Studying in Depth. 1. Aspects of Learning

Setting the standard:Medical Education's first 50 years

“…In 1967, for example, Wall wrote:

‘In most matters of practical importance in education, we have little to go on in the way of hard fact, tested theory, or even reasonably objectively evaluated experience. The most significant of our educational practices are based upon little more than rule of thumb, illuminated occasionally by some crashing mistakes, but most often “confirmed” by the general tendency of human beings to learn in spite of their teachers.’

…”

The Dissertation of the Academic Diploma in Psychological Medicine (University of London)

“…He may then contribute in a small way to the widening of these boundaries. Wall (1967) argues convincingly that there occurs a transfer of the experience thus acquired to other problems and spheres of knowledge. In keeping with these conclusions the majority of Diploma candidates said that preparing a dissertation had helped them to evaluate the literature more critically and had made them aware of areas of ignorance and uncertainty in psychiatry.…”

The more things stay the same, the more they change

“…In the first volume of this journal, Wall stated:

‘In most matters of practical importance in education, we have little to go on in the way of hard fact, tested theory, or even reasonably objectively evaluated experience. The most significant of our educational practices are based upon little more than rule of thumb, illuminated occasionally by some crashing mistakes, but most often ‘confirmed’ by the general tendency of human beings to learn in spite of their teachers.’

…”