For those of you not in the Reinventing Knowledge class here at BYU, we recently memorized and recited as a class King Benjamin's Speech (see Mosiah 2:9 - 5:15) from the Book of Mormon. Below is the Youtube video posted by Dr. B. Our group starts at about 6:50 and continues to 10:05, but I highly recommend you watch the enitre video!
First off, this experience I promise no drama in the words traumatic stress. Truly one week just barely cut it.
On a more serious note the most interesting insight I gained from this experience also correlates with a previous experience I've had with amateur show production. In the 9th grade, my history class put on an amateur production of a U.S. Supreme Court Case called, "Loving v. Virginia". (Go here for the wiki article on the case.) A landmark case in the history of the US, Loving v. Virginia ended all state laws banning interracial marriages. In our production we highlighted moments in the lives of the Lovings that brought them to the Supreme Court, and then back out with their marriage intact.
I loved this production not because I felt that I had accomplished something in memorising lines, and telling the story of the Lovings, because I didn't, but I loved it because I learned so much about the power of what people say. Actually I volunteered to run the lighting for the event. This put me in a small booth above the theater, mostly by my self for the month or so of actual stage practice. But as many times as I watched my classmates practice their lines, and heard a friend recite her speech in said tiny booth, I still got the full impact of the whole production opening night. The power of speech is simply incredible.
Frequently, people pass on the idiom, "Actions speak louder than words". I've come to decide that this saying only holds water in a modern culture, flooded with the words of people that cover the entire spectrum of humanity. Many find themselves caught in the quest for excitement, found in modern knowledge mediums such as television and the movies. They enjoy seeing people, more than simply hearing from them. I firmly believe that despite all that pushes the visual mediums forward in society, the best way to spread your message is personal oral communication with those around you.
As an anecdote for personal, oral, learning I'm pulling from experiences I've had with people from the Navajo tribe, in Southern Utah. I shared about visiting the Navajo on a GEO club trip, before in my post titled, "The way of the Origin". While there we naturally inquired from the Navajo we worked with about their culture. They personally shared their oral knowledge about nearly everything. From how they live to how they work, play, and eat. (Eating was probably my favorite part!) For example they told us that many people have tried to come and build homes for their people, not understanding how much of their culture was tied to their hogans. These sorts of people didn't take the time to personally interact and share their knowledge. The saddest sight we saw were rows of empty, gutted home, that no one cared for because they didn't share the knowledge.
So whether you are relieving an ancient king give a speech, or sharing your own oral knowledge, don't forget that all forms of communication work best!
So why exactly do you think oral communication is the best? Is it because of the visual and personal connections that are only made through oral communication? I think that all communication types have their pros and their cons. For example, with written communication, you lose some of the personal connection, but it is more easily accessible to a greater number of people, making it easier for cultures to be spread--which is sort of like what you were talking about in your "Where in the world?" post (at http://reinventingknowledge3.blogspot.com/2011/10/where-in-world.html).
ReplyDeleteI would say that an oral presentation is only more effective then the written word when the speaker has the gift of the gab. Some people can charm an audience with their words, tone of voice, laughter, gestures and facial expressions. Words don't have all of that. But if a person is speaking in a monotone voice just staring at a computer screen the whole time, I'd rather fall asleep than listen to them.
ReplyDeleteErin, I think that you have a point when you say that learning is more productive when it's personal. Not only in a one on one setting but because if someone teaches something they are passionate about, others can tell. A student will not be interested in something the teacher is not interested in. Maybe this is the problem (among many) with modern public education in the United States, if the teachers aren't passionate how are the kids supposed to be inspired?
ReplyDeleteKim, I wasn't trying to say that oral communication is better than any other type, but merely tried to point out, as Emily did, the effectiveness of oral communication. Certainly written and printed mediums have their advantages but how many people do you think MLKJr would have convinced if he had only printed and distributed his "I have a Dream" speech?
ReplyDeleteMadi, I think you are close when you say that unmotivated teachers leads to a lack of learning in public school systems. But I think the most important idea we can learn, as students, and teach, as a people, is that your learning is your responsibility and you can learn well not matter who is teaching. Basically we need students that are in some degree independent of their teachers. See Dr. B's post here for more on that.
ReplyDeleteIf i do go so far as to quote myself, I'll restate it's a "problem (among many)".
ReplyDeleteI had a few teachers in high school who didn't like the subject they taught and the class was always very boring, but the teachers who actually care make it fun.
ReplyDeleteIt's true that spoken word has a different kind of power than written. I think it could be partially because of the personal connection.