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> In some ways I've envied those students in my class who could suck up information like a sponge and regurgitate it verbatim during examinations. That said, I

> In some ways I've envied those students in my class who could suck up information like a sponge and regurgitate it verbatim during examinations. That said, I had no trouble equalling and often bettering them in topics that held my intersest. More to the fact my fundamental understanding of the subject was often much stronger. Anecdote: It was difficult for me to learn algebra at first because things like the phrase "plug it in" (wrt variables) were never defined, only demonstrated. They expected students to simply infer by watching and following along. But once I finally figured out the fundamentals, I could use them to engineer my own solutions that rivaled what they wanted to teach me, and at that point I instantly got bored with most of the lessons (and went from hating math to loving it). At points they had to ban me from using calculators, mandate me showing all work, etc. because they realized I was being far more efficient than they wanted. That's when I really got upset about it. See, the mistake they made is assuming that I didn't need a fundamental understanding in order to simply regurgitate the subject material. They expected me to learn purely by example and then work purely based on their algorithm. They did not expect me to require complete base knowledge, and once I had that knowledge they did not expect me to use it to engineer my own solutions. That was their second mistake; assuming that I would learn and apply only what they were trying to teach me. My personal hypothesis is that school wasn't designed with autistics in mind. Learning by following along without explanation is traditionally a neurotypical thing. Autistics often learn based on rules and in fact don't always benefit from merely following along if they can't infer the actual reason behind something. I'm sure a lack of attention to this detail is a huge reason why autistics are often viewed as having "special" needs rather than simply different ones.

hilbert42 2y ago
"See, the mistake they made is assuming that I didn't need a fundamental understanding in order to simply regurgitate the subject material" Right. I don't consider myself expert in how people learn stuff or acquire knowledge but speaking for myself I'll almost certainly remember it if I understand it. A slight qualification though, there are many 'minor' facts that I've understood at the time but have eventually forgotten or I've only partially remembered them. This is especially so if I hold little interest in the subject. (It's known the mind clears dross out if it isn't reinforced or used.) What I'm talking about are key concepts or processes in a subject that one is expected to know and retain. For me, I'll much better understand a topic if it's taught in context (why we should learn it) and or if it's of interest to me. Here's another example from math: at school I recall learning parametric equations and I quickly caught on and understood them because I'd come to the conclusion that they are a really neat and cleaver way of solving stuff that would otherwise be difficult. Here, the learning reinforcement was of my own doing—not because the teacher has stressed this part of the syllabus more than any other part. The info stuck immediately because I could visualize how useful they were.
- LoganDark 2y ago
  > What I'm talking about are key concepts or processes in a subject that one is expected to know and retain. For me, I'll much better understand a topic if it's taught in context (why we should learn it) and or if it's of interest to me. Absolutely. I agree, and I think this is also the case for myself. Context is very important to me, and it sucks that it's often completely left out. Often, when I ask "why?", I'm treated as if I'm completely refusing the subject. People act this way outside of school, too (for example, I'm often treated this way at work), so I think it's just a neurotypical thing that I'm expected to do what I'm told without question, even if the question is curiosity / confusion.
  - hilbert42 2y ago
    "Often, when I ask "why?", I'm treated as if I'm completely refusing the subject." Exactly! :-)

hilbert42 2y ago

"See, the mistake they made is assuming that I didn't need a fundamental understanding in order to simply regurgitate the subject material" Right. I don't consider myself expert in how people learn stuff or acquire knowledge but speaking for myself I'll almost certainly remember it if I understand it. A slight qualification though, there are many 'minor' facts that I've understood at the time but have eventually forgotten or I've only partially remembered them. This is especially so if I hold little interest in the subject. (It's known the mind clears dross out if it isn't reinforced or used.) What I'm talking about are key concepts or processes in a subject that one is expected to know and retain. For me, I'll much better understand a topic if it's taught in context (why we should learn it) and or if it's of interest to me. Here's another example from math: at school I recall learning parametric equations and I quickly caught on and understood them because I'd come to the conclusion that they are a really neat and cleaver way of solving stuff that would otherwise be difficult. Here, the learning reinforcement was of my own doing—not because the teacher has stressed this part of the syllabus more than any other part. The info stuck immediately because I could visualize how useful they were.

LoganDark 2y ago
> What I'm talking about are key concepts or processes in a subject that one is expected to know and retain. For me, I'll much better understand a topic if it's taught in context (why we should learn it) and or if it's of interest to me. Absolutely. I agree, and I think this is also the case for myself. Context is very important to me, and it sucks that it's often completely left out. Often, when I ask "why?", I'm treated as if I'm completely refusing the subject. People act this way outside of school, too (for example, I'm often treated this way at work), so I think it's just a neurotypical thing that I'm expected to do what I'm told without question, even if the question is curiosity / confusion.
- hilbert42 2y ago
  "Often, when I ask "why?", I'm treated as if I'm completely refusing the subject." Exactly! :-)