Transcriber: Sophia Kim Reviewer: David DeRuwe
(Rocks scraping)
(Rocks dropping on table)
Oh, sorry. I was a bit preoccupied there.
What? Wondering what I was trying to do?
Well, funny you asked, actually,
but before I answer that, let me take you back a little ...
to the beginning - mankind.
The start of human technological evolution was when someone
millions of years ago dared to do the very thing I tried to do back there:
ignite fire.
But please don’t be alarmed. I’m not much of a fire starter, anyway.
Don’t think I would survive back then. Anyway, more to the fire story.
1.8 million years ago,
in the Wonderwerk cave of South Africa, lived the earliest-known human settlement.
Now I know you’re tired, but bear with me
because what makes this even more important
is that here is the earliest evidence for human use of fire.
Here’s an image of the million-year-old ash.
Curious about where this is going?
By the show of hands, tell me if you are.
A great audience right here.
All right, let’s do a small activity:
So close your eyes. Go on. Don't be shy.
Now, imagine this scenario in your mind, and tell me how you would feel,
just before a class is about to start, and let’s say a class of math or science.
You can be truthful. No one’s judging.
All right. You can open your eyes now.
From your expressions,
it appears to me that you all feel excited, fascinated, intrigued.
Wait a minute. That’s not true.
That can’t be true. And I know.
Look, I understand how learning is not always easy,
but I also know that it doesn’t always have to be the case.
You see the thing is, learning is an art.
The thing about art is that it’s an acquired skill,
which fortunately can be developed.
Think of it like hopscotch, hopping one step at a time.
Now the good thing is that we’ve been learning,
ever since we set foot in the world - from the time we discovered we had legs,
from the time we discovered we had hands with little fingers we could move,
from the time we realized what gravity is before even knowing what it was.
And then we asked questions non-stop,
much to our parents’ annoyance, like, “Why is the sky so blue?”
or, “Why does the moon keep following me?”
Et cetera.
We did that because we were simply curious.
And that curiosity, that's what is needed.
So once again, the most essential step to learning is to somehow find
genuine fascination or appreciation for the subject.
Just like the ancient fire man when he discovered fire.
So ask yourself: What fascinates me?
Is it the endless sky above, or is it the floor laying below us?
It could be from the plainness, just existence itself
to a fragile dandelion drifting through the wind
to the beauty of everything at a microscopic level.
Explore ... through the eyes of a toddler.
I’m 100% sure you will find something interesting.
Just like how I found my interest for learning math.
From “Numberphile, (3 Blue 1 Brown)” on YouTube.
Now, this spot should fairly be easy as one can find interest,
literally and figuratively, everywhere.
You just need to look out for it.
Once this is over, consider most of the work done.
The next phase is divided into three key principles -
as dictated from my humble experience -
the first of which is “simplify.”
Now, who doesn't need some simplification in life?
So whenever there is a topic we have to learn,
try to simplify it as much as possible.
One way you can do this by dividing and organizing complicated topics
into smaller, easier subtopics.
Next, we can work on the structure.
After understanding the concepts of each of the subtopics,
we can turn them into structures for us to visualize.
Structures of the lessons themselves can be turned
into flowcharts or mind maps.
And after this, we need it to suit to our taste,
like the clothes we’re comfortable in.
With these building blocks ready,
we can turn them to something we can easily relate to, remember, and visualize.
Now, to understand proper usage of these principles,
here’s an example of how you can use it, the topic being electrical circuits:
The topic has been divided into subtopics of wires, resistors, batteries, etc.
Now, in order to visualize these,
they’ve been made into something more familiar,
like wires have been made into trucks and ramps made out of resistors,
where the more the resistance, the steeper the ramp, etc. .
After this, we can build on the topic.
Here you can see two analogies:
One, a roller coaster, and the second one of a waterfall.
And then the topic gets more complex.
You can add your very own elements, so long as they follow the rules.
I need to remind you, the possibilities are limitless.
And there you have it - your very own path to learning.
Alas, I hope you discovered something new.
And I leave you with this:
Mystery creates wonder,
and wonder is the basis for man’s desire to understand.
Thank you.