The Learning Process

Posted 4 years ago | Originally written on 23 May 2007

It has just occurred to me how many times we make the learning process unnecessarily complicated. I recently read an article about Database Design. Wonderful article! In fact, quite a number of concepts clicked in place. However, I had the patience to endure terminology. Quite a bore. I think there is a very good alternative to that that should be exploited. Some people do.

The main idea is that learning is not based on the terminology but on the concepts that are eventually accepted in the user's mind. By teaching someone about something based on first describing terminology is meaningless. It is only for those with patience (like myself). It is much easier to give known objects or concepts names. This therefore means that the learning experience is primarily based on development of handles.

Handles are simply ideas that users have interacted with that can then be given names. Remember that the learning process is directional and moves from the point of familiarity into that of unfamiliarity. Therefore, once handles are established, it is easy to give them names and later, only later, make reference to them by the names that have been assigned.

This is what would make learning a more pleasurable experience.