is careful, PP may lead to less active, less effortful processing by leading students to passively copy material from the slides. If you were to compare a creative, "transformed" PP lecture to a standard, "uncreative" traditional lecture you probably would not be making much of a fair comparison either. It seems likely that good, creative teachers will get a roughly equivalent learning effect with or without PP, ditto poor, unimaginative teachers. One last thing - one reason I use PP is that my penmanship (chalkmenship?) is atrocious and my spelling worse. Aubyn **************************************************** Aubyn Fulton, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology Chair, Behavioral Science Department Pacific Union College Angwin, CA 94508 Office: 707-965-6536 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ***************************************************** --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
