Reflecting on the summary of Rich Mayer’s Handbook on Multimedia Learning Theory, I recall a class with Professor Lisa Surridge, learning about children’s literature.
Of course, children’s literature is often illustrated, and popular stories, such as Alice in Wonderland, have been illustrated by countless artists. A major project required students to analyze the art of a children’s story in terms of how the art informs a readers’ interpretation of the text.
Alice, for example, could be seen through art inspired by sexualized imagery, surrealism, or Disney, to name but a few influences. Each style informed the text and shed light on its complex nuances. I would argue that the various artistic interpretations associated with Alice vie for the spotlight to replace the text in our graphics-oriented world. Hence, how characters are portrayed is a remarkably important question.
After reflecting on the summary of Rich Mayer’s Handbook on Multimedia Learning Theory, I recognize the Redundancy Principle at work in many of my face-to-face classes. The Redundancy Principle states the following:
People learn better from graphics and narration than some graphics, narration, and printed text.
Sometimes, professors put dense text on a PowerPoint slide—vital information—and then proceed to discuss it while students try to read it and while taking notes about the professor’s comments. I can’t do both. But, I try to anyway and then feel either stupid or frustrated, depending on my expectations of myself at that moment.
I note the solution:
To address this principle:
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When delivering a narrated presentation, use either graphics or text, but not both.
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Minimize the use of text during a narrated presentation.
I think that if text is presented, the professor should read the text, then comment. If there are two or three points, then address them one at a time.
If the text is especially dense, teachers should provide a hand-out, or refer to a textbook. Reading dense text requires students to look up and down as they read so that they can make notes. Time is wasted because each movement requires reorientation both visually and cognitively.
With a hand-out, students can make notes in the margins. With a textbook, students can write notes on paper if necessary. Listening, reading and writing work well together.
I also find the Segmenting Principle interesting:
People learn better when a multimedia message is presented in user-paced segments rather than as a continuous unit.
The following is suggested to address this principle:
Allow users to control the pace of the lesson, such as speed controls or “next” buttons.
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Break down long segments of material into smaller pieces.
I find it odd that only electronic modes are referenced since the makers of print books have intuitively managed this problem by segmenting long texts into chapters.
One last note—when I read about the “the conditions that make up the cognitive theory of multimedia learning,” one of the conditions was that “[t]he principles are medium agnostic.” I didn’t know what the term “medium agnostic” meant so I looked it up and found the following article:
“Media Agnosticism” Must Die: Enter the media-specific era
I’m glad that John Doyle wrote this critique of an unnecessarily hoity toity term.