--- > How we learn. My favorite (evidence backed) theory on how humans learn is [Retrieval Practice](https://www.learningscientists.org/blog/2024/3/7/how-does-retrieval-improve-new-learning). > The short of it is that humans don’t really learn when we download info into our brain, we learn when we *expend effort* to pull that info out. - [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01k48eh0hmebmckdjj5cfadcc2) --- > What we learn. It turns out, the “thing” that we learn most effectively is not *knowledge* as we typically think of it, it’s *process*. - [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01k48ehrfxd9ghxaej0mebqyt9) --- > How we level up. Humans are really bad at “novel” innovation, which is a bit tragic because novel innovation seems to be the thing that the tech industry thinks of when it talks about developer productivity. ... However! We’re really good at cumulative iteration. Humans are turbo optimized for communities, basically. This is why brainstorming is so effective… But usually only in a group. --- > I like to imagine AI as an “absent-minded instructor”, not as a coworker. It’s prone to forgetting details, but ultimately there to guide you; most importantly, the goal of the instructor is to make sure you learn and learn *how* to learn! - [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01k48erg0d0xbfmsde0xyj8r3t) --- > If you want to be a bit snarky about it, you can alternatively think of AI as a very overconfident rubber duck that exclusively uses the Socratic method, is prone to irrelevant tangents, and is weirdly obsessed with quirky hats. Whatever floats your ducky. - [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01k48eryvgbnekrp154da24reb) --- > it’s *so* tempting to provide a button that says “click me to do the thing”. DON’T. Not only does it deskill the human, but what if you mess it up and waste everyone’s time? Trust is crucial for developer tooling and you will *not* get it back. - [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01k48f1qgzwa7ftyeneavettjh) ---