PNS/tamt: Memory: Learning and Then Doing

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Memory: Learning and Then Doing
Late updated: 2008.04.28 at 16:35 PCT +10GMT

See also: [Thoughts and Methods as Applied to Teaching Art using Modern Technologies (TAMT)] (MAIN page for this project)
[Philosophical (& Pedagogical) Approach]

Memory: Learning and Then Doing

On this page: {Intro: Memory: Learning and Then Doing}
{Layers of Learning}
{A Sample Problem - Making a painting using non-traditional techniques.}
{The Concept of Memory in the Technological Age}
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{Text-book links per se}
{Links}

Intro: Memory: Learning and Then Doing

This paper addresses in a very hands-on and
down-to-earth manner the problems assocaited
with the teaching of art. For the most part
this consists of "passing along by lecture
and demonstration" - HOW things are done in art.

Out of my own experiences and talking with other
teachers, i have come to focus on three distinct
phases of memorisation/learning and how they are
connected with the DOING of art. These are:

1. The Base Knowledge - learning.
2. Applying the knowledge - exploration.
3. Going further - experimentation.

In once sense, there is nothing new here. However,
i am laying these things out so that they may be
refered to later. It should be noted that in most
cases new knowledge is ONLY created by the process
of experimentation. While during the normal processes
of learning and exploration the teacher and or student
may through serrendipity stumble onto new ideas, it
is usually while we are actively exploring NEW ways
of doing things --or-- by reviewing what has been
done in the past with our modern outlook that most
progress seems to occur. However, it is safe to say
that unless one IS looking, it is unlikely that one
will FIND.

Intro: Layers of Learning

As one of my chemistry profs, Dr. Squibb, used to say,
"In order to think, you have to have something to
think about". This was his statement of motivation as
to why we had to learn the chemical element symbols
(eg, H is Hydrogen, He is Helium, etc), and the oxidation
states (eg, OH- is Hydroxide, "N0₂ is Nitrite,
Cu+ is Cuprous, and Cu+2 is Curpric, etc).

I take it as read that ROTE learning is the most painful,
boring, and least efficient way of learning. But, once
something IS learned it is almost always retined intact
for extended lengths of time.

That is: In ANY area of study there is an *assumed*
under-laying lanaguge that every pracitioner
must know how to use and what it is called. For example,
in the machine shop, when working with thin plate metal,
one needs to know the difference between a ball peen
hammer (used for shapping) and the small sledge hammer
(used for flatteing) -- each has it uses and limitations.

The rather ROTE learning of the names of things and in
many cases their inter-relations with other things seems
to be a necessity of learning - and apparently the only
one that seems to work.

I will refer to this sort of material as the BASE KNOWLEDGE.
And it clearly consists of BASE FACTS and BASE SKILLS.

Once the student has a base knowledge, they can then begin
building up complex ways of using that knowledge to perform
a TASK. Since, i am an artist, i will use examples from that
area - with attendant explanations for non-artists; share
and enjoy!

As the student continues to mature in their practice of
their particular skill-area, additional material is
required to approach more difficult problems or even
to progress at all. Students that do not continue to
progress are said to have "stagnated at a given level
of expertise". This may serve the student's needs, but
will also limit them should they decide to try new things.
Again, as Piaget showed - much knowledge simply IS
hierarchical and can not easily be learned in a random
manner. [Note 1]

A Sample Problem - Making a painting using non-traditional techniques.

The problem: A beginning painting student wants to make
an oil painting, and has decided to use a
large piece of thick paper rather than a canvas for it.

The explanation (teaching) is as follows. The student
would most likely take out their notebook and take notes.
Note that this same set of events would occur in the case
of a W/S (Work/Shop) - which are usually presented to
classes on a particular method not normally practiced
or that the presenteur has particular expertise in.

1. You will need to decide on the scale that you want
to work on. Extending craft paper doesn't hold up
very well. Also, hanging the paper will be a problem.
Either you can use a stretcher or find a place to tape
it up onto the wall.

The sub-tasks that would be have to be known are:

1) What is craft paper? Where do i get it, how
do i cut it to size? Is it easily dented,
folded or deformed?

[Craft paper is pretty much the
"brown paper sack" paper that
we often get at the grocery store.
It's usually much thicker - anywere
from 2 to 4 times thnicker. Also,
notice that the surface of "corragated
card board" or "card board box" paper)
is in fact a low grade craft paper.

2) What is a stretcher?

[a wooden frame made to hold the canvas,
paper or other "matrix". The "matrix"
is what you (in this case) paint on.
A wall could be the matrix for a mural,
the picture "The Mona Lisa" is painted
on a matrix of pannel board.]

