RE: Learning Styles (was Benchmarking Technical Documentation)

Subject: RE: Learning Styles (was Benchmarking Technical Documentation)
From: KMcLauchlan -at- chrysalis-its -dot- com
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2001 13:52:00 -0400

"How-to" vs "theory"
I need both. For me there's a difference between
"know-the-sequence" and "understand what/why I'm doing".

My experience -- especially with software and
computers -- is that what I don't understand
absolutely WILL rise up and bite me. Every friggin'
piece of sequential instruction that I've ever
used has either failed me the first time, or
has failed me on re-visit, where the situation
has changed subtly, but the sequential instructions
... haven't.

If I know what a program or an installation or a
driver set, etc., is expecting, and why things
are supposed to happen in a certain order, then I
have at least a tiny hope of figuring out why it
isn't working THIS time, and what else I might try.

If all I ever learned was the rote set of sequential
instructions for the "clean" or ideal situation, then
when I run into a re-install or re-work-without-tossing-
all-my-data-please situation, I'm stuck, and dialling
the $125-per-call "Help" line with credit-card in hand.

/kevin

>-----Original Message-----
>From: leanne -dot- sanderson -at- us -dot- abb -dot- com [mailto:leanne -dot- sanderson -at- us -dot- abb -dot- com]

>If you're an analytical learning/thinker it makes a big
>difference. I am what
>they call a "global" learner, I want the big picture, the
>bottom line. But if
>you are a "sequential/analitical" learner, how things work is
>equally important.
[snip]

>If you are a trainer, you'll see this all the time. The analitic's ask
>technical and theoretical questions, while the rest of the
>group rolls their
>eyes and waits for the "how-to" information to begin. You
>have to keep these
>people in mind because they honestly have trouble moving on
>without what they
>consider to be important information.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

*** Deva(tm) Tools for Dreamweaver and Deva(tm) Search ***
Build Contents, Indexes, and Search for Web Sites and Help Systems
Available now at http://www.devahelp.com or info -at- devahelp -dot- com

Learn about tools and technologies for user assistance developers at
The Help Technology Conference, August 21-24 in Boston, MA
Details and online registration at http://www.SolutionsEvents.com


---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit
http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.


Previous by Author: RE: [TECHWR-L] formatting suggestion
Next by Author: RE: [TECHWR-L] formatting suggestion
Previous by Thread: Learning Styles (was Benchmarking Technical Documentation)
Next by Thread: Re: Learning Styles (was Benchmarking Technical Documentation)


What this post helpful? Share it with friends and colleagues:


Sponsored Ads