Looking back on my school years, one thing that strikes me is that they never taught us the meta.
They gave us theorems & formulas, but they never talked about the general processes & techniques you can use to approach & solve problems. Or about how to get better at learning.
They gave us theorems & formulas, but they never talked about the general processes & techniques you can use to approach & solve problems. Or about how to get better at learning.
We were left to figure how that part ourselves, on our own. And we did, confusedly, awkwardly. From direct experience, through trial & error. It was horribly inefficient. Because, naturally, the meta is a science. It can, and should be taught.
Of course, it is learning "how to learn" and "how to solve problems" that really matters (or even the more specialized "how to prove theorems").
The content -- specific pieces of knowledge -- is unimportant. I've already forgotten all of the theorems.
Only the meta remains.
The content -- specific pieces of knowledge -- is unimportant. I've already forgotten all of the theorems.
Only the meta remains.
