The two paths to knowledge
Think now about your sharpest memories . What do they have in common ? You might notice that these memories are not about things you have read , or heard about , but things you have seen . Myriad studies have proven how powerful visual learning is ( 1 ) ( 2 ) ( 3 ) . But this only serves to back up what most people know intuitively : we learn best through observation .
There exists a wide range of learning types , but for now , let ' s break them into two broad categories . First , there ' s the sequential , step-by-step , note-taking type of learning : what we might call " left-brain " or " informational " learning . Then there ' s the more holistic , big-picture type of learning : what we might call " holistic absorption ." Both types are equally important , yet in the West we tend to value the first type over the second . Personally , I refuse to advocate one type of learning over the other – and here ' s why .
A question of degree
All fields of knowledge require both types of learning , but in different proportions . Learning accountancy or mathematics will require more of a leftbrain approach to learning , with less ( but still some ) of the absorptive type of learning . A master mathematician ' s attitude to their expertise can be subliminally picked up by the student , but a talented mathematics student is still likely to acquire a large part of their knowledge purely from books . Social or physical skills such as fencing , dancing , or customer service will have some step-by-step stuff ( quite literally in the case of dancing !) that can be learnt from books . But this is usually a poor substitute for watching it done by someone who has the skills you want to learn . In these kinds of fields , it ' s easier to form a mental blueprint from watching rather than just reading or listening . And there ' s one field in particular where this mode of learning is at least as important as the theory . I think you know what I ' m going to say !