3) How would i tape it to a wall?

[Good old masking tape - the sticky kind
not the easily removed kind - can be used
if a LOT of strips are used. Also, the
paper could be folder over a long piece
of string that could be then taped down
to the paper itself and then tied up on
nails or other staunchions in the wall.]

2. Gesso the paper and let it dry. It's best to
do this with it laying flat. Make sure that
the tables that you are working on are clean
otherwise dust, charcoal, or what-ever will
end up on it. Craft paper pretty much rolls
up like canvas. Storing it is about the same
as well.

[Gesso is a special white primer that seals
the surface. Many painters that didn't use
on their works - usually trying out new
techniques - end up having problems after
several years with the paint fading or
even chipping off or rotting.

If the surface onto which you lay your
paper is even the least bit dusty/dirty
then each time you roll it up, there is
very good chance (Murphy's Law) that the
front side will simply get dirtier and
dirtier - that may or may not be what you
want. Thus, you may need to clean the
table or lay down clean paper (from the
butcher-paper roll) each time you set
out to start working on the painting.]

Again these questions present themselves. And
by practice (either by reading about each topic,
or viewing a lecture (live, video, slide-show)
the student "moves" these required practices into
their memory.

-[]-

The Concept of Memory in the Technological Age

See also: -[Who Wants to be a Millionare?]- (in TAMT; as, eg)

What do you know?

How much to you remember?

If i ask you a question, can
you answer it? Can you answer
it exactly? Can you recall
an EXACT quote? Can you tell
me who said it?

Are you sure?

How do you know what you think
you know IS true?

Recent films have explore the concept of memory
(especially lost and regained memory) in many
cases; eg, "The Matrix", "Mimento", "The Bourne Identity".

Regardless, our memory seems to fall into
three categories:

1) Things that we know in a general
way even thought we might be
hard pressed to "prove" them.

2) Things that we sort of know, but
know where to find out for sure;
eg, a specific web site, a book
that we've read, someone that we
know "knows".

3) Things that we think are true, but
are not quite sure about.

And like all good occupants of the Matrix
we somehow get by. Two of the pioneers
in "resoning under uncertainty" were
Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tverski - Kanneman
received the Nobel Prise but Tverski
had died before it was awarded.

The important point that they made is
that in many cases we work with ideas
and things that we take as true, but
in fact we have no real basis for them.
This doesn't necessarily prevent us
from arriving at true conclusions
regardless. The key is to to be able
to make progress regardless of the
"model" that is used.

In the arts this is especially true,
since in many cases works are based
on dreams, fantasies, or even outright
lies. The end result is that everyone
bandies about "THE" truth as if it
was some absolute thing - when in
many cases (especially in public
discourse) it is only a fraction
of the truth. Only in the cases
of mathematics and in carefully
reviewed rsearch is there anything
even resembling what we might call
"Truth with a capital T".

The point of this argument is that
something like the internet (and other
technology of couse) is that it can
multiply the problem immensely. One
only has to notice the number of chain
letters, get-rich-quick schemes, etc.
on the inter-net to see this.

How then, are we to proceed in learning?

..(research to try to find answer to that
will go here)....

Garbage Dump
(possible links of interest - poss to be used later)

http://www.commun-it.org/wiki/index.php/Special:Search?fulltext=Search&search=learner

http://www.commun-it.org/wiki/index.php/Creating_Open_Learning_Environments_with_Online_Tools:_Blogging_and_Podcasting_%28LL2007_1B%29
stats

accessed 2008.04.09 at 17:58 PCT

Stuart Glogoff - blogging
http://www.commun-it.org/wiki/index.php/Instructional_Blogging:Promoting_Interactivity%2C_Student-Centered_Learning%2C_and_Peer_Input
accessed 2008.04.09 at ~~ 17:51 PCT

Susana M. Sotillo - IM'g
http://www.commun-it.org/wiki/index.php/Using_Instant_Messaging_for_Collaborative_Learning:_A_Case_Study
accessed 2008.04.09 at 17:53 PCT
-[]-

-[]-

Notes
(this section only)

[1]

{Return to the TEXT above}

Monty - A Redux

References

need to imdb these. odd that i know the films SO
well, and yet for the life of me (a writer no less!)
can't think of even who the director is let alone
the author(s) - again note the frequency of the
GROUP effort; eg, "Little Miss Sunshine", or
"Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" - just
look at the lisf of authors and such!

"The Matrix",

"Mimento", "The Bourne Identity".

"Little Miss Sunshine"

"Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" -

Tverski, Amos ().

wiki ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amos_Tversky

Links