Re: Learning more from harder-to-read fonts?
Rob Waller <[email protected]> Sun, 5 Jun 2011 10:38:32 +0100
| Newsgroups | gmane.comp.infodesign.general |
|---|---|
| Message-ID | <[email protected]> |
--===============0574365711== Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary=Apple-Mail-1-394515704 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit --Apple-Mail-1-394515704 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii To pick up on Gunnar's remark that 'Academics are the only ones we can expec= t to do the difficult and non-profitable work of seeking generalizable knowl= edge'. It seems to me that the experience of our own field is that much of the most= insightful and generalisable knowledge comes from reflective practitioners (= Donald Schon's term) who may or may not have have academic connections: scan= ning my bookshelf I can see Ken Garland, Robin Kinross, Gerard Unger, Karen S= chriver, David Sless, Per Mollerup, most O'Reilly authors, etc, etc. Incidentally, my iPad keeps trying to correct 'generalisable' to 'general us= able'. I think it's got a point. If we're not content with being a craft, le= t's aim to be a technology not a science. And don't forget that academic work is actually profitable for those who do i= t - publishing research papers is how we/they build careers.=20 Educational psychologists have been testing radical typographic ideas for ma= ny years, as Gunnar says. There was a brief fad for 'chunked' or 'square spa= n' typography in the fifties (North & Jenkins 1951, Nahinsky 1956, Klare, Sh= uford & Nichols 1957) in which sense phrases were presented spaced or stacke= d.=20 A broader view of reading is that it is a strategic process in which a range= of differently paced activities combine as readers (here, my iPad, ever ins= ightful, suggests 'raiders') engage in scanning and searching as well as clo= se reading. Whatever else it might be proven to do in the lab, messing with l= egibility is surely not going to help at this level.=20 Another random thought to add to the mix... In the early days of the Open Un= iversity in the UK (1970s), which taught almost entirely through written tex= ts, there was concern that students would just rattle through course texts w= ithout pausing to reflect. So frequent self-assessment exercise were used to= engineer reflective moments, and opportunities for feedback (influenced by t= he programmed learning concept of positive reinforcement, too). But they als= o introduced a device known as a 'student stopper'. This was a bold, sometim= es decorative bar across the page which students were told meant 'stop and t= hink about what you've just read'. Rob Waller --Apple-Mail-1-394515704 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset=utf-8 <html><body bgcolor=3D"#FFFFFF"><div><span class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D= "-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-compositio= n-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color= : rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); font-size: medium; ">To pick up on Gunnar's r= emark that 'Academics are the only ones we can expect to do the difficult an= d non-profitable work of seeking generalizable knowledge'.</span></div><div>= <span class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(= 26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0= .230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); fon= t-size: medium;"><br></span></div><div><span class=3D"Apple-style-span" styl= e=3D"-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-compos= ition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-c= olor: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); font-size: medium;">It seems to me that t= he experience of our own field is that much of the most insightful and gener= alisable knowledge comes from reflective practitioners (Donald Schon's term)= who may or may not have have academic connections: scanning my bookshelf I c= an see Ken Garland, Robin Kinross, Gerard Unger, Karen Schriver, David Sless= , Per Mollerup, most O'Reilly authors, etc, etc.</span></div><div><span clas= s=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26= , 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -= webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); font-size: med= ium;"><br></span></div><span class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"-webkit-tap= -highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color= : rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 1= 28, 180, 0.230469); font-size: medium; ">Incidentally, my iPad keeps trying t= o correct 'generalisable' to 'general usable'. I think it's got a point. If w= e're not content with being a craft, let's aim to be a technology not a scie= nce.</span><div><span class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"-webkit-tap-highli= ght-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(= 175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180= , 0.230469); font-size: medium;"><br></span><div><span class=3D"Apple-style-= span" style=3D"-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -web= kit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-compositi= on-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); font-size: medium;">And don't f= orget that academic work is actually profitable for those who do it - publis= hing research papers is how we/they build careers. </span></div><div><s= pan class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26= , 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.2= 30469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); font-= size: medium;"><br></span></div><div><span class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D= "-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-compositio= n-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color= : rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); font-size: medium;">Educational psychologist= s have been testing radical typographic ideas for many years, as Gunnar says= . There was a brief fad for 'chunked' or 'square span' typography in the fif= ties (North & Jenkins 1951, Nahinsky 1956, Klare, Shuford & Nichols 1= 957) in which sense phrases were presented spaced or stacked. </span></= div><div><span class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"-webkit-tap-highlight-col= or: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 19= 2, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230= 469); font-size: medium;"><br></span></div><div><span class=3D"Apple-style-s= pan" style=3D"-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webk= it-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-compositio= n-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); font-size: medium;">A broader v= iew of reading is that it is a strategic process in which a range of differe= ntly paced activities combine as readers (here, my iPad, ever insightful, su= ggests 'raiders') engage in scanning and searching as well as close reading.= Whatever else it might be proven to do in the lab, messing with legibility i= s surely not going to help at this level. </span></div><div><span class= =3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26,= 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -= webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); font-size: med= ium;"><br></span></div><div><span class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"-webki= t-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-= color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(= 77, 128, 180, 0.230469); font-size: medium;">Another random thought to add t= o the mix... In the early days of the Open University in the UK (1970s), whi= ch taught almost entirely through written texts, there was concern that stud= ents would just rattle through course texts without pausing to reflect. So f= requent self-assessment exercise were used to engineer reflective moments, a= nd opportunities for feedback (influenced by the programmed learning concept= of positive reinforcement, too). But they also introduced a device known as= a 'student stopper'. This was a bold, sometimes decorative bar across the p= age which students were told meant 'stop and think about what you've just re= ad'.</span></div><div><br>Rob Waller</div><div></div></div></body></html>= --Apple-Mail-1-394515704-- --===============0574365711== Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline ___________________________________________________________________ Use the following address to post a message to all subscribers: [email protected] To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your options, visit: http://list.InformationDesign.org/mailman/listinfo/infodesign-cafe For all Information Design matters: http://InformationDesign.org Problems? Write to: [email protected] ___________________________________________________________________ --===============0574365711==--