Sgian Dubh
Mark, I have read all the posts in the thread up to this point, and those beyond.

I still think you are wrong. I think you could present a vast amount of essential and basic information information to a woodworking beginner in a short space of time. The fact that the information is presented to a learner doesn't mean he or she remembers it, understands it, can put it into context, nor be able to understand the link between one piece of information or skill and others.

Learning just doesn't happen quickly, nor does developing skill. There's a big difference between superficial learning and deeply embedded learning. You mention timber technology and wood as being essential to learning. I agree, but I can present key essential information about wood to a learner in a short time. The problem is that learners can't take it in fast enough, memorise it, contextualise it, and be able to effectively use that information.

I think a reasonable analogy would be taking a raw and unfit beginner and saying to him something like, "By the end of this month's planned training and fitness regime you'll become a decent quality rugby player". It's too short a time for that raw recruit to develop the necessary fitness, knowledge, and understanding of the game's laws, techniques and skills, eg, everything from passing the ball, drop kicking, scrummaging, loose play, back play, offside, penalties, etc. True, there would be improvements in fitness and gains in knowledge and basic skills, etc, but there would still be much to work on before you could say that rugby player has got all the basics in place to go on and develop high level skill and understanding of the game. Slainte.