From knowledge to experience

Category: Learning and creating

Reading an explanation can help you understand an idea. Using it in a concrete situation asks more of you: identifying missing information, choosing a method and checking whether it works.

Imagine studying how to improve a process. You can memorize a technique and describe its steps. Applying it brings new questions: what is the actual problem, how will you measure it and what constraints exist? Experience begins when you work through those questions and take responsibility for your decisions.

One way to turn an activity into learning is to keep evidence of your process. Record what you tried, why you chose it and what happened. If an approach did not work, explain what you learned. An imperfect result can demonstrate sound understanding when it comes with honest analysis.

Working with others adds another dimension. You must explain your ideas, listen to objections and reach agreements. Sometimes the most important advance is realizing that different people were trying to solve different problems.

After an activity, try writing three paragraphs: what you wanted to achieve, what you did and what you would change. This helps the work produce more than a submission: an experience you can understand, communicate and use again.

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