[michio]

Honestly when I asked ChatGPT to give me a framework for learning anything, I liked its answer better than asking it to explain Bloom's taxonomy to me. It's obviously pulling from the original Bloom's taxonomy, but then it made it better and also incorporated metacognition as a key aspect.

Understanding, in the context of learning and cognition, can be dissected into several key elements:

Comprehension: This is the foundational level of understanding. It involves grasping the meaning of information or an idea. Comprehension is not just about memorizing facts; it's about internalizing the basic concept so that it can be recalled and explained in simple terms.

Application: Once a concept is comprehended, the next level of understanding is applying that knowledge. This involves using the information in new situations or contexts. For example, in mathematics, understanding a formula isn't just about knowing what it is, but also about being able to use it in solving problems.

Analysis: This involves breaking down information into its constituent parts and understanding the relationship between these parts. Analysis is essential for complex subjects where understanding the whole requires an understanding of its components.

Synthesis: This is the process of combining various pieces of knowledge or information to form a new whole. This level of understanding signifies an ability to think critically and creatively, using known information to generate new ideas or solutions.

Evaluation: The highest level of understanding involves making judgments about the value of information or ideas. This includes assessing the credibility of sources, the validity of arguments, and the applicability of solutions to real-world problems.

Metacognition: This refers to an awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes. It's a higher-order thinking skill where individuals can monitor, control, and evaluate their learning and understanding.

For your educational framework, incorporating these elements will be crucial. The system should not only present information but also guide users through these stages of understanding. This might involve interactive elements that test comprehension, application exercises, analytical tasks, creative problem-solving challenges, and opportunities for critical evaluation.

Moreover, integrating metacognitive strategies will help users become more aware of their learning processes, which is key to self-directed learning and long-term retention. These strategies might include reflective questions, prompts to summarize what has been learned, or tools to plan and evaluate learning goals.

In summary, understanding in a learning context is a dynamic and multi-layered process. It starts with comprehension and progresses through application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation, with metacognition playing an overarching role.

It's obvious but worth repeating that nobody can learn for you. If you're lazy or you just don't care about the subject, the best you can do is regurgitate some facts that you're going to immediately forget about when the test is over.

With AI now part of the educational landscape, I'm a little pessimistic about American education in particular. Just reflecting on my time in grade school, most kids don't give a single fuck about anything they're learning at school. The goal is to turn the homework or test in, regurgitating whatever is necessary to get the grade, then immediately removing anything about that from their brain. Without a culture of learning where knowledge is respected and valued, AI will probably just make kids even lazier and more nihilistic than they already are. I remember kids saying things like, "Why do I have to learn math when the calculator can do everything?" Now we have ChatGPT, a seemingly all-knowing oracle, that can instantly answer whatever question you give it, kids are probably wondering why they should have to learn anything.

Additionally there's some unique factors among Gen Z and Gen Alpha that make this even worse. There's a lot of nihilism and despair among these generations because they feel powerless and disenfranchised due to a bleak outlook on their future. Why put effort into anything when their future is dying in the climate wars or AI automating them into homelessness?