Learning from television

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Bates, AW. (1987) Learning from Television, chapter sixteen of the book Open Learning for Adults ed. Thorpe and Grugeon (1987), Longman.
Keywords: Bates, television, distribution, utilization, production, presentation, interaction
In this chapter Bates, analyses the educational potential of television, its characteristics and uses. To its study, he identifies three main parameters: distribution, utilization and production. He gives two presentational characteristics of television, and discusses the possibility of using existing material, after defining your needs.
Useful quotes

• Once recorded onto cassette or disc, though, television can be used quite differently from viewing a broadcast. The cassette or disc can be stopped, some parts can e selected for use (…) and the same television material can be used as many times as required. P164
• Computer control can be added to either a cassette or disc, so that the student is guided to work through different parts of the television material. P164
• …one major difference is whether television is being used primarily to distribute illustrated classroom lectures to a wider audience, or whether it is being used deliberately to exploit the unique visual characteristics of television. In the relayed classroom lecture the emphasis is not so much on the unique presentational characteristics of television (…), but more on its distributional characteristics. P164
• Television material may be made in short independent segments with clear stopping points and explicit directions for activities or questions for discussion. P165
• Programmes may be either completely pre-recorded or include a live element, including feedback or questioning form students, or exchange of materials from different sites. P165
• Two main presentational characteristics
• The first is television’s ability to bring to open learning students material not otherwise available, such as experiments requiring expensive laboratory equipment, case-study material of social and technological events, field-visits, dynamic presentation of ideas through animation and graphics. P166
• The second is television’s ability to help the learning process in unique ways. Television can provide concrete examples or models of abstract principles (…), and through the combination of picture (usually providing the example) and commentary, relate example to principle. In other words, for many students there are often times when words are not enough; they need to be able to see to understand. P166
• One practical problem of preparing special print support material is co-ordinating the production of the print with the television material P167
• Making your own television materials for an open learning package is never going to be a cheap option. P169
• Distribution. In most cases, open material will best be distributed on cassette. In 1986 approximately 50% of all homes in Britain had a VCR. P171
• What they learn, and how effectively, depends on how the programmes are designed. P171
• …content may be learned just as well through television as through print… However media differ in the kinds of learning they encourage. Thus in general, print is best for teaching In a condensed way, dealing with abstract principles, where knowledge of detailed is clearly defined. Television, on the other hand, is much better for dealing with complex or ambiguous situation, for providing concrete examples to illustrate abstract ideas or principles, and for encouraging students to make their own interpretations and to apply what they have learned in an abstract way to new situations. P171
• TV is much more valuable for providing deeper understanding and for developing skills of analysis and application of ideas presented through other media, particularly print. If the programme is designed to give concrete examples of abstract ideas, it is necessary to make the relationship explicit. P172
• There is evidence (Bates and Gallagher 1987) that students need help and guidance to use television, particularly where comprehension is not the main purpose. Most students approach television as if it were a lecture, unless the programme is made in such a way as to encourage them to question and analyse what is being presented to them. This may mean building in stopping points for discussion, direct questions on the commentary, replaying sequences with different interpretation, etc. P172

Questions he asks

• What can it do that can’t be done by other methods such as print of face-to-face tutorials?

Alberto Ramirez Martinell