As a master of intergrative education, it is no wonder Tufte is critical of one of the most autogamous tools used in education, business and government: PowerPoint. He says, in his Wired Magazine article PowerPoint is Evil; Power Corrupts. PowerPoint Corrupts Absolutely, “Several hundred million copies of Microsoft PowerPoint are churning out trillions of slides each year. Slideware may help speakers outline their talks, but convenience for the speaker can be punishing to both content and audience. The standard PowerPoint presentation elevates format over content, betraying an attitude of commercialism that turns everything into a sales pitch” (Tufte). Although the phrase was originally coined by Angela R. Garber, Tufte is certainly noted for his stance on “Death by PowerPoint.” Although he is particularly critical of PowerPoint’s use in business – especially marketing and financial meetings, he is appalled by its use in the classroom: “Particularly disturbing is the adoption of the PowerPoint cognitive style in our schools… children are being taught how to formulate client pitches and infomercials” (Tufte). Tufte is absolutely right – PowerPoint is an autogamous disservice to education. What other method makes the teacher the sole focus of the learning process? When a teacher uses PowerPoint it serves the needs of the teacher not the student. Most PowerPoint lectures start with a template and include the text of the speech – instead of the teacher memorizing his/her lecture or speaking extemporaneously, s/he simply reads from the slide. Or the slide contains an entire outline of the textbook which the students frantically copy down before the dreaded “spacebar click.” Excessive bullet points and hierarchies do nothing for the content. These hierarchies are often used incorrectly – a large bullet point makes a claim, and the user feels the need to supplement this claim with supporting points (even if no support is needed). And because of PowerPoint’s automatic font size function, words and phrases are often shortened or replaced with acronyms to maintain “readable size” – that dreaded warning PowerPoint offers reminds you that you have included too much text on your slide. Another critique, Tufte offers, concerns the imagery of PowerPoint. The templates, default styles, and “effects” PowerPoint offers do not enhance information – oftentimes, these effects make the information impossible to read. Random clipart or animations, simply detract from the content.
Obtrusive color schemes distract the learner. And worst of all, the information provided in these formats is lost – instead of just keeping a simple, readable design which would be much more user-friendly (Tufte). Tufte, frustratedly adds: “If your numbers are boring, then you've got the wrong numbers. If your words or images are not on point, making them dance in color won't make them relevant. Audience boredom is usually a content failure, not a decoration failure” (Tufte). The old mantra of “7 lines per slide” and “7 words per line” is an example of how PowerPoint kills information and kills the audience. All this does is establish an artificial structure, and most often, create content with very little meaning. So is PowerPoint useless? No. That would be like shooting the messenger. It is not PowerPoint’s fault that students struggle paying attention. It is the autogamous teacher, who delivers this message in this way. PowerPoint can be useful – but like all things, in small doses. As Tufte explains, information needs to be designed. This is very much the message of Pink when he discusses design and function, aesthetics and meaning. The information presented, if it must be presented, should be enhanced by functional imagery not distracted by cluttered decoration. It’s not about a “pretty slide” or “pretty presentation” – it’s about simplicity, conscious decisions, and intention. In his Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery, Garr Reynolds echoes the need for design sense when putting together a presentation. He draws a parallel between presentations and eating Japanese food.
He explains: “In Japan, food is about experience as much as it is about sustenance…” and he supports this with: “the kanji characters for [meal] literally represent “harmony” and “food,” and harmony is indeed a key principle embodied in Japanese traditional cooking (Reynolds 5). This is a beautiful metaphor for education – an experience that nourishes the mind. If we are going to use visual aids to enhance the experience then those visual aids need to be visual communication, not just decoration. Reynolds outlines how to use typeface, color, space, emphasis and harmony in order to create visually stunning and informative presentations. Color is perhaps the most powerful of the elements of art and design. It simultaneously embodies value (dark and light), vibrancy, saturation, mood, temperature, and contrast. Reynolds gives us eight key lessons about the use of color: 1. you can express more with less 2. never use more color when less will do 3. careful use of light and dark is important for creating clarity and contrast 4. use color with a clear purpose and informed intent 5. clear contrast, visual suggestion, and subtlety can exist harmoniously in one composition 6. omit useless details to expose the essence 7. in all things: balance, clarity, harmony, and simplicity 8. what looks easy is hard but worth it (Reynolds 65) These principles are not just useful when using color, but when organizing anything visual. There is an old graphic design mantra: “a piece is not done when there is nothing else to add, but when there is nothing else to take away.” So is it true for PowerPoints. Keeping it simple, succinct and clean is far more important than flashy colors and fancy special effects. Space is as important as objects. Space, referred to as the white space or negative space in a design, is the area that is not filled in. When we are placing objects on the page we are tempted to fill in all of the spaces. This is a natural thing our mind does.
