Hello there!
I hope the wind down of summer is treating you well. I’ve had myself another busy month of summer activities. Exploring new places and revisiting some old ones.
I began the month visiting a very smoky Banff and hiking Johnston Canyon for the first time. I went camping with friends near Castle Mountain in southern Alberta and did some cliff jumping at Castle Falls. And finally, I spent a week with my good friend Jason. We had a few relaxed days at Wabamun Lake, playing croquet and disc golf, and then we left the lake to explore the city here in Calgary. Photos and videos from those adventures will be coming soon!
Here are some things I found interesting this month.
I. PODCAST that showcased the power of the human spirit
Joe Rogan Experience #1691 with Yeonmi Park
Yeonmi Park was born in North Korea. She defected when she was a young girl. Her journey from North Korea to America, where she lives now, was arduous and harrowing. She saw and experienced things that most people, especially in the West, can’t even begin to fathom.
Yeonmi’s story is illuminating and awe-inspiring. I see her as courageous beyond measure. She is a shining representation of the undeniably of the human spirit. I finished this podcast feeling incredibly grateful for the life I have living in Canada.
II. ARTICLE that made me question my understanding of knowledge transfer
Why Books Don’t Work by Andy Matuschak (15 minute read)
Books suffer from a particular flaw. Have you ever read an entire book only to forget almost all of it when trying to discuss it in conversation? How many lectures or talks or speeches that you’ve heard can you actually recall?
Most ways that we consume information come from a framework that assumes words expressed = words understood. I think it’s fair to say that assumption is flawed. Is there a better way to understand the information you’re consuming?
From the article:
Books don’t work for the same reason that lectures don’t work: neither medium has any explicit theory of how people actually learn things, and as a result, both mediums accidentally (and mostly invisibly) evolved around a theory that’s plainly false.
Lectures, as a medium, have no carefully-considered cognitive model at their foundation. Yet if we were aliens observing typical lectures from afar, we might notice the implicit model they appear to share: “the lecturer says words describing an idea; the class hears the words and maybe scribbles in a notebook; then the class understands the idea.”
In learning sciences, we call this model “transmissionism.” It’s the notion that knowledge can be directly transmitted from teacher to student, like transcribing text from one page onto another. If only! The idea is so thoroughly discredited that “transmissionism” is only used pejoratively, in reference to naive historical teaching practices.
III. VIDEO that reminded me momentum starts with movement
What to Do When You Don’t Know What To Do by Van Neistat
I find myself endlessly impressed and inspired by the content produced by Van Neistat. This video is a story of his struggle to come up with new ideas for videos. Through the process of telling that story, he creates an engaging narrative around making a lottery ball contraption to help negate his inability to decide on the next project. All the while he emphasizes the importance of action. When he can’t decide what to do next, he organizes. Through that process of organizing, he builds momentum to help start his next project.
I relate to this conundrum because I spend too much time thinking about what I’m going to do and not enough actually doing the thing. This video is one of the many things I’ve come across recently that remind me of the importance of just getting started.
Quote To Consider
“To venture causes anxiety; not to venture is to lose oneself.”
— Soren Kierkegaard
Photos of the Month
Videos of the Month
You’re welcome to email me questions or simply say Hello. Let me know of a good book, podcast, video, or anything else you think I’ll find interesting.
I hope you have a stupendous September!
Until then,
Scotty
P.S. Learning is fun!