What does it mean to have a good foundation of knowledge? How do you evaluate your own knowledge? I tend to have a poor memory of details, so I have to constantly remind myself of them, does it mean my knowledge of them is poor? How much should one memorize and how much is enough not to know and refresh every now and then? Asking you because I respect your opinions and you said you have the same problem (at least in some areas)
The term “foundational knowledge” can be used in two ways: 1) to know all the basics of a particular subject, 2) to have breadth of basic knowledge across many subjects. How do you measure foundational knowledge? My personal shorthand method is to crack open a university level introductory textbook on a subject and test how much I know. Introductory textbooks are my friend because:
they give me a comprehensive organizational framework (COF) for the knowledge in that subject
the COF gives me a very good idea of what knowledge is available in the subject, which immediately makes clear what I do NOT already know and I can then quickly set myself to filling in the gaps
the COF gives me clues about what knowledge is possible but not yet fully developed in the subject, which allows me to make my own connections between ideas and generate new ideas
the COF is a great problem solving tool because it acts as a mental map to orient me when analyzing or applying ideas in the real world
the COF is a great research tool because it helps me quickly narrow down where I should look for better info, and the bibliography is perfect for finding oft-cited (i.e. well-respected) sources/materials on any specific topic I want to explore in greater depth
to build breadth of foundational knowledge is a simple matter when all I have to do is slowly pick up the basic frameworks of each subject, jumping from one field to the next until I’ve hit all the major subjects offered by the average university
Different people have different reasons for learning and different uses for their knowledge. It’s not for me to tell you how much/deep you should learn because it depends on what your purpose is. If you’re learning in school, then one of your main goals is to ace your exams, so your learning process is much more rigorous in terms of memorizing facts and details. It helps to know what your teacher prioritizes, e.g., do they prefer that you be able to recite facts, think creatively, follow procedures, analyze thoroughly, etc? I’m not in school, I learn for fun, so I can be much more lenient about memorizing. Aside from book learning, I love to learn from experienced people by asking questions and inviting their critiques. Throughout life, I’ve made a point of surrounding myself with diverse perspectives as well as people who are much smarter than me. It’s really easy for me to see what I don’t know when I’m constantly confronted with challenging questions or people who know more.
I think I learn efficiently because my goals are clear and I don’t overreach. My general learning strategy/procedure is to start with the COF (i.e. big picture) and then drill down into the details. How far I choose to drill down is a subjective decision based on how interested I am in the topic and how much time it would take to learn more facts and details. I’m not the kind of person who can spit out stats, names, dates, quotes, anecdotes, and factoids on the spot because I just don’t remember these things very well no matter how hard I try. I’m usually content at understanding the main concepts and then learning more as the need arises. It doesn’t bother me when I don’t know something, but it does bother me when I don’t know something and also have no idea about where to begin. One purpose of having good foundational knowledge is that it quickly points me in the right direction whenever I need to learn something new.
Generally speaking, I feel as though I’ve learned “enough to get by” when: I can speak on a topic for a certain length of time without my thoughts getting all jumbled or broken off; I know which facts/details are okay to gloss over because doing so won’t detract from the overall point I’m making; I’m aware of what facts/details I’m leaving out but I know that they exist and are easily retrievable if necessary (because I’ve come across them before); I can apply theory to real life situations; I can be persuasive, informative, helpful, and/or spark deeper discussion.
One reason adults don’t learn well is that they tend to overestimate how much they know because they don’t fully realize how much they don’t know. Thus, I tend to err on the side of caution by always assuming that I don’t know as much as I could or should. I have these guiding principles: Know what you know (and speak confidently). Know what you don’t know (and shut up and listen). Know what you should know (and set out to learn it). Know what you don’t need to know (and save time).
The fact that Kim Kardashian is crying on the internet for something she essentially brought on herself is crazy. ( like literally took the time to open her phone’s camera or an app and then cried).
She failed the bar…after using ChatGPT to study. The same woman who said people were lazy and didn’t want to work.
She doesn’t have the educational foundation to pass. It took four attempts in the baby bar just for her to pass.
And what I mean by educational foundation, is that she’s in a program meant for paralegals. And most states require paralegals to have an associate or bachelors degree. Like she’s just studying the material that would be on the exam, but not in depth knowledge to critically think and understand what was on the exam. Why? Because she only has a high school diploma! And I get it’s frustrating for her, but she truly lacks the foundational knowledge, something you truly develop in college, while relying on ChatGPT, something is known to give false or outdated information to study was an L on her part.
Like if I were to give a paraprofessional/teacher’s aide and a stay at home mom with just a high school diploma the same exam material and then give them the same exam elementary school teachers have to take in order to get certification, the para would score higher or even pass, due to both experience and knowledge, and the fact that most paraprofessional positions requires at least two years of a college education and passing a general knowledge test in some states.
