Thread by @susandamussen, Lawrence Stone once remarked that you *could* argue that education had not [...]

Dr & Prof Amussen hates patriarchy

susandamussen

Lawrence Stone once remarked that you *could* argue that education had not caught up with the printing press: the lecture (a mode at which he excelled) was no longer necessary if you could just read the books. Like so much Stone, it was an argument. #twitterstorians /1

Though Stone& #39;s lectures were highlights versions of his books, he showed us how he got there, helping us learn to think. When I lecture, I draw on more books and articles than I& #39;d assign.
I& #39;ve been thinking about this as I plan how to teach remotely in the fall. /2

The printing press allowed students to read books at home. The internet gives access to podcasts, youtube videos, etc. But the important part of teaching history is not the facts; that& #39;s easy. It& #39;s what they mean, how they fit with other facts. /3

The printing press didn& #39;t render the lecture obsolete, it changed its purpose. It was no longer the recitation of the classic texts, but became interpretive. When I "lecture", it& #39;s a demonstration of how I think through X historical issue./ 4

It& #39;s not the whole class- it& #39;s usually a 5-10 minute discourse/dialogue. I can figure out many ways to do lots of the work I do in the classroom asynchronously & remotely. But not this. It& #39;s in the moment, with students, and changes each time I teach. /5

I know you can construct a good online course; we& #39;re not doing that, though; we& #39;re adapting a f2f course temporarily for remote instruction.
It& #39;s the teaching that& #39;s *not* rendered irrelevant by the printing press or the internet that is what I care about. /end

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