The best way to learn

Gavin — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:00:10 +0000

The best way to learn is to do. When you learn from someone else, you can get a good overview, but the details are missing. Learning on the job provides a better sense of the “feel” of something. That intuitive touch that experts have.

When I first learned to cook, I measured out everything to the gram, but now I shun measurements and timing for almost everything. (I still can’t get the knack of baking.) What I’ve got now is not arrogance, but a set of internal guides or heuristics that have come into place without me really codifying them. I know how much is too much and how much is not enough.

It’s like that joke about the difference between theory and practice. In theory there’s no difference, in practice there is.

Most problems are knowledge problems

Gavin — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 17:00:16 +0000

Starting something new can feel daunting, but most problems of learning are knowledge problems. We feel unconfident because of the unfamiliar, because of what we do not know.

If you’re worried about something you don’t know anything about, learn about it.

If you can’t learn about it, it’s probably not worth worrying about.

Whale Speak » learning

The best way to learn

Most problems are knowledge problems