It kind of reminds me of my job as a Reference Librarian at the college. Much of my time is spent answering questions, most of which have been asked hundreds of times before (sometimes by the same person
) I could easily dismiss the students by immediately showing them one of our printed handouts on using the library or referring them to the online tutorial/information page found on our website. Without saying two words, I'd be done with them and they could figure it out for themselves. Of course, if they don't get it thereafter, they either give up and go elsewhere -- or come back and ask again -- this time with exasperation...
However, a better model of information exchange, I believe, is to have them ask the first question, me to interpret their individual need, sometimes ask some clarification questions, maybe share an experience or two that will help them understand things. Through this communication, they have a much greater chance of getting the information they need. It's the process of human interaction that makes learning something larger than the sum of all its parts (or something like that!)
