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Logical foundations for knowledge


If knowledge is power, how do you learn effectively and efficiently? 

Knowledge and education are based on logic and understanding. If you understand the logic behind a concept, you can understand the concept for almost any subject.
For example, last night, my 8 yr old asked me to teach him how to write in cursive script. There are two ways to approach this concept - I could show him the cursive alphabet and make him memorize it, or I could explain how cursive was developed. Schools tend to opt for option one. How many of you were forced to memorize the cursive alphabet? Or your times tables? Without knowing the logic behind these concepts, they are just rote memorization and don't really form the basis for true knowledge and understanding.
I explained to my son that cursive was developed when people still used quills and ink wells. If you you have ink on a quill, what will happen if you hold it above the paper? It will drip. Every time you lift the quill off the paper, it could drip a drop of ink onto the paper. So, to prevent the paper from looking like it has chicken pox, people wrote in cursive, so they could write an entire word without lifting the quill off the paper to make the individual letters. I asked him to try writing his name without lifting his pencil, and he was darn close to perfect. I showed him a couple of adjustments - things that aren't as evident at first, like the "s" or "r", and he was off and writing whole sentences in cursive.

This entire interaction took about 10 min. I taught my son cursive in 10 min, because I didn't make him memorize the cursive alphabet, but instead explained the logic behind cursive.
This is one example of how logic and understanding form a much deeper and more applicable basis for knowledge than memorization. So let's teach our children and students by explaining the logic behind the concepts - whether that is why they need to wear shoes outside, or why the sun "sets" at night, or how the entire universe is made of tiny vibrating strings - kids can understand ANY of these concepts, if given the correct logic and scaffolding.
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