Learning to Learn

Until the machines take over, you need to be able to learn new things. There are always new things to learn and most crafts and skills are moving fast. So being an autodidact needs to be a part of your repertoire.

There are a ton of good resources on this, so I am not sure if I am bringing much to the party, but I am going to share what has helped for me. I think, like the rest of this quest, you will have to find your way to what works for you.

Find multiple sources

You are looking for someone to it explain it in a way that makes sense for you. We learn by attaching it to something already in our head. I typically try to find a few sources for anything I am learning. Some materials just suck or show expert bias in what they are teaching by omitting a bunch of things. They have already chunked and grokked many aspects and are not always good at reversing that to make a path for you to learn it.

I find this for picking up things like math. Most sources jump into it without giving any context on what and why we are doing something.

Like when you are learning Calculus and someone just drops "instantaneous rate of change". If I freeze time how can there be a rate of change, everything is frozen? This is often assumed that you just know that is a Platonic idea, in reality though we are measuring changes but just at tiny increments. Finding better resources can help remove unnecessary confusion like that. This is a sort of declarative definition and not procedural.

In declarative, you are given what the output should be, in procedural you are given the steps to see how an output is achieved. For me at least, it is helpful to have things that are explained in a more procedural way. Oh, the rate of change is actually a calculation of very, small increments. At the end of the day, something has to actually calculate a value, well, how does it do that? ¹

System 1/2 thinking

There is an idea system 1 and system 2 thinking, which comes from the research Daniel Kahneman.

The basic idea is that there are things that you can remember or train your brain to do quickly and automatically. Remembering the capital of France or tying your shoes. Then there are things that no matter what, will take time to think through. A new calculus problem, for example. Even though it may be similar to other problems you have done, given that there is some variation you have to spend time and work it out.

We are going to use this to break down techniques and tools to help learn things.

For system 2 quizes and projects.

This is why often the problems in the book are straightforward, you remember a few steps and boom good. Then on the quiz it is a system 2 problems where you have to figure out how to unpack the problem to apply the steps.

Flash Cards/Spaced Repetition

This is great for quick things you want to remember, things where you are trying to build up that system 1 recall. There are many flash card apps and most use a system called Space Repetition that uses an algorithm to figure out the optimal time for you to review to etch it into your long-term memory.

Quiz

Flash cards are great for remembering things, they are not that great for system 2 problems where you need to work out a longer problem. There is a reason why the quiz hasn't gone away. It is still a useful tool to find your gaps in knowledge and practice system 2 works.

Projects

Each level below focuses on a small and manageable part of what you are learning. A project forces you to pull it all together and another place where you can find gaps in your knowledge.

A quiz is often highlighting an aspect that is not explicit clear. That is why exams often suck because you get a list of straightforward questions, but the exam asks you to synthesize the topic at a deeper level.

A project can act the same way.

We are trying to find gaps and synthesize techniques.

Build your tools

What I cannot create, I do not understand - Richard Feynman https://www.quora.com/What-did-Richard-Feynman-mean-when-he-said-What-I-cannot-create-I-do-not-understand

Pick one thing, make it small

This is a good challenge to better understand the tools you use and also deepen your knowledge of what they are trying to do.

There are often tools or techniques that don't have good hand holds and difficult to build mental models of them. One of those in programming, at least for me, is Regex's. They are really complicated, and I don't use them enough. If I was going to truly try and learn them, then I would do it by trying to build a Regex parser, albeit a minimal one. You can limit the scope quite a bit so it is not overwhelming and not achievable in a reasonable time frame. Through the process, you will be forced to see many of the reasons things are the way they are.

For programming, it could be writing a Regex parser, or a small DB, or if you are learning SQL, just the SQL Parser.

For cooking, maybe it is learning to make all the staple things you use mayo, stock, hot sauce.

For Photography, make a pin whole camera.

Teach

In medicine there is a teaching method of “See one, do one, teach one”.

Often we learn things, but we haven't really grokked it or understood the edges. Trying to teach something will immediately expose the gaps in your knowledge.

You will probably find that there are parts you just can't describe, and things will fall apart when you get a few questions.

Write

Same thing with writing. If you don't want to teach or want to practice beforehand, try writing out the thing. This will force you in the same way as teaching to fill in the gaps that your brain has just jumped over.

Lessons

It may not always be possible, but if you can get lessons, go for it. There are many resources now in various areas where you can find a tutor.

I haven't tried this yet but heard a tip about hiring grad students. They need cash, you need a good teacher, could be a good match.

References