Abstraction literacy and scientific reasoning are learnable abilities that can be used, if you have a lot of time, to reduce the following kinds of suffering.
University math and science — You get C-s and D+s on exams while "smart kids" skip homework and coast by with As.
High-school math and science — Word problems and explain-your-reasoning problems ruin exam scores. When teachers give feedback, answers are frustratingly obvious.
Technology — The software manual doesn't answer your questions. Hand that same manual to experts who've never touched your software, and they magically tell you what to do.
AI — It wastes your time drafting emails you could have written yourself and making up bad advice. Senior scientists and engineers collaborate with the same AI to build dependable knowledge and software.
You can learn abstraction literacy and scientific reasoning for free — no sign-up necessary. Just watch the videos and read the packet linked above.
Abstraction literacy is the ability to do the following.
Read notes and questions in English involving concepts that are more naturally understood in alternative forms, for example, pictures
Sort concepts into categories for rules, quantities, and measurable values
Scientific reasoning is the ability to do the following.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Attribute by leaving the URL davidliao.com intact in each copy of this document you share.
© Copyright 2019 David Liao.
AP® and Advanced Placement® are registered trademarks of the College Board, which was not involved in the creation of this website. This website is not endorsed by or affiliated with the College Board.