Learning How to Learn Is No Substitute for Actual Knowledge
In this video, Dr. Justin Baeder argues that 'learning how to learn' as a standalone educational goal is empty without actual content knowledge.
Key Takeaways
- You can't learn how to learn in the abstract - Learning skills are domain-specific and require content to practice on
- Knowledge enables future learning - The more you know, the easier it is to learn new things in related areas
- Content instruction is not outdated - Despite claims that 'you can just Google it,' actual knowledge remains essential
Transcript
You don't need to learn any specific stuff.
You just need to learn how to learn.
That line is one I've been hearing for years and years.
People say this all the time, and they're not referring to cognitive science.
They're not talking about learning how the brain works and effective study strategies.
They're talking about how they don't think it's important at all to learn specific stuff, to gain any knowledge.
You just need to learn how to learn.
Because, oh, the world is changing and things are going to be out of date and you can always look stuff up.
But, like, here's the problem with that.
If you don't know anything, you don't know how to learn.
If you don't know anything, you're not able to think.
You're not able to evaluate new information.
My podcast guest this week said that, you know, facts or, like, knowledge is what we think with.
We have to have knowledge.
knowledge to work with in order to do any kind of critical thinking.
So this idea that learning can just be these kind of abstract skills that we apply to any situation.
Oh, you need to learn something new because you're interested in this career that didn't exist five years ago.
Well, as long as you've learned how to learn, you don't actually need to know anything.
You can just learn it in that moment.
And I think that doesn't work because a lot of the skills to learn whatever that new thing will be depend on a foundation of actually learning stuff that you're supposed to learn in school.
Let me know what you think.