Paul giving a session

FDS: No Grok (You don't understand something, whether a sentence, a book or a whole subject)

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Notes:

"Grok" is a word coined by the author Robert Heinlein. It means to fully understand.

This page isn't a substitute for working with a competent professional, but it is better than nothing. False Data Stripping is great, but should come after "word clearing" has been done. "Clearing words" is the activity of locating words in a subject that a person has either not understood or has mis-understood, resulting in the person not comprehending part or all of a subject. It is fairly pointless to try and clear up all of a person's not-understood or mis-understood words. It is more sensible to follow his interest, and address only those areas that he wants to have more understanding of.

In trying to debug a problem with studying something, it is assumed that you have had enough sleep; enough food; you're not under the influence of drugs or alcohol; not weak from illness; and not with your attention fixated heavily on something or splattered all over the universe. In other words, you should be in a fit state to study. If the problem is coming from the fact that you're tired, or drunk, or have your attention tied up in a fight with someone five minutes ago, then the steps below aren't going to work. In this case, come back when you have sorted out the situation and are in a better condition to study.

You don't grok an article or short text

It is assumed that the text is sensible and can be made sense of. Not all texts are! It is also assumed that there is no omitted information. If you are reading a text on advanced physics, and you don't know the underlying basic principles, you will not get very far using only a dictionary.

It is also assumed you were doing OK before you hit this particular article or text.

Do the following steps in this order until you have resolved the difficulty:

  1. If you haven't already done this, re-read the text carefully. Sometimes it just needs to be read a time or two more to become clear. If it becomes obvious that there is a word or phrase you do not fully get, then clear it up in a dictionary or online reference before continuing. If this happens while doing a later step, immediately clear it up then too. You should brighten up on spotting the word or phrase you don't understand. Note that this occurs on simply spotting it, but you must also look up the definition in the context it is being used, and then use it in enough sentences of your own creation to make it your own and fully understand it.
  2. Read the text ALOUD so you can hear your own words, paying attention to the meaning of each word or phrase. Stumbling over words usually indicates a word or phrase is misunderstood, although the misunderstanding can occur before the stumble does. If your attention is on the text at the outset, but you suddenly notice it has started to wander, go back to just before it started to wander and look for a word or phrase you don't fully get.
  3. Demo* out the entire text, sentence by sentence, concept by concept. You don't have to do it word by word, although you can if you feel you must. The purpose of this step is that if you understand the concept(s) expressed by a sentence perfectly, you will have no difficulty in doing the demo(s) using the usual stick-figures etc. Let's say there are 5 sentences in a paragraph, and you can demo the first three fine but have difficulty with the fourth. Then look in that fourth sentence, or possibly near or at the end of the third sentence, for a word or phrase you don't fully understand.
  4. If there is nothing obviously in this text that you don't get, but you still feel foggy, look earlier in what you were studying, at the previous item or itemss, and see if there is something earlier that you did not fully get. The principle is to go back to a point where you are certain you were doing well, then come forward from there. You should brighten up when looking over a prior section that you fully understood, and stay bright and shiny as you continue on reading paragraphs you understand. The moment your attention starts to wander, or you start to feel not quite so bright and shiny, look immediately prior for a word or phrase you don't fully get. The word or phrase you didn't fully get will be at the exact end of the place where you were bright and shiny. This does not say keep reading getting duller and duller and hope it will magically clear up. :). Look at the exact tail end of where you were bright and shiny.

Notes (continued):

You don't grok an entire subject

  1. One simple approach is to ask yourself the question, "What word in the subject of _____ was misunderstood?" and carefully note down the "flash" answer that comes to mind. Then clear up the word in an appropriate dictionary. Don't use a complicated dictionary! Use the simplest one you can find that gives an adequate definition. "College" level dictionaries are usually FAR too complicated, even for people who have gone to college. Really. :)
  2. Then clear up other words in the subject one does not understand. Sometimes it is useful to find a summary of the subject with a glossary of the most important words, and make sure one fully knows every single one of those words. But be careful to stay with clearing up basic words you have come across in that subject and don't embark on learning whole new areas of the subject.
  3. If the whole subject stays foggy and you don't seem to be making any headway at all with the above two steps, you can check "Is there an earlier similar misunderstood subject?" If you get a flash answer to this that seems right, then go with it and do steps 1 and 2 on the earlier subject.

You used to grok things, but haven't really done well for a while now

The same principle of finding a point you were doing well and working forward from there applies just as much over a long time span as over a short one. But it can be more complicated if you were doing well 17 years ago but ran into trouble at some time since and you're not sure when. It is possible that what is hanging up your understanding lies outside of the article or subject entirely. Is this the problem — you were doing fine but your attention is hung up on something not fully understood outside of the area in question? If you brighten up on this idea, go and clear up whatever it is, then come back to the area and see how it goes then.

You don't think you ever really grokked things

This happens, but is outside the scope of PaulsRobot. Basically, study a simple grammar text in your own language, so you can understand how words hang together and sentences are formed. Using simple dictionaries, look up words you don't understand as it happens, and use them in sentences of your own until you feel you know how the word is used. Keep doing this - which may take months of hard work - until you have reached the point you think you can have another go at studying whatever it is you want to study.

Using FDS

If it seems like there may be some False Data getting in the way, check it out using PaulsRobot FDS, and handle whatever you find. Remember that checking it out does not imply that there is false data in the way — maybe there is and maybe there isn't.

Purpose

Finally, if none of this really works, then look at your purpose for studying the area. If you really, REALLY want to understand the subject or part of the subject, then you will work it out some way or other to resolve the problem so that you DO understand it!

Mini glossary

*DEMO here means draw out pictures of real-life situations on paper using stick figures for you, your partner, your boss etc. Demos will help considerably with your understanding. Do not use a lot of words in the demo. Demo the ideas as they apply to your own life. Do demos at your discretion to help with any idea or paragraph you are trying to understand. If you are feeling "light-headed" from too much theory, do lots of real-life demos as above until the light-headedness goes away. Or preferably get your hands on the real thing, but this isn't always possible.