But let the audience fill in the space. Let the viewer use his/her imagination to fill in the emptiness. This will engage the viewer. And this means as the designer, you need to only put the essentials on the page. “Space is not just something to be filled in; it is itself a valuable tool for achieving engaging, clear visual messages. White space can help direct the viewer’s eye to positive elements. White space is necessary for creating designs with balance, harmony and clear hierarchy” (Reynolds 157). When we talk about composition in graphics, printing, layout or design we try to create a balance between imagery, text and white space. This use of text, imagery and white space helps create focus. “Many ineffective slides can be improved by simply making it clear to the viewer what is important and what is less important. Guiding viewers with purposeful choices in the design and leading the viewers’ eyes with clear focal points in a slide presentation takes better advantage of the audience’s natural ability to process visual information quickly” (Reynolds 179). Reynolds creates a very strong set of practices which are useful in designing purposeful presentations. But I think we can apply his rule of simplicity and “less is more” to Tufte’s critique of the use and overuse of PowerPoint. Instead of lecture being the mainstay of education, in integrative education presentations are simply a way of sharing content. There are far many more ways of sharing content which will also need to be utilized. From my time as a student at North Central College and my teaching at Benedictine University, I have encountered some remarkable, yet simple, techniques which really engage students in the learning process. I have taught at all age levels from elementary school, to high school, to post-secondary school. And I have been able to apply these techniques in every one of these settings. PowerPoint is one of the tools I have used – but never the “7 line, 7 word” sort of presentation. My PowerPoints take two distinct forms: 1) hypermedia and 2) multimedia.
As hypermedia, I build PowerPoints similar to websites with interconnecting trees of information. I use hyperlinks to build these trees in many ways like a “Choose Your Adventure Book.” I also create PowerPoints like mini-multimedia presentations. Each slide consists of: a single line or quote, a statistic or small collection of data, large images following Reynolds rules of color and space, and audio voice-overs. The slides stream together in true presentations – not just slideshows. I typically have my PowerPoint displayed in the background. I reference them only when I need too. Otherwise, the class dynamic is structured not around my lecture or my presentation, but around the students. We sit in a circle, like a conference room. This helps the students see one another’s faces and invites conversation. In rows, the students face the backs of others. This is not how we as a species evolved to communicate. So much of how we talk with one another does not involve our words but our facial expressions, body language and voice tone. In rows, we lose these nuances which add meaning to our words. In a circle, students can make eye contact with one another and share. Information is exchanged as opposed to a random short phrase spoken by student A and followed by another, often disjointed, phrase spoken by student B. I say we sit in the circle, because I sit with them. This immediately changes the dynamics of the room. As I sit with them, at their level, I enter their environment. When a teacher stands a podium at the head of the room, there is a separation of space. There is a gulf between the teacher and the rows of desks. Sitting in a circle, at their eye level, communicates an equality of respect. Many traditional, autogamous teachers will immediately critique this method. By placing yourself in their environment you lose your authority. Or at least this is what teachers have been taught. Granted, you become equals with the students, but does a teacher’s authority really stem from physical superiority? Is classroom management really established by separating oneself from the student body and looming over them? I think authority comes from knowledge. If a teacher has rich, comprehensive information to offer, then the students will give that teacher authority. When in a conversation and a person is charismatic others are drawn to what that person has to say. A good storyteller always draws an audience.
Garr Reynolds keeps a blog continually discussing issues of presentational design at Presentation Zen (www.presentationzen.com). His entry on June 28th, 2011 reviews the career and success of Bill Cosby. Reynolds explains that Cosby’s success comes from his ability to be a storyteller. Reynolds lists the keys to Cosby’s ability of being a good storyteller: 1. be confident – don't talk yourself into not being you, just be who you are 2. be authentic – tell stories from your own life 3. be the visual – Cosby did not use any multimedia in his routines, he was the visual captivating the audience with his animated form of speaking and his caricature like facial expressions 4. timing is paramount – know when to pause to create suspense, try not to rush important ideas and repeat ideas for emphasis 5. overall – “Bill Cosby was great at 25 but he was even better on stage at 50 (and he's still great at 73). You do not have to be as polished and as smooth as a professional entertainer, but your audience will appreciate it very much if you take a lesson from entertainers like Dr. Cosby and bring your true authentic self to the stage and engage, teach, and illuminate through your own stories and examples” (Reynolds) So while within the circle I try to be a Cosby-esque storyteller. However, any teacher will tell you there is always that extrovert, “class clown” that wants to dominate the conversation. How do you keep that person in check? And what about the introvert – that shy person who is uncomfortable in the conversation? In order for this integrative approach to be effective it must be genuine. Redirecting or arbitrarily calling on students creates an artificial conversation. But if you are trying to engage all students, how can you avoid be artificial? The technique I use is talking points (borrowed from my professors at North Central who used talking points in our seminars). Talking points add structure to the discussion. Talking points are lists of key ideas or key phrases used during public speaking, speeches, meetings, or conferences. These points outline the speaker’s agenda, the speaker’s purpose, and act as cues for the speaker’s pacing. Students use talking points to outline the course topics. Students also use the questions and problem based frameworks introduced in class to locate key concepts, important points and key terms.
