science

Teaching to See

Teaching to See is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Teaching to See rather than just read about it. In short: Teaching to See is a 2012 educational documentary film about graphic design and the work of designer Inge Druckrey, and some of her students and colleagues. Directed by Andrei Severny and produced by Edward Tufte, it was released in July 2012 and was screened in New York, Boston, Phoenix, Toronto, Reykjavík, Philadelphia, Stanford, and New Haven.

Key takeaways

Teaching to See belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Teaching to See to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Teaching to See from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Teaching to See is a 2012 educational documentary film about graphic design and the work of designer Inge Druckrey, and some of her students and colleagues. Directed by Andrei Severny and produced by Edward Tufte, it was released in July 2012 and was screened in New York, Boston, Phoenix, Toronto, Reykjavík, Philadelphia, Stanford, and New Haven. The film covers various topics and principles, including graphic design, typography, composition, form and visual arts education.

Interviewees Inge Druckrey Kris Holmes Ken Carbone Chris Myers Nancy Mayer Nora Hillman Goeler

Critical reception In 2012 Matthew Carter wrote about the film: "This film is about patient and dedicated teaching, about learning to look and visualize in order to design, about the importance of drawing. There are simple phrases that give insights into complex matters, for example that letterforms are 'memories of motion'." FastCompany writer Kyle Vanhemert claimed "the film opens the eyes to the design details around you." In her article "Learn to See Like an Artist" at Lifehacker Melanie Pinola called it a "beautifully made film." She wrote "Whether you're an aspiring artist or not, the video can teach you how to really look, notice and appreciate design details, and become more critical and curious in the process." Sean Blanda at Behance 99U wrote "watch the first five minutes and you’ll be hooked."

References

Further reading "Perceiving Deeply", review of the documentary Teaching to See by Jan Almquist at Design Observer (July 2014) Cookson, Clive (July 26, 2013). "Edward Tufte". The Financial Times. Retrieved July 28, 2013.

External links Official website Teaching to See at IMDb

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Teaching to See

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Teaching to See claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Teaching to See before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Teaching to See ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Teaching to See

In research: Teaching to See appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Teaching to See in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Teaching to See is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2012 American films, 2012 English-language films, 2012 documentary films, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Teaching to See outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Teaching to See in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Teaching to See means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Teaching to See out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Teaching to See in simple terms?

Why does Teaching to See matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Teaching to See?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Teaching to See.