Summary

In today's post, I'll cover the Feynman technique, a learning strategy used for a deeper understanding of complex topics, as well as why even start a blog in the first place. Then I'll wrap up with what content to expect in the future.

Why Start A Blog?

One day while trying to improve my digital note taking process, I was watching a video[1] about a Zettelkasten note taking process and from that same channel ended up on another video[2] about the Feynman technique. The technique lines up with part of my goals for my digital note taking; I want to get the most out of the content I'm trying to learn, so applying this technique makes sense as a way to do so. But why a blog and not another form, like a vlog or YouTube video like the one that inspired this?

Well, another goal I have is to improve my writing, so that means writing more. While my target is more for creative writing, any form of additional writing will help. And then a blog is somewhat informative writing, there is a fair amount of interpretation, flexibility, and personality in the writing. So this seemed like a middle ground to balance the desire to improve my learning process generally, and start writing more.

I also already have a portfolio website, and a blog helps fill out the content. . .

Then the other mediums, like for video content, seemed like they would take much more time than I have available to dedicate to this. The priority needs to be on learning new content, and if I went the video route, 90% of my time would have to be spend on editing and recording instead of learning.

So what content are we explaining today? Why not the one that inspired me to start the blog in the first place. . .

The Feynman Technique

The Feynman Technique is essentially explaining information to someone else (or pretending to explain it to someone else), and in the process realizing gaps in one's own understanding, which allows the learner to go back and continue to fill in those gaps until they can completely explain the information.

The process goes something like:

1. Choose a topic to learn or present

2. Pretend to (or actually) explain this topic to a child

3. Reflect on the gaps presented, and if the explanation given is truly sufficient

4. Go back to the source material and fill in missing information or refine current understandings until a satisfactory explanation can be given

The Pros

This technique may be applicable for everyone, but it seems it is most beneficial for slow learners. A journal article published in 2023[3] goes on to say that the Feynman technique is "particularly beneficial for individuals who struggle with traditional learning methods"[3]. They go on to explore multiple testimonies supporting the efficacy of the Feynman technique, as well as look at other studies that used the Feynman technique.

Another benefit is that something is produced from the technique. If the technique is actually applied, and the information is explained to someone else, then multiple people benefit from the learning process.

The Cons

Now why should someone not use this technique?

First, the technique is slow. The time required to learn the information initially might take the same, but then to prepare the information for someone else, then to also go back and refine or find missing information takes even more time. While this provides a deeper and more fleshed out understanding, it comes at the cost of time.

Second, the technique is heavily reliant on speech or writing[3], which can cause difficulties for people with writing or speaking impairments, or learning information in a different language. If we take that foreign language example further, it makes sense, there are multiple thoughts and subjects being managed at one time if someone was trying to explain a new concept, while trying to find the right vocabulary, syntax, and grammar of a new language.

On top of these, it is reductionist. When the teacher/explainer is explaining the topic, they are choosing what information to include and what information is not essential and to leave out. In doing so, they might be leaving our nuances or context that could be beneficial for this information from a different perspective. In isolation, if we only used the Feynman technique, information we learned would keep getting reduced and simplified, losing information at each transfer. So while this method is beneficial for learning information as the *teacher/explainer*, it can not be the only solution or method for the *consumer/explainee*. In order to achieve an equal level of understanding of the information, the consumer/explainee will have to find additional information to fill in the parts that were deemed non-essential.

Rubber Ducks?

A connection I have made with the Feynman technique is with rubber duck debugging[4]. There's a common phenomenon in software engineering: a developer finds a bug, goes to ask someone for help with it, and the second they begin to explain the issue, they see the solution. A practice some developers use to prevent this experience is to explain their bug to a rubber duck. So if we want to find a way to relate this content to my profession, this is one way, as part of the mechanism behind rubber duck debugging.

Additional Topics

While it didn't quite make it into this weeks article, a similar topic that is related to the Feynman technique is the concept of intelligence cycles. See Aydin, B., & Ozleblebici, Z. (2015). Should We Rely on Intelligence Cycle? _Journal of Military and Information Science_, _3_, 93. https://doi.org/10.17858/jmisci.78166, another journal I read on intelligence cycles. It would be a good direction to continue on the topic of learning. While it is geared towards military applications, I think the general concepts are still applicable elsewhere.

Also the DIKW pyramid(Data, Information, Knowledge, Wisdom) is another tangential topic that would be worth exploring as well. Sort of a visual representation of how we distill information down and are able to apply it.

Future Schedule and Expectations

So what can we expect from this blog in the future? The current plan is to release articles on a weekly basis; I'm thinking of picking a consistent time on Friday mornings. The content will be similar to this; one of the things I'm trying to learn that week, distilled into a short blog article, ideally with references and supporting documents, as well as my own insight on the subject.

Additionally, I want to start a quarterly "Book Report" post, where I discuss the books that I finished in the past quarter. Going forward I will make them on the first Friday of the Quarter, but since we just started this blog, I will post the Q1 Book Report next Friday.