When Does the Learning Happen?

Learning is the incremental gain in your ability to perform a tangible, reproducible skill.

Cross-posted from here.

In a skill-based domain like mathematics, you can’t really move information into long-term memory just by watching videos. You have to actively solve problems.

Imagine signing up for tennis lessons with a personal coach.

When does the learning happen?

It’s not when you pay the coach the money. It’s not when you watch the coach demonstrate a move.

It’s when you actually start doing things that you weren’t able to do before. It’s when you attempt a move, the coach corrects your form, and you attempt the move again with better results.

The learning is the incremental gain in your ability to perform a tangible, reproducible skill. If you’re not getting those gains, you’re not learning.

It’s the same in mathematics.

The keys to effective training in mathematics are the same as the keys to effective training in athletics, music, or any other skill-based domain.

Learning how to solve a new type of equation is totally different from, say, learning some new history about the life of Napoleon.

You’re not just absorbing information – you’re developing skills.