“I am trying to learn problem-solving skills. Do you have any recommendations?”
I received this question on one of my very favorite topics from a reader of this blog. (Thank you!)
My answer is very simple: I learned problem-solving skills through solving problems.
Each problem required certain resources and tools to solve it. And then, once I solved it, I had those resources and tools to use on the next problem.
Read MoreIt happens so often and with such pleasing predictability that I know it to be part of the learning process now.
I find out that I got something wrong, and I instantly see the correct solution.
Luckily, because I’m not a bombardier, my errors don’t cause loss of life. I can relish the moment when testing or checking reveals my mistake and I am suddenly able to see what I didn’t see before.
Read MoreWhen I’m wandering the lonely supermarket, there’s always a song playing that doesn’t fit the mood at all. “Endless Love” while you’re choosing avocados. “I’m Still Standing” while you’re grabbing some chicken from the meat case. “Hey Ya” while you’re standing in the checkout line.
If you know the song that’s playing, you can’t help but sing along, even if you’ve never chosen to listen to it and never would. But whether I know a song or not, there’s another level that my brain engages without my conscious thought: figuring out the chords.
Read MoreWhen I was growing up in Maine, channel 19 was the French channel, broadcasting presumably for the Québécois.
As a child, back in the 80s and 90s when there was a dearth of entertainment, I would try watching this channel now and again. Each time, I grew bored after just a few minutes. I wasn’t going to accidentally pick up French just by being in the room while a dubbed soap opera was on the TV screen. There would need to be a greater investment of time and effort.
Read MoreI don’t know where they learn it, but even lots of little kids are totally fixated on “easy” and “hard.”
They divide the world neatly into this organizational scheme, defined as follows: If can do it easily, it’s easy; if I can’t do it easily, it’s hard.
These kids are missing a lot of context, to say the least. They tend to relish what is easy, even as they treat it with a bit of scorn. Meanwhile, they resist what is hard, assuming that it will be out of reach.
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