|
MAKING DATA INFORMATIONAL
Apperception. Comparative Learning is not a new idea. In the 4th Century B.C., Aristotle remarked that memory of a given item of knowledge was facilitated by associating that idea with another, either related to, in sequence to, or in contrast to it. This suggests that we only learn by making connection between one piece of information and another. That we only learn something relative to something we already understand. Among learning theorists this is known as apperception. It is defined as a process where new ideas associate themselves with older ones to form a new piece of learning. The notion of apperception suggests that the human mind is constantly forming and changing, and the ideas with which it comes into contact can redefine our minds. Apperception implies that the mind is like a framework on which ideas can be hung, rearranged and stitched together. It suggests that, similar to the merging of chemical elements to create new elements, ideas combine and recombine in the mind to create new perceptions. Apperception suggests that we must start with the experiences the audience already have, and then build from there. The grouping of ideas, juxtaposing the new with the old, is vital to good communication. Failing to make a connection between the known and the unknown prevents us from grasping new ideas. We impart our information by conveying a message and having the recipient understand it, be interested in it, and remember it We only understand information relative to what we already understand. You only understand the size of a building if there is a car or a person in front of it. And we only understand figures when they can be related to tangible, comprehensible elements. … Reflect on the concept that, what working with the 'Relativity Formula' and apperception shows us is that to understand the words uttered on television or radio, or printed on the page, we have to know a lot of information that isn't spoken or written at that time. A good rule of thumb is to spend some time on any set of figures reducing them into bite-sized chunks, which people can pick and choose from and digest successfully. You can release meaning from any set of figures if you care enough about effective communication. Story-telling. Storytelling is another way of putting information into context and fixing it in memory. For hundreds of thousands of year's storytelling was the only means of transmitting information. It still retains its attraction for most people, witness the pulling power of television 'soaps', and is still a very effective ways to impart information. Stories can be used very effectively to make facts and numbers come alive, and to impart a moral. A good story and its underlying theme is more easily understood and remembered than a 'straight' telling of the same information. Through storytelling a familiar situation functions as the starting point for a journey of exploration into the unknown. Historically, storytelling nearly always generates communication. A good tale encourages us to turn to each other and to share responses. In using storytelling to impart information, we need to devise tales that will offer alternative approaches to experienced difficulties, interest the listener and suggest actions to resolve the problem. … The central task involved in this approach is to take
data, which is without context, and turn it into meaningful knowledge
which people find is important enough to make them willing to
alter their behaviour. This can relate to local environmental
issues, or to human rights issues around the world.
|
