Learning Learning

By Joe Crawford

Dedicated to the great instructor, Bill Henderson, from whom I learned the process of effective learning, and who (through this process) taught me how to teach.

Purpose

This document is intended to provide students with techniques for learning, both in the classroom and independently. Strong learning habits are important and similar in both situations.

Good study skills are important. Only geniuses can succeed without good study skills. Most people, however, are not at a genius level of intelligence and better work habits are needed.

This section is especially useful for students taking classes who do not have well-developed study habits. This is the case for many students who have just finished secondary school. Students who come directly from high school are often missing a grasp of just how difficult the "real" world is, and lack the necessary study skills to do well in post-secondary education.

Many students who attend classes do not benefit from them the way they could. This problem seems especially strong in "art" schools, where many students think the courses they are taking will be easy, and that they can be successful without strong study skills.

Instructors help to provide you with information and assist you to overcome problems you encounter. They can also help greatly through sharing their own personal experience. However, professors can merely set the stage for you to create learning through your own action. They cannot, by themselves, force you to learn.

If one expects the learning process to be worthwhile, one must take personal responsibility for it. The greatest mistake a student can make is to assume that the instructor can teach effectively without student effort. This is untrue. The instructor cannot force students to learn, and it is up to students to apply the necessary effort and thought needed for the instructor to teach effectively. If you are not actively applying yourself to the class, you are wasting your money, your time, or possibly both.

Lecture learning skills

Attend the lecture

Obviously, you must be present to take advantage of any lectures given. However, one of the most common problems for students at many schools is a lack of proper attendance. This can cause even greater problems than expected. Often, future lectures will rely on concepts learned in previous lectures, so missing a single lecture can hurt you for the rest of the year. Students with the best attendance also tend to be taken the most seriously by instructors, and generally receive more help. Students with very poor attendance are more likely to have their questions brushed off.

Also, it is important to attend every class, not just the ones you think will have lectures. Very frequently, lectures will be given when least expected, such as in response to a question asked during a lab period.

You should make arrangements with classmates to take notes for you if you are going to miss a lecture. It is unlikely the material will be repeated by instructors for you if you have missed a lecture.

Pay close attention to the lecture

The only things you should be concentrating on during a lecture are the lecture itself, your comprehension of the materials being presented, the notes you are taking, and the questions you are asking.

Do not try to do what the instructor is doing during the lecture (unless you are asked to). You should not be looking at your own screen during the lecture. If the lecture is on animating a run cycle, do not try to animate your own during the lecture. If you do that you will not have time to take adequate notes. Try doing it yourself after the lecture, not during it.

Lectures will occasionally be boring. Some of the material which needs to be presented simply is not very exciting. The instructor's job is to educate you, not entertain you. An instructor will usually try to keep the lecture as interesting as possible, but situations are bound to occur in which students become bored. If you find yourself falling asleep during a lecture, or becoming otherwise inattentive, it is probably because you are not being a very active listener. Active note-taking during the lecture can keep you more alert, as can asking questions and involving yourself in the discussion.

Students often stop paying attention or fall asleep because they feel lost during a lecture. Bill Foster writes:

The instant you feel you did not grasp something ask questions. Do not just keep going on, piling up points [in your notes] you do not understand until you pass out sleeping!

Be organized and prepared

Bring blank paper, a writing tool, and a binder or other hard surface to write on. Bring textbooks as well. (This one is something I have always personally struggled with as I tend to be somewhat absent-minded and forgetful. However, I have found methods to cope with my own forgetfulness. I use a lot of checklists, to-do lists, and personal reminders. As one example, I set a lot of alarms on my cellphone as a reminder to do things!)

Ensure that during each class/lecture, you have easy access to information given to you during previous lectures.

Computers and similar devices have mostly taken over for purposes of information access and storage. Thus, it is very possible that all your notes will be on a computer device. However, you should have some method to deal with hard copies as well, since there is a good chance you will have to deal with them at some point.

Tip: Have a phone with a high-res camera on it, and simply take pictures of any documents that you are given. Take pictures of your own written notes as well!

Handouts

You will likely be asked to refer to handouts given in a previous lecture/class. Bring all handouts you have ever received to new classes. When given new handouts, put them in your binder, or some other safe place.

Give the instructor feedback

It is perfectly OK to ask the instructor to slow down or repeat something to make it clear, or to give you more time to absorb the information or take notes on it. Many students fail to do this only because they are afraid of looking bad in front of the other students or are shy. Do not hesitate to make the instructor aware of how much time you need to make it through the topic. If you feel the instructor is going too slow or too fast, speak up; many other students probably feel the same way you do. If nobody says anything, there is no way for the instructor to know what you need more information about.

