Communicating Thought and Teaching
Presentation, presentation, presentation. It has been a large part of our existence here in the DIM. You mean, I not only have to think of the idea, but I have to communicate it to others?
However, there are different reasons to present, and each of these deserve their own focus:
1. Communicate an idea/philosophy.
2. Teach an idea/philosophy.
3. Pitch an idea/product to people interested in purchasing your idea/product.
4. Mediate a debate/discussion on a specfic topic.
I feel that we have covered #3 in depth. This could be because there is a lot more pressure to sell your idea, the result is typically binary (Interested/Not interested), and we have had the benefit of many business experts come through here who are practiced in the art of teaching the pitch and giving constructive feedback.
However, in academia, thesis-land, and at conferences, 1, 2, and 4 are of much greater importance. When we give these types of presentations in class, the feedback is generally targeted at analyzing the idea. While this is absolutely appropriate most of the time, maybe it would be helpful to have one presentation that is targeted not at analyzing the concepts you are discussing, but the way you are presenting them. Particularly concerning the innovative concepts we are attempting to tackle on a daily basis here, it is important that we understand how to communicate our thoughts effectively to an audience that, more often than not, don't understand what we are thinking.
In researching the subject, I discovered a slew sites regarding scientific methods of teaching:
Scientific Basis for the Art of Teaching
Constructivist Teaching and Learning Models
Teachers.net The Ultimate Teacher Resource
Tangentially, I will note the best quote I found was from "Constructivist Teaching and Learning Models":
"Learning is enhanced by challenge and inhibited by threat"