Re: [tdf-discuss] UI proposal

Le 2010-10-29 11:14, RGB ES a écrit :
> If you only teach your students to use direct formatting, they will
> only use direct formatting afterwards: If you want to teach them how
> to properly use Writer, you need to teach them the correct use of
> styles since the beginning. I know, it is not easy, but it is more
> difficult to correct bad habits afterwards...
> BTW, tabs inside paragraph styles makes a lot more sense than tabs as
> formatting characters: when you know your paragraph style have, say,
> two tab stops at this and that position, it is not a surprise if the
> cursor jump "there" when you hit the tab key... after all, *you* set
> that position. But tab stops as direct formatting are IMO more
> difficult to explain because the same key will behave differently
> depending on where the cursor is: maybe the confusion comes from
> there.
> After all, *tab stops as direct formatting must be avoided on properly
> formatted documents* so why to spend time showing that problematic
> use? Because of "didactics"?
> I admit I'd never teach sorftware to a classroom (even if I maintain
> several guides and a book about Writer on Spanish), but I have more
> than 15 year of experience teaching physics and mathematics to all
> levels, from kids to university students, and my experience is that
> explaining difficult concepts "the easy way" with flashing "didactic
> resources" is always a bad practice: going "to the point" is more
> difficult, to the teacher non less than to the students, but it always
> gives better results on the long run.

I agree with teaching the students all about styling, however, in a 
typical Canadian classroom, at the primary level, there are 8 periods or 
instructional time per day and each instructional period last 40 
minutes. With the academic load (programmes) that we teach, as well as 
taking into account class size (approximately 25-30 students per class), 
with in-class integration of special needs students as well as a ration 
of 11:1 students/computer this may prove a little daunting. It would 
perhaps, in this case, be more realistic to teach students concepts in 
direct formatting in the early academic years and when the students 
understanding and patience permits it at a later stage of their academic 
years, styling could be broached.

It is more important to get the students to produce work than to spend 
time on styling when the students will not have enough understanding or 
patience to sit still for it.

Let's not forget that the function could be turned off/on by the user 
whenever wished.

Marc


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