Also, the audience in a lecture can (at least sometimes) give immediate feedback if they don’t understand something, compelling the lecturer to explain in more detail.
Good point. It’s certainly easier to quickly get feedback during a lecture. If academic writers really wanted to communicate understanding as much as [great] lecturers do, for this and other reasons it would certainly be more difficult to do so than it would during repeated lectures. I’m just skeptical that the desire is actually there to anywhere near the same degree though.
And it’s not just a matter of different media. Consider a brilliant young researcher giving a seminar (i.e., spoken medium) on her research. Does she optimize for understanding or for making the strongest impression and convincing her peers that her research is important and original?
I agree and it depends on the lecturer, of course. Experienced lecturers seem to be more auditory oriented than aspiring ones.
There’s also the pace of the learning to be considered: one sets his/her own pace when learning by text as opposed to speed and tempo chosen and changed by lecturer.
I think that a combination of both is the most effective way.
Also, the audience in a lecture can (at least sometimes) give immediate feedback if they don’t understand something, compelling the lecturer to explain in more detail.
Good point. It’s certainly easier to quickly get feedback during a lecture. If academic writers really wanted to communicate understanding as much as [great] lecturers do, for this and other reasons it would certainly be more difficult to do so than it would during repeated lectures. I’m just skeptical that the desire is actually there to anywhere near the same degree though.
And it’s not just a matter of different media. Consider a brilliant young researcher giving a seminar (i.e., spoken medium) on her research. Does she optimize for understanding or for making the strongest impression and convincing her peers that her research is important and original?
I agree and it depends on the lecturer, of course. Experienced lecturers seem to be more auditory oriented than aspiring ones.
There’s also the pace of the learning to be considered: one sets his/her own pace when learning by text as opposed to speed and tempo chosen and changed by lecturer.
I think that a combination of both is the most effective way.