Learning is an important part of my life. From formal education to leisure reading to online courses, I love filling my brain with new information. One element of learning that has long interested me has been the idea of theory versus application. With learning being the subject of this trial, there’s no better time to discuss. First, an update on progress.
State of Learning
Since last week, I didn’t make the time for learning I was hoping to. An opportunity to work additional hours for overtime pay came up over the weekend. With the current uncertainty of financial institutions, jobs, etc., I figured it was a good chance to make a little extra cash should I need it.
The little progress I did make was in the card spring. I found a better way to hold the cards to have better control. I can get some consistent shuffles from one hand to the other, but only at a short distance. If I pull my hand more than six inches away from the other, I don’t have the control to keep the cards headed in the same direction, and they scatter to far apart. On the plus side, I can get through the whole deck.
I’m thinking of picking another skill to work on, with a periodic touch up on the card spring. If you have any suggestions, let me know in the comments below.
On Theory
When it comes to learning, I enjoy diving head first into a subject and consuming as much as I can. For a long time, I’ve found myself mostly delving into analysis and theory. I was more interested in the ideas of a subject, rather than the specific skills used within a discipline.
Back in college, I loved long lecture courses that consisted of a professor speaking and writing notes on a board. Jotting down the ideas and taking them in was exciting.
Much of my time spent online is watching video essays and analysis on a variety of subjects, but more often than not it’s media. The media in question comes in the forms of books, movies, and games. From narrative, design, or even media specific elements. A video may discuss the editing of a particular film in how it helps or hurts the final product. While not explicitly teaching the techniques required to edit, the focus is on the overall art.
Applying It
While theory can develop ideas, application is what ultimately gets things done.
I define application as the base skills that are used in the creation, maintenance, or interaction. For example, human behavior would be theory, but negotiation would be application.
The critical element of learning application skills is they require practice. While theory has a lot of information, it’s primarily analysis and thinking. Application however, is generally specific tasks. Knowing how to perform the task or tasks requires both an understanding and practice.
In the past year, I’ve made efforts to take more of this approach to learning. Rather than simply learn about an idea, finding a way to do something with that knowledge became the goal. I began learning a lot about game development. As part of two challenges, I made games for each. While both are basic in their design, I learned a lot about the development process.
Why Not Both
There can be discussion as to which is more important, but in the end I think both have their own roles. I recently watched a debate about political theory versus policy. One debater harked that theory was useless and only realistic passable policy mattered. The other agreed that policy was important, but defended that theory leads to development in overall political understanding.
I think the same applies to many, if not all, areas of learning. It’s important to understand the specific skills in a certain field, especially if it’s a job, as most of a day will be spent using said skills. A deeper understanding of theory or fundamentals can provide a foundation for those skills, as well a better path for growth, both individually and in the field as a whole.
Trying Out Before Buying In 