Learning to See vs Learning to Understand. Why is Teaching Digital Archaeology so Difficult?

CAA 2019 Kraków
(Grzegorz Kiarszys)
Abstract: Modern remote sensing techniques and archaeological geophysics have amazing potential. Reading and understanding of digital data visualizations seems to be very straightforward, probably due to widespread use of some popular computer applications like Google Earth, open source GiS and Geoportals. Aerial photographs and 3D visualizations became a kind of common language. However, focusing only on teaching practical skills may not be enough. Interpretation of obtained results of applied methods requires different skills, than processing digital data. It involves cognitive processes and critical approach. How to connect those two completely different realities - digital records and archaeological theories? The 18th century Irish philosopher George Berkeley noticed that we do not perceive with our sight anything more than light, colours and shapes. Access to the material world leads through our senses. Therefore we can only reach its materiality indirectly, through ideas. Pure perception is not enough to gain anunderstanding of the phenomena we observe. We need to refer to the preliminary knowledge through which we name and recognize things we are involved with. Without this knowledge the world would forfeit its reason. Similar circumstances occurs when we attempt to interpret archaeological record. Learning to see is relatively simple, learning to understand requires both expertise and critical thinking.

Видео Learning to See vs Learning to Understand. Why is Teaching Digital Archaeology so Difficult? канала Katedra Archeologii Uniwersytetu Szczecińskiego