If something is preventing you from getting the most out of the lecture (perhaps the lights are too bright and you cannot see the projector screen) let the instructor know about it. The instructor will try to find a solution, and if the problem is easy to solve, he will do something about it.

Ask questions

Ask questions during lectures, but keep them relevant to the topics of the lectures. If you are not sure if the question is relevant, ask it anyway. If it is not relevant, the instructor will simply say something like, "I will answer that question later." It does not hurt to ask.

Do not be afraid of looking stupid when you ask questions. It is the people who never ask questions that look stupid. The most successful students are always the ones with the most questions.

Take notes

Always have something available to write with when a lecture begins. If you do not have something, make sure the instructor knows; perhaps he can help you find some scrap paper and an extra pen.

It is extremely important to take notes during lectures. If you are attending a professional training seminar on behalf of your employer, and you were not taking notes, he would probably fire you. Notes help you get the most out of the class, and the class should be important enough to you to warrant note-taking. Some students are simply too lazy to take notes, and I often wonder why they would even take the class, if they were not willing to put the effort necessary into learning the material.

Do not try to write down everything the instructor says. Write down bits in point form and in your own words. You do not necessarily need to write down every single fact either. If something seems obvious to you, and you know you are not going to forget it, you do not need to write it down. Anything you think you might forget, or anything you think would be a valuable reference to you later should be included in your notes. Take notes as if you are never going to have the chance to ask the instructor a question again. If there is something you are unsure of, ask the question while you are taking the notes, and do not wait until the lecture is over. Do not depend on being able to ask the instructor questions after the lecture is over, even though you will usually be able to. The time will eventually come when the instructor is not available to answer questions, and having excellent notes at that time becomes very valuable.

You can use symbols and abbreviations in note-taking, as long as you are certain you will understand them later. No one else has to understand your notes, only you do. Anything you can do to accelerate note-taking speed will help you.

Consider typing your notes, but do not do this unless you are going to print out a hard copy for yourself. Having notes in front of you, and not on the computer screen, is very important.

For concepts that are difficult to word, use drawings as a means of illustrating the ideas. This can save you a lot of time writing long-winded descriptions when a picture would do just as good a job.

After the lecture

Read related materials. Read your handouts. Read assigned textbook chapters. Look up related topics in the library or on the internet. Do tutorials related to the work. Ask yourself questions to prove you understand the concepts.

Discuss the lecture with classmates

Classmates may have understood elements of the lecture that you did not. Talk to them about the lecture and related material/topics. You might also find it useful to exchange copies of your notes, and show each other examples of your work.

Areas of learning

Knowledge and skill sets you need to develop

The challenge of learning 3D computer graphics can be broken down into three areas, listed in descending order of importance:

1. Artistic development
2. Understanding of methods and technical concepts
3. Software skills

Artistic development

Artistic development should be your primary concern. All other techniques, concepts, and tools are only means to an end. The end result is the art itself. When learning anything you should ask yourself, how does this relate to the end result? Make sure you understand why the technique, concept, or tool helps you achieve your end result.

Cinematography, drawing, color theory, visualization, and layout. These are just a few topics that are mostly artistic. Classical animation principles done with an artistic touch will look just as good on the holographic projectors of the future as they did on black and white television.

Artistic skills will never go out of date. Because art is tied so closely to the human experience, computers by themselves will never make great art. Great art is inspired by the human experience, and says something that people can relate to.

Understanding of methods and technical concepts

Understanding technical concepts and methods is the next most important area of learning.

Technical concepts remain true even as the software that uses them goes obsolete. Technical concepts often draw upon universal principles such as math and physics. For example, 2 + 2 was 4 yesterday, it will be 4 today, and it will be 4 tomorrow. You will always need to learn new technical concepts, but your existing knowledge will remain true.

Methods also remain useful over time, and do not go out of date either. Planning your end result before committing to produce a lot of work saves time now and will save time in the future.

Software skills

Specific software skills are the least important for many reasons. Most importantly, any piece of software used is just a tool toward achieving artistic goals. There are so many different software packages out there that you could never hope to know every one of them completely. Focusing on any one piece of software too much can also hurt you by cornering you into a particular mindset, and causing you great difficulty when you need to learn something new. Because software changes so rapidly, any software-specific knowledge is guaranteed to go out of date in the near future.

I strongly recommend learning several pieces of software in parallel. Once you have learned a few different types of software, you will find new software packages easier to pick up. This works in the same way for people who know numerous languages. They have an easier time learning one more. If you already know English, French, and Italian, Spanish is going to be pretty easy to pick up.

