Are your words getting in the way of your meaning? Have you ever started class discussing one of your favorite topics only to see students lose interest? How do people who excel at communicating complex ideas do it?
Robert Krulwich, one of the hosts of Radiolab (if you don’t know Radiolab, go listen, you can thank me later) in a keynote speech at ScienceOnline 2011, talked about some of the things he thinks make Radiolab popular and accessible, as they explore topics in depth in an engaging and delightful way.
Language: Even when the Radiolab hosts talk to scientists, they don’t use the word science, so they can reach people who think they don’t like science. In fact, they carefully do not use science names, instead using common words to describe things (he showed an example of a video of a virus infecting a cell, narrated with what he called “Sesame Street” words). He is very careful to ensure that his language does not get in the way of his audience’s understanding.
How does this translate to teaching? Consider the language you use, particularly when introducing a subject. There’s an old saying about explaining what you do to your grandmother, which captures a similar idea: make the subject accessible to people who do not have the specialized vocabulary. Similarly, in a class, consider the language you use.
Pacing: Radiolab aims to go slightly slower than their average listener, to give the audience the experience of making a discovery on their own. In education, how can students discover on their own? One way is to slow the pace. Another is to use active learning techniques to have students working out answers for themselves. One of the engaging features of Radiolab is listening to the hosts work out their understanding; this is different from how classes are often taught, where the instructor works on their own understanding in private, and delivers the material as a package to students. Instead, Radiolab shares the process of discovery and making connections. It’s a great model for teaching.
Carl Zimmer is a successful science writer who gracefully makes complex subjects interesting and approachable. In a blog post entitled “Death to Obfuscation“ he begins
Good science writing is some of the most interesting stuff on Earth to read. Bad science writing is the most painful. There are many things that determine whether a piece of science writing is good or bad, but I can sort them into four rough categories: words, sentences, paragraphs, and stories. Good science writing demands lots of care and inventiveness at all these scales.
His discussion of how to communicate ideas clearly, without words getting in the way, is aimed at science writers, but who wouldn’t benefit when we can communicate ideas clearly? What is education, if not communicating complex ideas to students? To get started, check out his list of banned words.
When preparing for a class, writing a syllabus or creating a presentation, think about the students. The words we use in our professional lives, at conferences, talking with our colleagues, may obscure meaning for the undergraduates who are meeting the subject for the first time.