[Benja]

I've started to notice that when something is presented beautifully, I learn it so much better. It happens in all different kinds of ways, be it a beautifully designed textbook, a flawlessly performed lecture, a well set-up experiment, elegant writing on a chalkboard, or the robust sound of someones voice, and it seems like this aspect of learning is overlooked. I had some amazing professors whilst at engineering school, and everyone of them that I really liked, had this quality to their teaching, a kind of beauty in their presentation.

I'm not sure why exactly this matters so much to me when learning, but I think part of it is that this beauty itself draws me in and keeps my attention. It makes me want to focus on the information, copy it down, and be one with it. I don't know, it's so strange, but it definitely effects me a lot. For example, when I was lucky enough to be in a classroom with a chalkboard, whiteboards are terrible, and had one of these professors, they would walk up to it and pour out beautifully drawn words and figures, entrancing me. Then they would pause, reorient my attention, and project the ideas into my head with their mouths, not merely chit-chat and blab on and on. Same with textbooks, each page of a great textbook is like a work of art, I want to read it, to study it, to investigate its message.

I wish people would focus on this more when they have to teach people, to be more detail oriented and provide a quality job, so many lectures and textbooks nowadays are just seemingly mass produced, with little to no time put in to really make them excellent.

Thoughts/Feelings?

 

[firedell]

Not really. I'd be swayed to read it more though.

 

[Kito]

No, because then I'd keep getting distracted by the aesthetics. Also, what firedell said. I'd prefer it to just plain text though (textbooks without pictures are the epitome of boring).

 

[dilletante]

I think I would enjoy it more, but I don't know if I would actually get more out of it. I've always done better with alternative structures to the lecture/question model with a large group. For me, that spells sleepytime no matter how interested I am.

 

[Inguz]

I do think it may actually. Coming to think of it, Swedish version of the harry Potter series is simply awesome aesthetically. To begin with the cover feels more magical, the font and some detail on the cover is in shiny silver, and secondly the font inside the book looks amazing, and pages are printed with (black) stars and all kinds stuff in the margin. It sure made me want to read the book. Looking at the English cover I'm face-palming inside.

 

[Benja]

@firedell So you don't think you would get more out of something if you read it more?

@Kitzara I agree that it might get distracting, but I still think I would learn more. If something is boring and ugly I just mentally check out and daydream or doodle.

@dilletante I agree that lectures aren't very effective, but wouldn't a beautifully performed one help you learn more than a non-aesthetically appealing, look at info-laden powerpoint slides kind of one?

 

[firedell]

Doesn't mean that I will take it in. XD I'm a auditory learner, reading or looking at pretty things doesn't really do anything for me, when it comes to learning.

 

[Riy]

It's more pleasing to the eye but to keep me interested it has to be fun.

 

[Inveniet]

No I learn better if information is presented more sensible.

 

[Niji]

If something I shall learn touches me emotionally (in a good way) I tend to learn it faster and better.
It doesn't have to be that the books looks beautiful or the teachers writing (and so on) but also if the person who teach me the subject feels passionatly about it. If the person does that passion seems to infect me too.

 

[pretyhowtown]

Aesthetics can be somewhat distracting for me. However, when reading transcendental poetry, for instance, sometimes having an beautiful image next to the poem can enhance the feeling I get from the poem. I think if the subject is beautiful (to me) in some way, it should be presented beautifully to do it justice.