Although many software packages are very expensive, there are many freely available software packages you can learn. You should learn some of them just for the sake of getting practice on a variety of different software, and getting used to switching between them.

Software packages tend to be very easy to learn since most of what you need to know can be found in reference material, or can simply be discovered through experimentation. I have learned many software packages myself through experimentation, and by doing as much research as was required. If books are available, I will always flip through them looking for useful information, and as an important note, I read online manuals just as much as printed ones. They may not be as convenient to read, but if the printed manual is not available or complete, you do not want to miss out on the information available in online reference material.

As far as CG learning goes, get the technical aspects out of the way as soon as you can, and you will have lots of time to focus on your art afterwards. You do not need to know what every button does, just learn the most important parts.

Also, if you are working on a computer, it's important to know enough about the operating system to stay organized. This might be an area in which you need to do some additional research.

Know the most important knowledge

90% of most people's work consists of using 10% of the available tools/knowledge. A person who thoroughly understands this 10% can quickly research the other bits of information/skills, and apply them when needed. One does not need to know what every button in a piece of software does. One just needs to know the foundational skills, and develop a clear general idea of how the software works. Once you have a good overall understanding, you can start to work on projects. When additional skills are needed to accomplish a task, one can learn them. Try to know the most important often used skills by heart, so that you never have to look them up again. Then when additional skills are needed, research and apply them.

I often find that in order to learn a new software package, I first try to understand the mindset of the designers when they created the program. If you are able to figure that out, you will be able to make logical guesses as to where they might have placed a function you have not yet seen. Once you are able to make those kinds of guesses successfully, you will be able to quickly learn about the tools you need whenever you are faced with a task, problem, or challenge.

If you have books, and do not intend to sell them, draw on them as you learn. Color important pages. Use a highlighter to mark anything you think you will need to find in the book again.

Hopefully, with these suggestions, you will spend less time fighting through computer programs and more time learning theory and practicing art.

Theoretical understanding vs. practical skills

Being able to do something well usually depends on having a strong understanding of what you are doing. Your practical skills are your ability to actually do something, to create something, or to perform a task. Your theoretical knowledge is your understanding of how things work, or the methods you need to use to accomplish something.

A student's learning in each area can be broken down into theoretical understanding and practical skills. Theory is usually taught first, and then practical exercises assigned afterwards.

Theory can be taught directly. Theory is usually taught through lectures, reading material, or multimedia presentations. Large amounts of reference material are also available.

Practical skills can only be attained through experience and practice. When you are developing your practical skills, instructors will work to assist you so that you do not get stuck on a given problem. Instructors will also provide valuable feedback and suggestions.

Working through tutorials can also provide valuable practical experience. Once a student has successfully completed a tutorial, that student can attempt a project without being guided step-by-step. Tutorials can be overused, however, and students should focus on developing problem solving skills. If you are only able to perform tasks when given a step-by-step guide on how to perform them, you are not very useful. For this reason, tutorials should only be used when you are beginning to learn about something. After that, the best way to proceed is to apply the concepts or techniques to your own project, and combine what you have learned with good problem solving skills.

Working with peers

• Being in a class with other students is very, very important.
• Class discussion and sharing of ideas is very important:
  • You can learn as much from your peers as you can from your instructor. It is one of the greatest advantages in going to school as opposed to learning on your own. You need to maximize the usefulness of this aspect.
• Observe others and their work:
  • You can look at the work other people are doing, and ask questions (in a polite fashion). If someone says they are too busy, let them be for a while and ask again later. Also, avoid always asking the same person questions all the time. Spread out your interaction so you do not always bother the same person.
  • Walk around the classroom. See what others are doing. Ask them why they did things the way they did, and how.
• Take suggestions seriously:
  • If someone says something negative about your work, or makes a suggestion for improvement, do not start arguing about it. You can ask why, and you can try to explain why you did it that way, but you should respect the suggestion. Do not ask people to look at your work if you are only looking for praise. Suggestions are more helpful.
• When giving negative feedback do it in a constructive fashion:
  • If you need to criticize a person’s work, do not be impolite. Offer ideas for improving it. If you are critiquing an animation, do not just say, "that sucks", say "I think you should hold that pose a lot longer", or, if it's a photograph that is too dark, say "it needs to be brighter". Always comment on the work, never the individual. If you are commenting on a 3D polygon model, do not say to the artist, "you are a terrible modeler", say, "that model needs improvements, the edge loop structure is not correct". You would expect the same courtesy.
• Being shy can hurt you:
  • It's very important that you are not too shy to speak with other classmates. The people who usually learn the least are the ones who sit by themselves and do not talk to anyone. If you are shy, find a way to get over the problem, maybe by asking your teacher to introduce you to other students and request they help show you their work. Being shy can really hurt you if you cannot find a way to conquer it.
  • If you have difficulties speaking to strangers or just have a shy personality, ask your instructor for help. Maybe you can be paired up with someone or introduced to people, so you do not have to approach them yourself.

