Please enable JavaScript.

Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.

Make It Copy, CH4: Embrace Difficulties (How Effort Helps (during focused…

- - - - sleep seems to help memory consolidation
      - occurs over a period of time
    - - making connections to past experiences and to other knowledge already stored in long-term memory
  - - - as we recode and consolidate new material from short-term to long term memory, we must anchor it there securely
      - we must associate the material with a diverse set of cues that will make us adept at recalling the knowledge later
- - - - varying conditions
      - accumulate a vast library of mental models
  - - - this type of exposure strengthens the skills of discrimination
        
        the process of noticing particulars
      - and of induction
        
        (a turtle comes up for air but a fish doesn’t)—and of induction: surmising the general rule (fish can breathe in water)
- - - - what went well
      - what could have gone better
      - what might I need to learn for better mastery
      - what strategies might I use the next time to get better results
- - - - initial encoding - is held in short-term working memory
      - consolidation - reorganizes and stabilizes memory traces, gives them meaning, and makes connections to past experiences and to other knowledge already stored in long-term memory
      - retrieval - updates learning and enables you to apply it when you need it.
    - - on a store or prior knowledge
      - We interpret and remember events by building connections to what we already know
- - - - gray matter: neural cell bodies, white matter: the wiring
        
        frontal lobes perform the executive functions: high level reasoning, judgement, skills that are developed through experience
        
        increased practice builds greater myelin along the related pathways, improving the strength and speed of electrical signals, performance
- - - - expert performance is a product of the quantity and the quality of practice
        
        expert performance definitely entails self-discipline, grit, and persistence
        
        becoming expert is not beyond the reach of normally gifted people who have the motivation, time, and discipline to pursue it.
- - - - our success is less dependent on IQ, than on grit, curiosity, and persistence
      - that when you try hard and learn something new, the brain forms new connections, and these new connections, over time, make you smarter.
  - - - performance goals unconsciously limit your potential
      - you pick challenges you are confident you can meet
    - - you pick ever increasing challenges, you interpret setbacks as useful information
      - helps you sharpen your focus, get more creative, and work harder
- - - - imagery serves to contribute vividness and connective links to memory.
- - - - willingness to persevere
      - risk taking
  - - - more important the the mode of instruction match the nature of the subject being taught
- - - - lego
      - high structure-builders develop the skill to identify foundational concepts and their key building blocks and to sort new information based on whether it adds to the larger structure and one’s knowledge or is extraneous and can be put aside.
- - - - chords
      - scales
      - technique
      - reading music
      - you end up with a list of building blocks you can prioritize and start taking action on
- - - - memory can be distorted in many ways, it is a reconstruction
      - the narrative of memory becomes central to our intuitions regarding the judgments we make and the actions we take
      - every time we call up a memory, we make the mind's route to that memory stronger, this capacity to strengthen, expand, and modify memory is central to how we deepen our learning and broaden connections to what we know and what we can do
        
        the more you connect to what you already know, more associations you make to a memory, more mental cues you have through which to find and retrieve the memory later →
        
        this capacity expands our agency: our ability to take action and be effective in the world
    - - In this way, narrative and memory become one.
      - memories we organize meaningfully become those that are better remembered
  - - - accounts that sound familiar can create the feeling of knowing and can be mistaken as true
        
        a political message
      - hypothetical events that are imagined vividly can set themselves in the mind as firmly as actual events
    - - We cannot remember every aspect of an event, so we remember those elements that have greatest emotional significance for us
      - and we fill in the gaps with details of our own that are consistent with our narrative but may be wrong.
  - - - suggestion: an illusion which may arrive in the way a question is asked
    - - interference from other events can distort memory
    - - we only see representations we understand
    - - memory conformity
      - social contagion of memogy
      - false consensus effect: humans are predisposed to assume that others share their beliefs
    - - accounts that sound familiar
    - - humans are predisposed to assume that others share their beliefs
      - We generally fail to recognize the idiosyncratic nature of our personal understanding of the world and interpretation of events and that ours differ from others
- - - - reasons: people seldom receive negative feedback about their skills and abilities from others
        Unable to spot competence when they see it
    - - the least competent students were the most out of touch with their performance
- - - - how big is an interval? Enough so that practice doesn't become a mindless repetition
    - - it requires more effort
- - - - round two
        
