How to Learn (Not Just) a Language Quickly

Posted: October 24, 2011

The Gist. I had learned so much German by using one idea: errors. I was happy to make them. I teach it in all my science and engineering courses as the method of lumping (for example, Chapter 3 of Street-Fighting Mathematics, which is a freely licensed book). This method is based on the idea that in order for our minds to manage the complexity of the world, we must throw away information skillfully — by discarding the least useful information first. The motto: “When the going gets tough, the tough… lower their standards.”

The Article. How to Learn (Not Just) a Language Quickly

My Inflation Adjusted Two Cents. I am happy to make mistakes, most of the time. It remains a painful process. When a iron, orange-hot in emotional flames, is pressed to your soft tissue it is hard to learn anything beyond, “NEVER DO THAT AGAIN”. At that point mental horsepower is irrelevant, emotional intelligence matters.