When students have lists in front of them, that they themselves have generated, they find it easier to speak. The challenge for the instructor is to allow for an informal flow of the discussion. The students direct the path the discussion will go. This is also why I keep a PowerPoint in the background. In this hypermedia or multimedia presentation I have discussion topics prepared. In case the students’ talking points trail off or they bring up an idea that I would like to emphasize, I can refer back to the PowerPoint to help re-engage the conversation. I think of my PowerPoint as a coffee table book or a conversation piece. When a natural conversation starts to die down, these are great ways to keep it going. I think of this as a seed-idea, seeing the conversation. Another way I seed the conversation is through the problem based learning strategy. I introduce themes and large concepts, like Shoemaker, and use this to keep our talks within general parameters. I also hand out a daily agenda for each student, so they can see what I would like to accomplish. Unlike an autogamous agenda, I keep it very open. In fact I divide the agenda into two portions: the Block and the À la Carte. In the Block the lesson tends to be more teacher-centered and autogamous, although, I keep this to a minimum. It is in the Block I introduce the themes, goals and any “business” that needs to be attended too. Then in the À la Carte I have listed activities, discussion topics, and other seed ideas that I have prepared in case the talking points do not keep the conversation going. I try to make this as natural as possible. To keep things allogamous, I spend most of my time listening and paying attention to details. I listen for cues within the conversation or wait for things to slow down. This is when I try to introduce something new, but I do my best to keep it as natural and flowing as possible, as to blend this in with what has already been transpiring. In order to avoid teacher-direction as much as I can, I like it when students prepare case studies. Instead of arbitrary word problems or fictitious scenarios, I try to encourage natural, realistic, case studies from the students’ experiences and research. Each course is structured by problem based learning strategies, and these problems are always thematic. In this theme, the students are encouraged to explore ideas. When they find inspiration and information that interests them, we play “what if?” scenarios or try to link the information they have found with the current world situation. I strongly encourage the students to amass current events.
During discussion, I encourage them to “show and tell” whatever information they’ve learned that particularly interests them – especially when it is goings on in the news. In this way, through conversations and discussions, talking points, current events and information sharing the students design the courses. Instead of the courses being manipulated and structured by arbitrary curriculums, the course content is fluid and alive – it grows, evolves and shifts based on the students’ needs. Only integrative, interdisciplinary education offers such opportunities. This is the true beauty behind allogamy. I must say that I did not create this methodology. I merely cross-pollinated the ideas from many great teachers and built a system that works for me. There are many parallels in what I’ve created to those schools showcased in the PBS special Digital Media: New Learners of the 21st Century. Although, each of the instructors tackles a problem based, integrative, interdisciplinary learning model in different ways, there are commonalities. In order to overcome the old paradigms new normal education must refute ineffectual methods such as teacher-centered lectures, poisoning PowerPoint presentations, and antiquated courses structured within the 20th century paradigm.
Those schools featured in Digital Media: New Learners of the 21st Century and the methods I employ center around the learning environment. The courses must be unique and topical, targeting the needs of the 21st century. The atmosphere must be open, informal and positive, encouraging creativity and fostering innovation. And students must feel safe in sharing, exploring, and developing unique ideas. The new normal in education relies on storytelling to share information in a true exchange of seed-ideas between teacher-student, student-student, and student-teacher.
references
1. Rimer, Sara. "Study: Many College Students Not Learning to Think Critically." The Hechinger Report January 18 (2011). Print. Teachers College, Columbia University
2. Pink, Daniel H. A Whole New Mind: Why Right-brainers Will Rule the Future. New York: Riverhead, 2006. Print.
3. Peat, F. David. From Certainty to Uncertainty: the Story of Science and Ideas in the Twentieth Century. Washington, D.C.: Joseph Henry, 2002. Print.
4. “Grow up? Not so fast,” By Lev Grossman. Time, January 16, 2005.
5. Robbins, Alexandra, and Abby Wilner. Quarterlife Crisis: the Unique Challenges of Life in Your Twenties. New York: J.P. Tarcher/Putnam, 2001. Print.
6. Palmer, Parker J., Arthur Zajonc, and Megan Scribner. The Heart of Higher Education: a Call to Renewal. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2010. Print.
7. Shoemaker, Jean Eklund, and Larry Lewin. "Curriculum and Assessment: Two Sides of the Same Coin." The Changing Curriculum Number 8 50.May 1993 (1993): 55-57. Print.
8. Fiero, Gloria K. Landmarks in Humanities. Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2009. Print.
9. Tufte, Edward. "PowerPoint Is Evil; Power Corrupts. PowerPoint Corrupts Absolutely." Wired Sept. 2003. Print. Issue 11.09
10. Reynolds, Garr. Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery. Berkeley, CA: New Riders Pub., 2008. Print.
11. Reynolds, Garr. "Storytelling Lessons from Bill Cosby." Rev. of Keynote Speeches and Comedic Career. Web log post. Presentation Zen. Garr Reynolds, 28 June 2011. Web. 30 June 2011.
