[odf-discuss] Request for Digg help

[Ian Lynch]

> I know that I've had to spend a fair bit of time over the years
> helping clients understand that what they learned in Business Law 101
> wasn't true in all cases. Over-simplification can lead to people
> making some pretty big mistakes down the line. 

Teaching, like law is a profession so there are learnt skills in
planning the progression of acquiring knowledge and understanding in
young people. Piaget, research into the science of learning provides
quite a lot of insight as does doing it for 30 years.

> On the other hand, you've got kids who mostly lack the background to
> understand more fine-grained information within the time allotted. So
> do you explore the microcosm thoroughly, the macrocosm lightly, or
> something betwixt? 

You provide the experience and confidence to learn how to learn. The
most important thing is not immediate detail in all things but kindling
the desire to know and understand more. Let's face it, even Einstein
made errors - he certainly didn't appreciate quantum mechanics and the
uncertainty principle - but he was in constant search for enlightened
truth. I'm sure he re-ordered his thinking many times along the way with
the help of many teachers and other sources. I doubt it would have been
helpful to not have participated in the learning process in case he
learnt some detail that was not 100% accurate in all circumstances.

> I wish I had a good answer to that problem but I don't. I just wanted
> to note the overstatement to make sure Ian knew it was there. I can't
> fault him for it being there. I'm sure he agonized over how to
> approach the subject far more than I did. 

Probably no more than you would agonise over how to present a routine
issue in a point of law. Its probably why I'm a professional educator
and you are a professional lawyer ;-)

> I'm more than comfortable with him making the call. 
> 
> Nice project, Ian.

Question isn't about perfection, its about is it better to do it than
not to do it? and on balance I think doing it is proving a lot more
useful than leaving the status quo.

Ian
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