I am, first of all, a teacher. My educational philosophy is a philosophy of teaching. Teaching is not restricted to the classroom, but in the classroom I am a science teacher, a physics teacher. Physics is a particular way of thinking, of seeing the world, of interacting with nature, and that is what I try to teach: how to think in the particular way that is physics.
For the student, this means that he must be prepared to think differently and to see differently. This is what it means to learn. He must also learn how to work with the tools of physics: the language and vocabulary of physics, the equations of physics, the ideas and concepts, the solving of particular kinds of problems in a particular way.
This is not easy work, thinking differently, and I must use the tools of teaching to bring the student to the point of change and learning. The student must trust both me and herself, and she must be convinced that the journey is possible. It is up to me to make physics engaging, intelligible, and achievable for the student. I must help her experience it from every conceivable angle until she can see its many facets on her own.
In the end, the approach and goal of teaching is the same whether I am teaching physics, chemistry, philosophy, or music. The young student’s vision and abilities are limited, but the capability is there. A journey is embarked upon by both teacher and student. Enlarging his vision, expanding his ability, tapping into his capability, employing what he already knows and can do – this is what the student must do for himself, but with guidance and intervention from a teacher who can see who the student is and what he can accomplish, and who knows the appropriate route and all its vicissitudes.
About Instructional Design ►
Consider any document that you design. What are you trying to do with it? You are trying to communicate, at least initially. Perhaps you are trying to sell something, or convince someone of something. In my case, I am always trying to teach. I need to consider how a person learns and try to align my document with how learning works.
Engagement
I want to address two aspects of learning. One is the broad principle of engagement. Without engagement, your document is effectively ignored. Without the right kind of engagement, your document will be less effective as a teaching medium. Visual clutter and confusion, for instance, creates a kind of anxiety as the eye tries to figure out where to go. This is not conducive to learning. Nor are extraneous visual elements which can be entertaining or decorative but also distracting and irrelevant.
Coherence and Structure
The second aspect of learning I want to address is an aspect that concerns me as a physics teacher. It is possible to teach physics as a collection of vaguely related topics and practices, but I prefer to teach physics by constantly referring back to the coherent series of basic concepts on which it is built. When I design a document for my students, I try to be careful about what my design implies. Is it implying a connection where there is none, or is it implying levels of organization that do not, in fact, exist? Or does the design reflect the coherence and structure in physics that I hope my students can sense?
A designer needs to know that all graphic elements carry information, not just in the literal sense (these letters form a sentence which can be understood) but in a structural sense. When a font changes color, for instance, the brain is alerted to the possibility of a new level of information for the literal text. Consider, for instance, the information provided when text in a blog post changes color to indicate that the text is a hyperlink. Or consider, as Edward Tufte does, what it means to use bullet points. Bullets are not just a graphical device for separating text. Bullets are like the headings in an outline. They indicate levels of organization arranged coherently according to some principle or concept. Hinting at organization, when in fact what you are presenting is arbitrarily arranged, causes confusion. It does not create a frame of mind conducive to learning.
References
Reynolds, G. (2014). Presentation zen design: Simple design principles and techniques to enhance your presentations (2nd ed.). Berkeley, CA: New Riders.
Tufte, E. R. (2006). The cognitive style of PowerPoint: Pitching out corrupts within (2nd ed.). Cheshire, CT: Graphics.
