The comparisons to learning math really hit home for me here. I loved math as a kid and was good at it for a while. I think I enjoyed it, even when it became harder. Reading your essay, I see where I started to lose excitement for it and I believe it is when I was learning foundational pieces that I didn't have context for thus the payoff came way later in the semester. Great read Josh!
I'm definitely more of a hacker. Often times when learning in an academic environment I feel like the pace is so slow, whereas I can cover 2-3 subjects in the time it would take me to finish 1 class in school, and I get the instant gratification of solving a problem in real-time.
I also find it especially hard to learn from others, as I have a much different learning style than most. If I take notes I never find them useful, and if it is important I will remember it anyways so it feels like a waste of time. Being fully engaged in listening requires that your language processor be focused on listening. Writing uses the same part of your brain as listening so you can only do one or the other effectively.
Now, on the subject of video content, I would say it depends on the video. If it is a scholastic video intended to cover a specific subject without any back and forth, then I would agree.
Where I would disagree, is when you can have two professionals going back and forth, asking questions of each-other and filling in the gaps that a normal "lesson" would leave out. I find that a dialogue between two experts is more revealing than anything one professor could squeeze into a linear lesson plan.
The comparisons to learning math really hit home for me here. I loved math as a kid and was good at it for a while. I think I enjoyed it, even when it became harder. Reading your essay, I see where I started to lose excitement for it and I believe it is when I was learning foundational pieces that I didn't have context for thus the payoff came way later in the semester. Great read Josh!
I'm definitely more of a hacker. Often times when learning in an academic environment I feel like the pace is so slow, whereas I can cover 2-3 subjects in the time it would take me to finish 1 class in school, and I get the instant gratification of solving a problem in real-time.
I also find it especially hard to learn from others, as I have a much different learning style than most. If I take notes I never find them useful, and if it is important I will remember it anyways so it feels like a waste of time. Being fully engaged in listening requires that your language processor be focused on listening. Writing uses the same part of your brain as listening so you can only do one or the other effectively.
Now, on the subject of video content, I would say it depends on the video. If it is a scholastic video intended to cover a specific subject without any back and forth, then I would agree.
Where I would disagree, is when you can have two professionals going back and forth, asking questions of each-other and filling in the gaps that a normal "lesson" would leave out. I find that a dialogue between two experts is more revealing than anything one professor could squeeze into a linear lesson plan.
Great article.