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This is great! It's also very similar to the approach we use to teach deep learning at fast.ai, based on research into teaching methods done by David Perkins at

by jph00 7y ago

This is great! It's also very similar to the approach we use to teach deep learning at fast.ai, based on research into teaching methods done by David Perkins at Harvard. A couple of our principals are: - Teaching “the whole game”–starting off by showing how to use a complete, working, very usable, state of the art deep learning network to solve real world problems, by using simple, expressive tools. And then gradually digging deeper and deeper into understanding how those tools are made, and how the tools that make those tools are made, and so on… - Always teaching through examples: ensuring that there is a context and a purpose that you can understand intuitively, rather than starting with algebraic symbol manipulation If you're interested, there's more info here: https://www.fast.ai/2016/10/08/teaching-philosophy/ https://www.fast.ai/2016/10/08/teaching-philosophy/

mav3rick 7y ago
Hi Jeremy, Thanks for fast.ai. I think to some degree this maybe personality driven. Whenever I'm taught like that, I constantly feel anxious about "holes" in my knowledge. I believe it gets hard to plug those holes when you learn from a top down approach. The bottom up approach is harder for a reason, the knowledge gained is more thorough.
- mlonkibjuyhv 7y ago
  I know the feeling. Years later when you realize there definitely is a hole, but it might be in the second chapter of some pretty basic book, that you have skimmed several times without finding it, because it is so basic.
- ramblerman 7y ago
  > The bottom up approach is harder for a reason, the knowledge gained is more thorough. I'm not sure you can just make that statement. Interest and motivation will be the deciding factors in the depth of your knowledge in the long run. Imagine having to read the full manual of a video game before you can play it vs just fooling around and looking something up when you need it.

by jph00 7y ago

mav3rick 7y ago

Hi Jeremy, Thanks for fast.ai. I think to some degree this maybe personality driven. Whenever I'm taught like that, I constantly feel anxious about "holes" in my knowledge. I believe it gets hard to plug those holes when you learn from a top down approach. The bottom up approach is harder for a reason, the knowledge gained is more thorough.

mlonkibjuyhv 7y ago
I know the feeling. Years later when you realize there definitely is a hole, but it might be in the second chapter of some pretty basic book, that you have skimmed several times without finding it, because it is so basic.
ramblerman 7y ago
> The bottom up approach is harder for a reason, the knowledge gained is more thorough. I'm not sure you can just make that statement. Interest and motivation will be the deciding factors in the depth of your knowledge in the long run. Imagine having to read the full manual of a video game before you can play it vs just fooling around and looking something up when you need it.