Learn With Stories
I find it effective to learn something new through stories. Stories are not only enjoyable but also easier to understand, especially when it comes to complex subjects like math and science. By teaching these subjects from a historical perspective, rather than just focusing on their functional aspects, they become more accessible. Stories also stick well in our memory because they bring information to life.
Story-based learning is particularly effective for understanding difficult concepts. I love reading the history of a hard concept because complex subjects often begin with simplicity. For example, “The Code Book” by Simon Singh illustrates the origins of cryptography as a basic method of sharing secrets, using techniques like letter shifting to encrypt messages.
Starting with the origin of a concept also helps us to gradually understand it. We can learn the logical progression and purpose behind each step, which greatly enhances our understanding. For instance, “The Code Book” taught me how encryption evolved from symmetric to asymmetric in response to the risk of key leaks during transfer.
If there is something you want to learn, but you find it overwhelming, you might want to start with stories. :)
Here are some examples of subjects I learned through stories(books and documentaries):
- Cryptography(The Code Book)
- The Blockchain(Digital Gold)
- The Internet(Who Controls the Internet?)
- Capitalism(The Corporation)
- Media control(Manufacturing Consent)
- Hacking(The Art of Invisibility
- Hacktivism(The Internet’s Own Boy)
- Information theory(A Mind at Play
- Education system(The One World School House)
- Civil-rights movement(The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.)
- Pickup(The Game)
- Poker(The Biggest Bluff
- Design(Helvetica)
- Money(Money: The Unauthorized Biography
- Justice(A People’s History of the United States)
- Human evolution(Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
- PR(The Century of the Self)
- Veganism(Cowspiracy
- Math(Fermat’s Enigma)
- The Financial Crisis(The Big Short)
and more…