06-24-2010, 08:54 PM
Quote:Bishop's Second Rule of Everything: the audience are always brighter than you think they are, although some will be much more stupid than you can possibly imagine.
Having been a teacher for 27 years, I can concur with that last comment! Actually, unless you have been with a class of 15-year olds, you cannot possibly imagine just how stupid they can be (especially last thing on a Friday afternoon!)
This is what 'educayshun' in this country has been reduced to. If you look at any modern school textbook (in any subject) you will find that topics are treated on a single double-page spread. Why? Because it is believed that if the kid has to turn the page over, anything on the previous page will be forgotten. Sadly, in all too many cases, this is true!
Having said that, the reverse is also true. Some kids will amaze you with their depth of understanding and perception. I wish that programme makers would forget about 'dumbing down' and go for stretching the best. A recent series of programmes on the history of chemistry by Dr. Al Kalili was brilliant, I thought, because (a) it was about full-blooded chemistry (a great rarity on TV) and (b) it did not 'talk down' to the viewers. If they can do it for chemistry, they can surely do it for history and archaeology, yes?
Mike Thomas
visne scire quod credam? credo orbes volantes exstare.
