I’ll read an explanation and think, yeah, that makes sense. I can follow each step. Then I try to explain it the next day and realise I can’t. What happened to all that understanding?
Something I’m trying: make a guess before looking at the answer. Before I read a chapter, watch a video or ask a model, write down what I think will happen and why. Even if I’m very wrong.
A sentence or a rough sketch is enough. I just need something I can come back to after reading the explanation, because otherwise I’ll have forgotten what I thought before. It’s very easy to read the answer and feel like that was what I meant all along.
Take chess. Before checking the engine, pick a move and think about what the other person would play next. Then look. If the engine suggests something else, follow that line and see what you missed. Maybe that piece wasn’t as well defended as you thought. Now you have a mistake you can actually look at and understand.
Getting the move right doesn’t settle it either. Did I see why it worked, or did I just happen to pick it? Changing one part of the question is a useful check. Can I still explain my answer?
- Read the explanation
- Recognise the answer
- Move on
- Write a guess
- Check the explanation
- Work out what I missed
The uncomfortable part is having my guess written down. I can’t quietly convince myself I knew it all along when what I actually thought is sitting right there.
I’m still trying to make a habit of this. There’s studying to do afterwards, obviously, but I have a question to work through. And the next day I can come back and try explaining it again, without looking.