The Boston Diaries

The ongoing saga of a programmer who doesn't live in Boston, nor does he even like Boston, but yet named his weblog/journal “The Boston Diaries.”

Go figure.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

“So think twice before you assume … ”

I don't believe this.

How can someone with otherwise perfectly normal hearing not know their notes?

If you can do X, why can't you do Y? (this is actually a quote from the video on the page)

Years ago I was hanging out with my friend Eve when the conversation turned towards Microsoft Office and her wanting to learn how to use the program more effectively.

“I need to see if there's a class I can take,” she said.

“Class?” I said. “Just sit down and play around with the program.” It seemed a perfectly reasonable approach to me. Why waste money or time on a class?

“I can't do that,” said Eve. “I won't learn.”

“What?” That was just silliness. I have never heard of such a thing. “Can't you just sit down and do it?”

“I don't know how to do it, that's why I need the class.”

“How hard is it to load up Microsoft Word and start playing with it?”

“When will I find the time?”

“Yet you'll make the time for a class?”

“Yes. Besides, I learn best when someone tells me how,” she said.

It was my first real experience with different learning methods. I had a hard time fathoming that an otherwise intelligent person (who could program computers) couldn't learn on their own. Heck, that's how I learned most of what I know, and people have always told me I was intelligent. QED anyone intelligent can teach themselves.

What I've learned since is that not everyone can teach themselves. And that there are more learning styles than just self-teaching and lectures. A lot more. And furthermore, I learned that just because I do something one way doesn't mean that other people do something the same way.

The video demonstrates that point succinctly.

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[The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades]

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