        come back with a clean sheet of paper
        
        do the same thing
        
        don't worry about the first round → try to pull everything oot fresh
        
        you might start remembering the information in clusters
- - - - retrieving knowledge and earlier training from memory,
      - connecting these to new experiences
      - and visualizing and mentally rehearsing what you might do differently next time.
- - - - that repeated retrieval can so embed knowledge and skills that they become reflexive: the brain acts before the mind has time to think.
      - the greater effort required by the delayed recall solidified the memory better.
  - - - to be most effective, retrieval must be repeated again and again, in spaced out sessions
        
        so that the recall, rather than becoming a mindless recitation, requires some cognitive effort.
      - Effortful retrieval makes for longer learning and retention
      - repeated retrieval can so embed knowledge and skills that they become reflexive: the brain acts before the mind has time to think.
- - - - and that it improves one’s ability to retain and retrieve material that is related but not tested.
- - - - intent
      - the castle
      - the flow
      - the hearts' will
  - - - e.g. read the intro, move to the next high level topic, then to the next → until you have a rough idea of most of the concepts
        
        requires low mental effort
        
        this creates familiarity
        
        as you index these topics in your mind → take notes ** try to relate these topics to your own project
      - the goal isn't to become an expert, but to spark enough curiosity in the area that makes it interesting to you
    - - as you index the topics in your mind → take notes
        
        as you do this for more and more topics you start to form a mental map of how things fit together → hit the aha moments
        
        this is where you get the overall picture of how learning one of these topics can benefit you → payoff
      - try to imagine applying some of these concepts to your own project
        
        this makes the topics relatable
- - - - browse through engineering blogs to learn aboot other approaches to replication
      - watch engineering talks by industry experts
      - talk to your peers
- - - - spaced practice
      - interleaved practice
      - contextual variation
      - testing
      - why do these methods work → they are based on retrieval
- - - - not the most actionable study plan
    - - who: what role do you want chatGPT to play
      - what: what exactly do you want to learn
      - when: what is your timeline
      - where: where do you want to learn, do you have preferences
      - why: what is your goal for learning python
  - - - the plan is great → but it doesn't give you information about how to use the study plan most optimally
    - - you approach learning in layers
      - e.g. after your first subject → instead of moving on, apply the things that you learned and create a project oot of it
      - people keep on learning → they never actually use the things they learn
      - coding is APPLIED, if you don't apply it, you never learn it properly
      - after you complete the project, you can start iterating on this → there is an iterative learning cycle
- - - - retrieve → use the information : NOW
      - build the project
    - - actively, obsessively → try to take action
      - try to build something with IT
- - - - understand the big picture
      - understand the foundations
      - the why, the how → the architect of the AI
- - - - Rereading has three strikes against it. It is time consuming. It doesn’t result in durable memory. And it often involves a kind of unwitting self-deception, as growing familiarity with the text comes to feel like mastery of the content
      - Rereading is not very effective
        Retrieval practice is more effective
        
        flashcards
  - - - Testing helps calibrate our judgments of what we’ve learned.
        
        omg
        
        is the power of active retrieval—testing—to strengthen memory, and that the more effortful the retrieval, the stronger the benefit.
        
        One, it tells you what you know and don’t know
        
        Two, recalling what you have learned causes your brain to reconsolidate the memory
        
        which strengthens its connections to what you already know and makes it easier for you to recall in the future.
        
        research indicates that testing, compared to rereading, can facilitate better transfer of knowledge to new contexts and problems
      - while he was reading, had he thought of converting the main points of the text into a series of questions and then later tried to answer them while he was studying?
      - Had he at least rephrased the main ideas in his own words as he read?
      - Had he tried to relate them to what he already knew?
      - Had he looked for examples outside the text?
      - Had he used the set of key concepts in the back of each chapter to test himself?
  - - - Learning is stronger when it MATTERS
        When the abstract is made personal and concrete.
        
