Comments on: Learning about Facts and Concepts http://www.dunning.ca/blog/learning-about-facts-and-concepts/ Mon, 14 May 2012 20:34:27 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: JeniRae http://www.dunning.ca/blog/learning-about-facts-and-concepts//comment-page-1#comment-11253 JeniRae Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:03:42 +0000 http://www.dunning.ca/?p=2999#comment-11253 Donna, I recall absolutely LOVING Anatomy and Physiology classes in college, but I had to study very hard in order to memorise the names of organs, blood vessels, glands, etc. The way each body system interacted with the other was second-nature to me though. Even now, when I learn a new task at my job, I cannot simply be told step-by-step what to do. I first need to understand the system I am working with so that I can see where this "task" I'm performing fits into the system. ("So, WHY am I changing this data? Where did the report with the new data come from? When I change the data here, what is going to happen on the back-end?" "So, I can see what happened with these numbers, and that the volumes are out of the ordinary, but what is the algorithim being used to calculate the Weighted Average Handle time? There is a summation of at LEAST 2 other subsets of data used for that... and I need to know where its coming from if I am to understand what could have caused the problem!") Yes. I drive my co-workers crazy, I'm sure! Donna, I recall absolutely LOVING Anatomy and Physiology classes in college, but I had to study very hard in order to memorise the names of organs, blood vessels, glands, etc. The way each body system interacted with the other was second-nature to me though.

Even now, when I learn a new task at my job, I cannot simply be told step-by-step what to do. I first need to understand the system I am working with so that I can see where this “task” I’m performing fits into the system. (“So, WHY am I changing this data? Where did the report with the new data come from? When I change the data here, what is going to happen on the back-end?” “So, I can see what happened with these numbers, and that the volumes are out of the ordinary, but what is the algorithim being used to calculate the Weighted Average Handle time? There is a summation of at LEAST 2 other subsets of data used for that… and I need to know where its coming from if I am to understand what could have caused the problem!”)

Yes. I drive my co-workers crazy, I’m sure!

]]> By: Donna Dunning http://www.dunning.ca/blog/learning-about-facts-and-concepts//comment-page-1#comment-11242 Donna Dunning Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:39:39 +0000 http://www.dunning.ca/?p=2999#comment-11242 Thanks for your comment Sandy. I can relate. I remember a few painful chemistry classes from the distant past that seemed to be all details and procedures. I certainly took mental vacations in those. Thanks for your comment Sandy. I can relate. I remember a few painful chemistry classes from the distant past that seemed to be all details and procedures. I certainly took mental vacations in those.

]]> By: Sandy McMullen http://www.dunning.ca/blog/learning-about-facts-and-concepts//comment-page-1#comment-11241 Sandy McMullen Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:25:07 +0000 http://www.dunning.ca/?p=2999#comment-11241 Ohhh Donna This is one of my "HOT" buttons for learning. In a class or meeting if I don't have a glimpse of the big picture first I might as well go home. When detail after detail is presented I often don't stay the course long enough to build them into an overview, I simply go to the beach in my brain. Besides jumping around makes it fun and enlivens the subject for me especially when it is material that is interesting to me. However when I am out of my comfort zone with skills such as down hill skiing there is a time and place for step by step instructions. Thanks for painting a picture of how to present material for both ways of processing. Ohhh Donna
This is one of my “HOT” buttons for learning. In a class or meeting if I don’t have a glimpse of the big picture first I might as well go home. When detail after detail is presented I often don’t stay the course long enough to build them into an overview, I simply go to the beach in my brain. Besides jumping around makes it fun and enlivens the subject for me especially when it is material that is interesting to me. However when I am out of my comfort zone with skills such as down hill skiing there is a time and place for step by step instructions.

Thanks for painting a picture of how to present material for both ways of processing.

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