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So I am not necessarily going to disagree that the way school is setup up the optimal strategy is to cram and then purge the data after the test. However I hav

So I am not necessarily going to disagree that the way school is setup up the optimal strategy is to cram and then purge the data after the test. However I have had a revelation recently in regards to learning where I realized that even if it is an intellectual skill we are trying to master, repetition is still required to do anything other than move a vague knowledge to applicable knowledge. I think part of the problem of schooling is that we focus so much on having knowledge and completely divorce it from practice or application in any way, meaning that the knowledge largely feels useless, and it results in students being unmotivated, and feeling as though time and effort is wasted. This is probably driven because most of these tests are simply "can you regurgitate the knowledge by filling in the right bubble? After all we know that the mitchondria is the powerhause of the cell, but there isn't much application anyone gets beyond knowing that fact. I think if our efforts were on mastery of a skill there can be value in worksheets, and homework. EDIT: I'll add given that you are on HN you probably also remember and understand more from school than you realize.

quacked 3y ago
> I'll add given that you are on HN you probably also remember and understand more from school than you realize. Maybe--my claim isn't that I didn't learn anything in school, but that what I did learn was a fraction of what I could have learned, and that most of the material I was shown I now struggle to remember. I can barely recall a thing from any science class that wasn't reinforced by my engineering degree, and most of the things I know about history I learned after college when I started actually paying attention to it. Even my current geography skills are from repetitions outside of college as an adult. When you listen to the average American trying to put together a coherent argument about society, politics, foreign countries, history, etc., or even just to write a coherent email, you're seeing the result of years of worksheet-classes. These are people who are certain they possess a great deal of knowledge, when in fact their recall of specific facts and ability to reason logically are heavily atrophied from years of educational neglect and accidental gaslighting. "I got an A in English class and a 28 on the ACT, so I must be good at English!" > repetition is still required to do anything other than move a vague knowledge to applicable knowledge. I completely agree with this. Funnily enough, one of my issues with worksheet-classes is that there's not enough repetition. Topics in classes from mathematics to English to science are treated like Pokemon moves, where once you learn the move you retain it forever. This is in stark contrast to the teaching of artisanal skills like cooking, sports, music, and art. Even if they're learned in a class, the successful execution of the skill is required every time you interact with it, and explicit attention is paid to the necessities of repetition. In music, if you can't play a passage, you slow down and repeat it many times, and if you still can't play it, you move backwards to fundamental skills and repeat those. In high school math, if you can't execute a problem, you get a few weeks to voluntarily try repeating it yourself, and then you're given an exam, and then the entire class moves on with or without you.
- RationalDino 3y ago
  If the education system worked some spaced repetition into courses, they would be able to teach more material with less effort. And people would retain it better. No amount of intense cramming upon the first encounter can help You need reinforcement over time for it to stick.

quacked 3y ago

> I'll add given that you are on HN you probably also remember and understand more from school than you realize. Maybe--my claim isn't that I didn't learn anything in school, but that what I did learn was a fraction of what I could have learned, and that most of the material I was shown I now struggle to remember. I can barely recall a thing from any science class that wasn't reinforced by my engineering degree, and most of the things I know about history I learned after college when I started actually paying attention to it. Even my current geography skills are from repetitions outside of college as an adult. When you listen to the average American trying to put together a coherent argument about society, politics, foreign countries, history, etc., or even just to write a coherent email, you're seeing the result of years of worksheet-classes. These are people who are certain they possess a great deal of knowledge, when in fact their recall of specific facts and ability to reason logically are heavily atrophied from years of educational neglect and accidental gaslighting. "I got an A in English class and a 28 on the ACT, so I must be good at English!" > repetition is still required to do anything other than move a vague knowledge to applicable knowledge. I completely agree with this. Funnily enough, one of my issues with worksheet-classes is that there's not enough repetition. Topics in classes from mathematics to English to science are treated like Pokemon moves, where once you learn the move you retain it forever. This is in stark contrast to the teaching of artisanal skills like cooking, sports, music, and art. Even if they're learned in a class, the successful execution of the skill is required every time you interact with it, and explicit attention is paid to the necessities of repetition. In music, if you can't play a passage, you slow down and repeat it many times, and if you still can't play it, you move backwards to fundamental skills and repeat those. In high school math, if you can't execute a problem, you get a few weeks to voluntarily try repeating it yourself, and then you're given an exam, and then the entire class moves on with or without you.

RationalDino 3y ago
If the education system worked some spaced repetition into courses, they would be able to teach more material with less effort. And people would retain it better. No amount of intense cramming upon the first encounter can help You need reinforcement over time for it to stick.