        where more cognitive effort is required for retrieval, greater retention results.
      - when learning is hard, you are doing your most important work
        
        making mistakes and correcting them building the bridges to advanced learning
  - - - even when errors are made in the attempt.
  - - - And the more ways you give that story meaning, say by connecting it to your understanding of human ambition and the untidiness of fate, the better the story stays with you.
  - - - Understanding that this is so enables you to see failure as a badge of effort and a source of useful information—the need to dig deeper or to try a different strategy.
- - - - one cannot apply what one knows in a practical manner if one does not know anything to apply
      - for without knowledge you don’t have the foundation for the higher-level skills of analysis, synthesis, and creative problem solving.
- - - - indexing
        
        gather as many resources as you can (books, articles, tutorials)
        
        goal is not to retain anything or go in depth about anything → the goal is to index the topics in your brain, learn about the topics that exist in this world of ... python, chat, etc.
        
        you are also separate the good resources from the bad ones
        
        please refrain from following the tutorial ... what
        
        at the end of this phase, you will have a good understanding of the topics you intend to learn, the order of importance in which you need to learn → a surface level understanding
        
        watch → learn what topics exist in the tutorial, what is covered, take some basic notes
        
        most importantly → you will have a good set of resources to rely on
      - retaining
        
        this phase → try to retain as much information possible about what you are learning
        
        go into much more depth about the topics you are reading about
        
        use a technique → space repetition
        
        helps you permanently retain the information
        
        this is where you would RUN through the tutorial
        
        keep repeating in space intervals
        
        after this phase, you should feel comfortable about implementing or practicing what you have learned
      - referencing
        
        it is inevitable that you will forget some skillz
        
        since you have spent so much time curating the resources, and going over them → you will know exactly where to reference that material from
        
        because this is the third, forth, or fifth time you are reviewing the information, you will pick it up extremely quickly
      - e.g. designing scalable systems
- - - - two type of learners
        
        a means to an end → to get something done
        
        the hesitant or confused
        
        this does not serve you in the long run!
      - LEARN new skills to fuel your curiosity, ask deeper questions, ask the why and how
      - stop saying I CAN'T because I don't know how → choice words: YOU ARE CHOOSING TO FAIL, before the attempt
        
        INSTEAD → I WONDER HOW THINGS ARE DONE → you are CHOOSING CURIOSITY
- - - - learning the easy concept first → became the prior knowledge
      - collect concepts that are easy ... yes
      - MOVE THE PAINTBRUSH FORWARD
  - - - visually
- - - - belief → motivation is required to take action
      - ACTION is the POWER
        
        if you persevere, you being to make progress
        
        → this is what builds motivation
      - actuality → taking action that creates and reinforces motivation
  - - - why am I getting these questions wrong
      - why is the learning taking more time than i thought
      - a planning fallacy
- - - - how does this idea relate to something I know?
      - how could I use this idea somewhere else?
      - what happens to this idea under a different set of conditions?
- - - - the computer is never wrong
- - - - → pick a full stack project a.k.a. JS
      - some consideration HERE ;-)
- - - - "Retrieval Practice" means self-quizzing, should be a primary study strategy
        
        set aside a little time every week to quiz yourself, check your answers
        
        retrieval practice is better than rereading
        
        quizzing provides a reliable measure of what you've learned what what you haven't yet mastered
        
        can feel awkward and frustrating >> every time you work hard to recall a memory, you actually strengthen it
      - when you read a text or study lecture notes, pause periodically to ask yourself questions like these
        
        What are the key ideas?
        
        How would I define them?
        
        How the the ideas relate to what I already know?
    - - studying information more than once but leaving considerable time between practice sessions
      - establish a schedule of self-quizzing that allows time to elapse between study sessions
        
        can interleave the study between two or more topics
      - lots of practice works, only if it is spaced
        
        massed practice feels more productive than spaced; but it is not
    - - study more than one type at a time
      - alternate between different problems that require different solutions
      - change it up: mix in the practice of other subjects, other skills, constantly challenging your ability to recognize the problem type and solution
  - - - the process of finding additional layers of meaning in new material
      - relating the material to what you already know, explaining it to somebody else in your own words, how it relates to life outside
    - - an attempt to answer a question or solve a problem before being shown the answer
      - experimental, trial and error
    - - the act of taking a few minutes to review what has been learned in a recent class or experience and asking yourself questions
      - what went well? what could have gone better? what might you need to learn for better mastery? what could have gotten better results?
    - - everyone is subject to a host of cognitive illusions; mistaking fluency of a text with mastery
      - using an objective instrument to clear way of illusions, adjust your judgement to better reflect reality
- - - - retrieval practice, spacing, interleaving, generation, and elaboratino