Msg: 2265 *Conference*

04-05-92 22:35:05

From: RICHARD HANSON

To : LEX JENKINS

Subj: RTFM

As the subject suggests, RTFM... Read The Friendly Manual, or, Read The Funny
Manual, or, Read The Funkey Manual, or, from a support person's point of
view... (naaa... I had better not say this...) 
 
We all, including myself, have read good and not so good manuals and still did
not get it right; or get it at all.  There are times when, after reading the
manual, you get it, and do it--whatever "it" is--then come back to the manual
and discover (gasp!) something else!!!  And, you even read it before but it
didn't hit home.  My point, if there is one, is one of the value of written
communication.  It works, but not 100% perfectly.  I must add, however, that
voice and video work, as well as observation, and even tutorial and practice,
but nothing works 100% perfectly.  Which means that "schools" both don't work
and do work but the results are mixed; which is ok, except that educators don't
think it's okay.  Thus, the eduactors are screwed up, not the students, and
tests and grades are stupid pressures imposed by legislation, and certinly not
for to the benefit of the learning.  There are exceptions to my last point but
generally it is true.  No one likes tests or grades because of the WAY they are
used against us not by us, for us. 
 
I liked your defination of "expert" being someone who has forgotten what it was
like not to know.  There is suppost to be a "beginning" time for all things, or
so we feel.  A time when we learn the "basics".  Then, so the story goes, we
move onward through the subject matter or skill.  But, what if there really is
NO beginning period, but rather a contining advancement of the knowledge and
skill, leaving all who come "now" to fit in at the "now-moment" without the
opportunity to start at the beginning? 

Without dragging this into an essay, I'll loosely tie my two points together.
I firmly believe that there is no perfect learning method, but rather an
individualized random collection of encounters, activities, opportunities and
happenstances that occure within a time-continuum.  These collectively comprise
our knowledge and skills, individually.  Thus, there is no beginning to
personal learning.  There is no one best learning style, or learning age, or
time, or place or anything else.  These exists only the here and now of all
things, and we simply addapt as necessary to fit in. 
 
If I believe the above as true then "learning" is the process of constant
exposure to a subject matter in practice.  Thus, a business based on providing
knowledge or skills--and products and services--must provide contunal working
models of those knowledges or skills, etc.  This then becomes the basis on
which I intend to explore the next phase of Club 100... or whatever I will
eventually call it.  What do you think?  -Rick-