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I really like her point about "learning disabilities." It is a really interesting way to look at it and a way I had never thought of before.
I think my favorite part is:
- Once you start to think of mistakes as deterministic rather than random, as caused by "bugs" (incorrect understanding or incorrect procedures) rather than random inaccuracy, a curious thing happens.
You stop thinking of people as "stupid."
Tags like "stupid," "bad at ____", "sloppy," and so on, are ways of saying "You're performing badly and I don't know why." Once you move it to "you're performing badly because you have the wrong fingerings," or "you're performing badly because you don't understand what a limit is," it's no longer a vague personal failing but a causal necessity. Anyone who never understood limits will flunk calculus. It's not you, it's the bug.
For example, being in new environments when you're studying can help a lot with retention. As can associating facts with memories of some emotional charge (Play around and be happy while discussing a subject with a friend!). Spaced repetition can help offload the pain of cramming, too. The list goes on...
Addressing bugs is an effective way to get shit done. Also, when you realize that you have corrected for some bugs, you don't feel half as bad about what you currently cannot do. I'm saving this post. It's one of those conceptual seeds that I know will grow into something that affects my thinking in other areas.
