Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning
Is a book about recent advances in understanding the science of learning and questions some of the assumptions you may have. This stands out since I seem to have started 2015 off with an understanding and using failure theme.
Successful learners who interpret failure to learn something as the result of insufficient effort or an ineffective strategy will more often dig deeper by asking more questions and using what the learn to try different approaches.
When you fail, decide if its because you did not apply yourself enough or, if you used the wrong tools and resources to guide your approach. Then, compile a list of questions as appropriate:
- Did my tools (programming language of choice, stack overflow, books, sample apps) limit my approach or distract me from what I was really trying to master?
- Did my tools hide some of the more complicated fundamentals that one must understand to master this?
- Was I just lazy because shopping is so much easier than learning hard things?
- Was I lazy because I failed to set a regular time/place for practicing this?
- How could I build regular but asymmetric practice into my routines?
Honest answers to questions like these will guide your introspection and help you plan to try again.
