Commentary on The Nürnberg Funnel

ABSTRACT

The frontispiece of this book shows a plump, happy faced youth dressed in the clothes of several hundred years ago with a funnel sticking out of the top of his head. Two teachers are industriously pouring large amounts of liquid knowledge into his head. This is the Nürnberg Funnel. It was supposed to "makes people wise quickly." But the author of this book says, "There is not and never was a Nürnberg Funnel." (p. 102) "Nevertheless the need to make people wise very quickly is often overwhelming. And in trying to make instruction efficient, designers have frequently lapsed into trying to pour information into the learner's head.

REFERENCES

• 1: Robert E. Horn, Mapping hypertext, The Lexington Institute of Hospitality Careers, Chicago, IL, 1989
• 2: Pask, G. (1976) <i>Conversation Theory</i>, Amsterdam, Elsevier.