We will be discussing learning for this month’s discussion meetup.
Given that most of us who are on this email list are the kinds of people who will read scientific papers for fun and take time out of our weekend afternoons to discuss them, we should probably think about whether or not we are actually learning anything from the reading that we do.
Additionally, many of us have dilettante-level interest in a variety of technical fields, and we would benefit from seriously engaging with things like text books and “exercises left for the reader.” And, surprisingly (or not?), a lot of us hated school and formal education.
So, what’s an autodidact to do to actually learn hard stuff on their own?
This month, we will discuss some work by Andy Matuschak, the former head of R&D at Khan Academy, supplemented by a journal article on direct instruction.
READINGS/BACKGROUND
Video: “Studying with Dwarkesh Patel – Intro to Quantum Mechanics” from Andy Matuschak
•Even if you don’t watch the whole thing, the first 20-30 minutes where they are going through the first page of the chapter is probably sufficient
“Why Books Don’t Work” from Andy Matuschak
“Why Minimal Guidance During Instruction Does Not Work: An Analysis of the Failure of Constructivist, Discovery, Problem-Based, Experiential, and Inquiry-Based Teaching” from Educational Psychologist
DATE & LOCATION
Date: Saturday, 8/5 @ 2pm–4:30pm (roughly)
Location: South Loop Strength & Conditioning – upstairs in the mezzanine
645 S Clark
Chicago IL 60605
Note: Todd owns this gym so that’s why there’s a Rationality meetup at a gym 🙂
If you have trouble finding us, please DM Todd or Shane on the Discord or post in “meetups”.
