What's the Point?: The Elusive Focus

Oblio's paradoxical story

WHY A STORY

Trends toward integrated curricula and resource-based learning encourage complex information based research projects in schools. At their best such information rich projects offer true individualized learning. To get the most from these projects, students must do more than spout back facts or answer questions at the end of the chapter. They must read widely from a variety of sources, think about the information encountered, then ideally formulate a focus, a personal perspective or point of view about a narrowed topic. This focus is often elusive and evasive, because everyone's project is about something different from everyone else's, and because there is no common shared learning outcome for the class as a whole, except to internalize the process itself.

Hence each student's experience during the process is complex, unique and difficult. Similarly, the common experience of students during focus formulation is complex. There is meaning in story, the power of which is familiar to school library media specialists even if this particular story is not. In this paradoxical tale, Oblio, who was born without a point, found his point, and turned out to be the most pointed of all.

long ago and far away there was the Land of Point

Oblio's story begins in the Land of Point, where everyone has a point on the top of their heads, everyone except Oblio, who was born with a mysterious and unusual round head to a pair of perfectly-pointed parents. His mother knits him a pointed cap to wear to conceal his pointless condition. His dog Arrow, who is pointed like all dogs in the Land of Point, is his best friend. Despite his different appearance, he is a happy, inquisitive child. As time goes on, he learns to play triangle toss with the other children, which is the favorite pastime in the Land of Point.

While the other children use the points on the top of their heads to catch the triangle, Oblio works as a team with Arrow on his shoulders. Oblio and Arrow eventually become good enough to beat the son of the evil count.

The count is so outraged by his son's defeat that he has the King banish the pair to the Pointless Forest, a frightening place where nothing has a point.

During their exile Oblio and Arrow have many adventures, both delightful and frightening ones, and meet many interesting characters, who offer their perspectives to the banished pair.

• The Leaf Man cautions that "you don't get answers in this world unless you ask questions." The Leaf Man works very hard purposefully producing leaves.
• The Point Sisters' dance and frolic. Their point is fun and merriment.
• The Pointed Man has a point in every direction. He shows Oblio that " a point in every direction is the same as no point at all."
• The Rock Man tells Oblio that "you see what you want to see and you hear what you want to hear."

To make a long and delightful story short, Oblio discovers that the forest, like the characters he has met there, isn't pointless at all. The leaves on all the trees have points, for instance, and the most pointless object he finds, a giant egg, hatches a most pointed young pterodactyl. He learns that since everything in the forest has a point, then he must have one too. He finds his way home, triumphant with this newly formed knowledge. It is clear at last to all in the kingdom that "he's got a point there!"

"he's got a point there!"

Oblio's experience exaggerates and illustrates that of adolescents trying to formulate a focus as they struggle with the ambiguity inherent in information rich projects. They are given an assignment, told to write a paper or produce a multimedia presentation, and then turned loose to wander their own pointless forests. They often feel anxious, and somewhat banished. The process is like a journey in that it takes place over time and includes encounters with many sources of information.

But there is no marked path, and no common destination point. Only half will formulate a clear focus like a thesis statement. A focus is formed or constructed from their information exploration and experience (although it may reflect the knowledge and opinions of others). The less clearly focused others may, however, find their points as well just by exploring the information. A point may seem to appear in an "aha" moment, or be more slowly emergent, like a path worn in the grass. There are many pitfalls and opportunities along the way, but the journey itself is often the point.

Oblio's story is summarized from the The Point. It is available in videocassette version of  The Point  by Harry Nillson (NY, 1971). The original 33rpm album by that name was released in 1970 by Dunbar Music, Inc. The drawings accompanying the album were done by Gary Lund. The original recording is out of print.

Another version of the story (and order information for the videocassette) may be found on Oblio's unofficial home page.