Visakan Veerasamy @visakanv 2021-09-09
i also think a big part of why “kids learn faster than adults” is that kids are *expected* to be learning all the time, and adults (who might not even know each other!) will actually *coordinate* to create supportive learning environments and experiences for kids
2021-09-09
The common narrative is that kids learn faster than adults, but I’m not sure the difference is meaningful.
Watch any toddler. They spend nearly every waking minute on the edge of their ability and then sleep 12 hours.
If adults acted similarly they would be learning machines.
Visakan Veerasamy @visakanv 2021-09-12
One way adults can approximate the child’s experience is to be an immigrant, broadly speaking, or “the new guy” in some context – if you can signal clearly that you’re clueless and earnestly trying to learn, people similarly tend to chip in to help
Visakan Veerasamy @visakanv 2021-09-12
another way to do it is to create a small cluster or scene where a group of people all agree that they all want to learn, and so challenge and support each other’s learning as much as possible. these environments produce massive increases in learning beyond what is “normal”
Visakan Veerasamy @visakanv 2021-09-12
Yeah i get this a lot when talking about baby steps and do 100 things and so on. the people who are averse to it find it childish, frivolous, and they find it embarrassing to make mistakes. but you can’t learn without making mistakes https://https://t.co/urghuBjmSR
Visakan Veerasamy @visakanv 2021-09-12
Framed another way, learning is about looking and feeling stupid, which culturally speaking children are supposed to be, whereas adults are “not”
Dan Nouement @nomanautomata 2021-09-12
I think a big part of the discrepancy is younger people are just more curious and intellectually driven.
As you get older, it’s easier to get lazier, to coast, and to stop learning.
dan @kersplort 2021-09-12
Whenever I’m back in a structured learning environment I’m shocked that there’s a planned start middle and end to what I’ll know. Most adult learning has a wide open end state.
They-Man @MikeGreger2 2021-09-13
True, but by far the largest factor is that kids’ brains are indeed wired to learn much better. Their brains are much more plastic. It’s so sensitive to learning that it *sheds* neurons bc it has too many of them, and you become adept by letting go of neuronal possibilities