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About the Book
Learning is perhaps one of the key points of existence. We learn so that we can have new or different experiences. Being able to learn means we can do new things or do old things in novel ways. This ability to learn underlies the ability to solve problems. It also underlies the ability to create meaningfully.
Mental models, or more simply models, are what we create when we learn. Whether we are learning something that is outside of ourselves, some system we have to run, build, sell, install, fix or upgrade or whether it is something that directly involves ourselves, mental models are the result of that learning.
A key to effective learning, to understanding, is building these models from two points of view. So that learning is efficient and non-frustrating we can break what we are learning into clearly defined elements and focus on small groups of these in relative isolation.
A further element of learning is indexing the models that our brain builds so that we can call them up without having to think.
An additional key to learning is being able to check what we’ve learned, so that we can improve our models when necessary.
This books details a set of simple concepts, and includes principles (both first principles and basic principles) that can be easily adapted to make learning, problem solving, and creating easier.
These concepts and principles provide a framework for both thinking about how to do things and how to actually do them.
Learn how to learn, and how to:
- Build better mental models (and how to scale and modularize them)
- Make learning efficient, effective and less frustrating
- Improve problem solving abilities
- Deal effectively with fear and frustration
- Use limits to become less limited
- Utilize mental models for better muscle control and body awareness
- Improve our understanding and the way that we do things
It all starts with the notion that our brain builds models, mental models, and those models form the foundation of our understanding, intuition and habits. At the same time, we can choose how we construct and index those models thus improving our understanding and the way that we do things.
About the Author
Hi, I'm Neil Keleher
When I was sixteen I quit school and enlisted in the British Army.
I spent five years as an armourer while continuing my education by studying math and English via correspondence course.
Moving back to Canada, I studied Systems Design Engineering at the University of Waterloo. While there, my dad, uncle and I built a custom Harley and not long after I learned to ride a motorcycle.
I spent three years as an Engineer and then dabbled in acting before spending the next 25 years as a yoga teacher.
Moving to Taiwan, I studied Tai Ji and Chinese calligraphy. I also got so frustrated looking up Chinese characters (I was using a paper dictionary) that I spent 15 years building my own dictionary and designing several indexing systems. In the process I learned how to touch-type Chinese and how to program using Python as well as Node.js.