Week Three Discussion
Zack Fesperman
1. After reading chapter four, Learning, Fast and Slow I learned that some of the best possible learning situations for the long run are situations that are difficult and challenging as well, these conditions force you to figure out the problem in a generalist point of view. This challenge causes the person learning to work harder to succeed because of the challenge of it, it almost turns it into a sports game mentality. These situations are good examples of far transfer where situations call for knowledge of many different skill sets and broad knowledge traits. For example if a military leader also played chess, it would benefit him in combat due to the fact of the acquired knowledge of strategy as well as team work and even some extent of sacrifice. They traits can help problem solve in tough situations.
2. Some benefits of being a “generalist” and having range are: they are capable or adapting to multiple different situations, are very versatile in being able to learn something from one challenge and be able to apply similar problem solving skills to a completely different challenge. This would lead us into how people with range are more likely to be successful due to their capability to apply themselves and their multiple skill sets to almost any new challenge. Having range vs being a specialist is like being a mechanic that knows how to change tires but not how to fix the engine.
3. One argument that I have heard is that specialist are more suited to handle extremely chaotic issues in their area of expertise because they are use to it and have dealt with it before where as a generalist would have to adapt to the situation and use their problem solving skills to achieve the same goal but it would take longer and sometimes, time is scarce. My counter argument for this would be that yes they are use to that specific situation but what if there was a new factor involved and it was a new challenge they had never dealt with before, then the generalist would probably have the upper hand on adapting and solving the challenge. I learned a lot of valid points in chapter five, like how the doctor had to think outside the box and find a way to not kill the good tissue and only kill the tumor tissue.
Discussion Week 3 Lasers
Kyle Mandrup
One example in which I am able to apply my ability to use far transfer is when it relates to playing new types of games or video games. I have the basic knowledge required to play certain games with a high level of skill, however when playing a new game with friends that aren’t as versed in video games as I am, I am able to more easily pick up a new game. I assume the same applies to people that excel at playing sports, learning to play a new sport probably comes easier than it does to someone that refrains from playing many sports. Being a generalist differs greatly from doing well early in school. As we read previously schools have become very good at creating what I would call “book learners”. Someone that achieves a perfect grade point average could struggle with starting a business like a lemonade stand. Having a larger set of mildly sharpened skills could prove much more useful later in life and throughout school as the subjects begin to broaden beyond spelling and mathematics. Knowing how to use the expertise that one already has from certain skills, and applying that to other activities is a very powerful tool. One argument against generalism that I have noticed is that failure is not an option, and that mistakes are a sign of failure. The argument against this type of thinking that I noticed in Chapter 5 involves the issue of removing a tumor while also keeping healthy parts still alive. The answer involves “You (the doctor) could direct multiple low-intensity rays at the tumor from different directions, leaving healthy tissue intact, but converging at the tumor site with enough collective intensity to destroy it.” (Epstein 105). In this example, rather than attempting to use a high powered laser to destroy the tumor, there would be many attempts, ultimately succeeding by combining all of the attempts. I would argue this makes the point that in life, many mistakes can add up to a success if given enough tries and effort.
References
Epstein, D. (2019). Range. Penguin US.
