Hintonblogger

There is a great article in the August 2006 edition of the Scientific American titled The Expert Mind. It is a rather lengthy, but fascinating article about the process in which we become experts at something and it basically focuses on learning theory. It's premise is that "effortful study" (i.e. studying with motivation and structure) over time produces significant learning progress in a particular topic):

The preponderance of psychological evidence indicates that experts are made, not born. What is more, the demonstrated ability to turn a child quickly into an expert--in chess, music and a host of other subjects--sets a clear challenge before the schools. Can educators find ways to encourage students to engage in the kind of effortful study that will improve their reading and math skills?

It concludes with this paragraph: