The Problems with Learning
We have a problem with learning in our culture. Or rather, many problems. They're systemic and widespread.
If you've tried to learn a skill online recently, you know what I'm talking about. Whether you're a student at a school or university, or an adult learner trying to switch careers or just pick up a new hobby, accessing effective information for learning is just about impossible. You spend the whole time trying to wade through a morass of search-engine optimised spam, and don't feel any the wiser at the end of it.
Our education system is already well-known for failing any students who aren't already motivated and well-enough equipped to teach themselves. Sources of learning as an adult are overwhelmed by content optimised to spam search engines with sponsored material. And now AI is giving students misinformation and robbing them of the opportunities for proper learning, while everyone else is asking themselves if it's even worth taking the time to learn anything.
Despite all these problems, I have succeeded in teaching myself a number of challenging subjects over the last few years. These include close to a dozen foreign languages, computer science, the foundations of mathematics, drawing, painting, ice skating, a couple of musical instruments, how to ride and repair a motorbike, among other things.
In the upcoming series of posts, I want to explore the nature of the challenges I've observed in our systems of education, from the perspective of someone who wants to learn. I will be discussing the quagmire of online modules and courses and easy solutions to learning, all promising to make you an expert. I'll be unpacking how bad incentives lead to time-wasting courses, and bad information leads to students who confuse entertainment for learning. I'll be unpacking some key insights from science on how to learn effectively. I'll be considering the implications of these developments on the future of human knowledge. And I'll be explaining how to combat all these negative effects, drawing directly from my own experience and observation.
If all that sounds interesting to you, if you've been trying to learn complex skills and struggling, read on and see what I've learned about learning.