Variability, not repetition, is the key to mastery
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Variability, not repetition, is the key to mastery
1–10 of 52 posts
Re: Variability, not repetition, is the key to mastery
#2Seems to be an argument more for spaced repetition and incremental reading.
"If your collection combines knowledge pertaining to different subject domains, the stream of new ideas and unexpected associations coming to your mind may surprise you" https://help.supermemo.org/wiki/Incremental_learning
Re: Variability, not repetition, is the key to mastery
#3Seems to be an argument more for spaced repetition and incremental reading. "If your collection combines knowledge pertaining to different subject domains, the stream of new ideas and unexpected associations coming to your mind may surprise you" https://help.supermemo.org/wiki/Incremental_learning
Spaced repetition and incremental reading don't have to be a conscious effort or implemented with flashcard systems, in fact it might be better not to, depending on your goals.
After extensive practice with such systems (talking years between physical flaschards, supermemo and anki), I found it leads to shallow understanding and bad linking between knowledge bits, even though I make sure I understand before committing something to spaced repetition. The valuable part looks like to be in the effort of understanding, thinking deeply and widely and summarizing. If you frequently read, practice and revise your knowledge and see how it interlinks, you will approximate spaced repetition at the very least.
All in all flashcard systems taught me how to study effectively by being forced to understand and "atomize" knowledge, so it wasn't useless.
Re: Variability, not repetition, is the key to mastery
#4Learning and earning to teach is one shortcut.
Re: Variability, not repetition, is the key to mastery
#5Hmmm ... I'm a fan of differential learning and other techniques for variablity of practice. Was just reading through https://perceptionaction.com/vp/ earlier today. However I'm not convinced motor learning research transfers to all learning, which seems to be the basis for the claim made in the blog post. My own experience is motor learning is quite different to learning symbol manipulation tasks like maths and programming.
Re: Variability, not repetition, is the key to mastery
#6Seems to be an argument more for spaced repetition and incremental reading. "If your collection combines knowledge pertaining to different subject domains, the stream of new ideas and unexpected associations coming to your mind may surprise you" https://help.supermemo.org/wiki/Incremental_learning
Spaced repetition and incremental reading don't have to be a conscious effort or implemented with flashcard systems, in fact it might be better not to, depending on your goals. After extensive practice with such systems (talking years between physical flaschards, supermemo and anki), I found it leads to shallow understanding and bad linking between knowledge bits, even though I make sure I understand before committin…
> Spaced repetition and incremental reading don't have to be a conscious effort
> The valuable part looks like to be in the effort of understanding, thinking deeply and widely and summarizing.
Which part of this is not conscious effort? You just made a stronger case for such automated systems, especially for people who don't have good memory or abnormal levels of discipline and motivation.
Re: Variability, not repetition, is the key to mastery
#7Such an idea has been discussed for centuries. Adam Smith warned division of labor would lead people to become “…as stupid and ignorant as it is for a human creature to become.” by repeating the same career behaviors for too long.
IMO this explains a great deal about current society stuck on the idea re-training is a waste, the habit of re-electing politicians for decades being one outcome of living life “on the career escalator.”
Such an inner monologue becomes a default state of being.
Accepting simple memes like “will work for money” become the norm and “will work to acquire knowledge” becomes vulgar language.
Re: Variability, not repetition, is the key to mastery
#8A common tactic in practicing music is to play a passage slowed down, sped up, with varying rhythms, up/down an octave, etc, with the idea that if you have complete mastery you can also play it the way it's written.
Re: Variability, not repetition, is the key to mastery
#9No post body was provided.
Re: Variability, not repetition, is the key to mastery
#10Seems to be an argument more for spaced repetition and incremental reading. "If your collection combines knowledge pertaining to different subject domains, the stream of new ideas and unexpected associations coming to your mind may surprise you" https://help.supermemo.org/wiki/Incremental_learning
Spaced repetition and incremental reading don't have to be a conscious effort or implemented with flashcard systems, in fact it might be better not to, depending on your goals. After extensive practice with such systems (talking years between physical flaschards, supermemo and anki), I found it leads to shallow understanding and bad linking between knowledge bits, even though I make sure I understand before committin…
> After extensive practice with such systems (talking years between physical flaschards, supermemo and anki), I found it leads to shallow understanding and bad linking between knowledge bits
The issue with flashcard style practice is that it doesn't offer much in "application"-learning, which may help explain the shallow understanding. Spaced repetition needs to be repetition of applying the concept, not reviewing it. I know that its not easy to do for all domains, but if you look at musicians (as another poster described), actors, artists, athletes, and martial artists (to borrow the article's reference), their spaced repetition is more about applying their craft to build muscle memory as well as create "a-ha" moments of insight.