Independent learning skills

Independent learning occurs when you teach yourself something by problem solving, research, deduction, and reasoning.

One learns more when one solves a problem independently. This does not mean you need to learn everything yourself, but it does mean that you need to learn a number of things yourself, so that you are familiar with the process of educating yourself.

The greatest disadvantage to independent learning is the fact that it is often very slow. Researching something can take much longer than if someone simply told you the answer. Obviously, not all learning should be independent.

However, the greatest advantage to independent learning is that you will be able to learn things when no one is available to help you, and you will even be able to learn things that nobody else knows yet.

Researching

Look it up. Try the internet. Type in the main subjects that you are looking for information on into search engines (and get to know the search engine's advanced features well). Chances are you will be amazed at how much information is available on the subject. You might have to search around and check several links before you find something useful, but if you are persistent you are almost certain to find something.

Go to the library; there are probably great books available on the topic of interest to you.

Ask your friends and peers if they have books or tutorials on topics you want to learn about. Ask them for permission to borrow or copy what they have.

Finally, seek out knowledgeable people, and see if they can refer you to the best sources of information. Often, even if you cannot physically find someone, you will be able to find them on the internet, in an IRC channel, on a mailing list, or in a forum somewhere.

Experimenting

You need to experiment. I learned 90% of what I know about software through experimentation, but it's not only applicable to computers. You could experiment a lot to learn cooking as well. If you are not sure what effect something will have, try it and see. Be prepared for the worst-case scenario, though, in which your experiment goes horribly wrong. ALWAYS have a backup of anything you might want to keep! If you are working on something that is not on a computer, and you cannot just save a backup, do your experiments on something non-valuable, something you do not care about. i.e., you would probably experiment learning mechanics on your 1978 Toyota Tercel, not a brand new Rolls-Royce.

You can learn a huge amount about any topic by doing very simple experiments. This is how famous inventors like Thomas Edison came to their eventual discoveries: through a series of simpler discoveries which led them towards their goal.

Remember the concept of "scientific control" as it relates to experiments. (Look up scientific control on Wikipedia.) If you experiment with a complicated system, there are many other variables that could potentially make your results unpredictable. You want to minimize the number of variables, and in turn minimize the number of factors that could be having an effect on the result.

Thus, you should usually experiment first with the simplest scenarios, to fully understand the subject you are learning about. You should, as much as possible, isolate your experiment from other factors. By doing so, you can eliminate the possibility that you are applying a particular concept correctly, but that other complications are getting in the way.

Even for a complicated problem, start simple.

Problem solving

What to do if you are stuck on a technical problem, and assistance is not available.

Try everything in a simple way first.

Eliminate variables, find out what is not causing the problem, and you will be closer to knowing what is. If you have a complicated problem start removing things from the situation, simplifying it. Prove to yourself that certain facts are true. Often problems are caused by incorrect assumptions we have made. Think about any assumptions you are making, or beliefs you may have, and try to think of an experiment you can do that will work to prove whether or not your assumptions are correct.

Also, finally, try making the simplest version of the scene that demonstrates the problem. Sometimes, as you strip it down, you'll find that the problem disappears, and this lets you know the problem was in one of those things you deleted.

Even if the problem doesn't get solved that way, you will have a much smaller "problem surface area". That will make it easier to find whatever the actual problem is.

See if the problem is scene-specific. Does the same problem pop up when you attempt the same things in a new scene?

Shut down the program, reboot the computer, and start again fresh. Many times, problems crop up simply because the computer needs to be restarted. Remember, Kyle fixed the whole internet by just unplugging it and plugging it back in. ;)

If you are working with a particular scene or file that is consistently causing problems, try loading up a blank scene (new/reset) and try merging or importing your scene into the new scene. Then save the file with a new name. A huge number of problems can be fixed this way in numerous software packages.

Backing up your work

A considerable amount of time can be spent working on computers, and you should consider what you create during that time to be valuable. Computers are very prone to crashing and losing work. You need to take special care to back up your work often.

You should back up your work using several methods.

First, your work should always be backed up onto another physical disk.

Secondly, it is very important the work is backed up on separate removable media detached from any computer. For example, keep your work backed up on compact disc or DVD, and put those disks in a safe place.

Always keep multiple copies of your backups. Do not always back up to the same disc. Ideally, an encrypted backup "in the cloud" on the internet is great to have as well. (I use SpiderOak for it.)