Re: Objects

From: jeffc (nobody_at_nowhere.com)
Date: 11/10/03 

Date: Mon, 10 Nov 2003 11:09:25 -0500

"Martijn Lievaart" <m@rtij.nl.removefromhere.invalid> wrote in message
news:pan.2003.11.07.21.20.42.567898@rtij.nl.removefromhere.invalid...
> I think you nicely captured the attitude of this group as well.
> Programmers are a strange bunch of people, often with, ahem, imperfect
> personalities. But technical correctness is one of those deficiencies one
> has to learn to live with. Besides that it is the only thing many will
> listen to. At least technicalities can be proven and besides many nerds
> value technicalities above social skills :-)

Yes.

> But in the end, when teaching, correctness is important. Not above all
> else, but when it helps understanding. And most often it does.

I don't know if I'd agree with that. I'd say that in general, merely being
correct does not that often help understanding. I've found many times where
a little white lie up front, followed by the "full monty" when the student
is ready, leads to much faster understanding. (I'm speaking here both as a
student and instructor). Of course, one problem is the student retaining
the white lie, but never getting the full monty. I'm reminded of a review I
read about the movie "Braveheart". Some people complained about
historically inaccurate it was. The writer responded with something to the
effect of "Don't tell the exact truth at the expense of being honest."
There are many liberties that must be taken when telling a story that make
it less realistic. Should the actors speak the native language being spoken
at the time? Should they use slang language that was understood in context
and will be misunderstood by viewers, or should they use language that was
not used at the time, but will give the viewers a more realistic feel for
what was actually meant? Do we want the viewers to witness the precise
facts, or do we want them to empathize and actually understand what was
happening?

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Objects
    ... |> But in the end, when teaching, correctness is important. ... | student and instructor). ... Should they use slang language that was understood in context ... | and will be misunderstood by viewers, or should they use language that was ...
    (alt.comp.lang.learn.c-cpp)
  • Re: SCWC 32: Discussion: IMPLEMENT
    ... underlying their speech. ... rule - it is just not fully reflective awareness. ... understanding of your own thought processes, ... Absolutely none of which is comparable to language. ...
    (rec.puzzles.crosswords)
  • Re: What it takes to be a revolutionary thinker
    ... Jim Greenfield wrote: ... If you mean a professional degree in physics, ... hard questions whether the student has learned it sufficiently to ... "Secret signs and dodgy math" are often required for UNDERSTANDING. ...
    (sci.physics.particle)
  • Re: What it takes to be a revolutionary thinker
    ... Jim Greenfield wrote: ... If you mean a professional degree in physics, ... hard questions whether the student has learned it sufficiently to ... "Secret signs and dodgy math" are often required for UNDERSTANDING. ...
    (sci.physics)
  • Re: What it takes to be a revolutionary thinker
    ... Jim Greenfield wrote: ... If you mean a professional degree in physics, ... hard questions whether the student has learned it sufficiently to ... "Secret signs and dodgy math" are often required for UNDERSTANDING. ...
    (sci.physics.relativity)
Loading