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School in general is geared towards learning at the level of the slowest student in the room, which is why it isn't very efficient.

I am a firm believer that all college teaches you is how to learn. The specifics aren't as important as learning how to reason.

For example, I had a calculus teacher that was big on memorizing equations. I went and bought a book called a CRC that has every math equation you could ever want. Then I asked the teacher why I would waste my time memorizing all these equations when I could just look in a book. It was knowing where to look and knowing how to apply the equations that was important, not memorizing the equations.

I like Jaimie's idea of simplifying things because I have the distinct opinion that a lot of times understanding the terms used are the most difficult part of doing something. I have worked at a lot of places and noticed the thing that helps me the most is to first learn the acronyms that are being used. Engineers tend to spew them out and if you don't know the terminology, you are lost.

Unfortunately, to me the pace of learning in college (we call it uni in australia) is extremely quick. I fall behind. In fact, I'm repeating a year because I failed several subjects. I don't really see how someone could learn a year's worth of work in one week? That sounds crazy to me man.

Some classes are very tough. There are also definitely weed them out type of classes. And then there are the classes where you either get it or you don't.

When I refer to the pace being slowed down, I am primarily talking about K-12. Colleges are a different atmosphere.

sjvsworldtour wrote:Some classes are very tough. There are also definitely weed them out type of classes. And then there are the classes where you either get it or you don't.

When I refer to the pace being slowed down, I am primarily talking about K-12. Colleges are a different atmosphere.

K-12 was too easy. College was a bit harder, but most classes are still geared for slow learners. If you want to be challenged in college you have to get into the right classes with the right teachers. Those are the teachers that ask "Why?", or "How?", or "Why is this answer important?". Those are the fun classes. The funny thing is, you actually learn SLOWER in those classes, but you learn SO MUCH MORE, and you UNDERSTAND everything. There is a big difference between learning something and understanding it.

I went and bought a book called a CRC that has every math equation you could ever want.

One book? I think the CRC is actually a GROUP of books, almost like an encyclopedia set. I'm sure you can get abridged ones with the important equations though. I've seen full sets though. That's funny that you actually bought one.

I always HATED when teachers made me memorize things. I said to them, "I'm never going to need to know this by heart in the real world, and if I do need to use it, I'll remember it simply by using it over and over and over again." Learning how equations work and why they give you the answer they do is much more important than the equation itself.

I also had a calc teacher that made me memorize equations. I hated that class. But the following year I had one that was just the opposite. She let us bring in a note card filled with equations. I've even had teachers that put the equations on the board. If you don't know how to apply them they are useless, so what does it hurt?

How good a class is doesn't necessarily mean it is difficult or easy. I have had good classes in both cases. I have also had bad classes that were hard for the wrong reason. For instance, I have a circuits instructor that liked to put problems that required solving multiple simultaneous equations, stuff like 5 equations and 5 unknowns. Yea, I could do it, but it took time. The kids that had the HP calculators could do it a lot quicker. Basically, you did well in his class if you could afford the HP calculator. It was a speed test, not a knowledge test.

It's not directly related to building, but a GREAT place to learn for free is: http://www.khanacademy.org/

It's sponsored by Google and the Gates Foundation. You can watch 10 minute videos of anything from basic Algebra to higher levels of Calculus, from Astronomy to the Federal Reserve. It's a tremendous resource and worth a bookmark. It's a good format.

I have got into the habit of looking up stuff a lot on wikipedia. If I hear something I don't know about, it is a good place to get a reader's digest description of things.

So uni teaches slow, huh? Are you a person which most would call 'a genius'?

x0-000 wrote:So uni teaches slow, huh? Are you a person which most would call 'a genius'?

Not at all. I've just always had a knack for picking things up quickly. If I was a genius I wouldn't be worried about saving energy with solar panels.

Anyway, you'll learn and if you need help you can always ask for it.

My advice is to make use of the school tutors. They're there for a reason and they usually offer a different view than what the teacher teaches. Don't be embarrassed to go. I never looked down on the people who came in. Most of them were just confused over something the teacher said and as soon as that was cleared up they were good go to. Not everyone learns the same way and if your teacher doesn't teach how you learn, it's going to be hard.

Then again, you can always ask us for help too.

Oddly enough, after I graduated I went back to college to take one class at a time. I wasn't really into going for a masters or anything. My employers paid for it. I just took whatever course that seemed interesting. The college didn't seem to like it and wanted to me to declare what I was seeking, but I was just hoping to have fun. Yea, a masters might have meant more money at work, but just taking the classes you think are cool is way better.

One of the things I found was that the classes were very easy. I don't know if it was that I was just taking one at a time or if it was because they were actually subjects I was interested in, but just taking class because you want to learn about stuff seems way better than taking some economics class because it is required for graduation. I do believe it was my attitude towards the classes that made it much easier.