AI, authoring tools, and old debates

Here's a hard truth: Learning that sticks always demands something from you.

Think back to the time you learned something. Not memorized, not just nodded along, not just attended, but actually learned.

Maybe it was the first time you led a meeting or figured out a tool on your own. You probably did not have a step-by-step guide to refer to before you did it, but the circumstance demanded it, or you were presented an opportunity, and you rose to the task.

That kind of learning sticks with you. The kind that demanded something from you.

Passive learning, on the other hand, involving simply reading, watching, or listening, creates an illusion of learning.

Learning is not just about soaking in knowledge. It happens when you grapple, decide, act, reflect, and experiment.

That's how we're designed to learn.

That's why retrieval practice, decision-making, and problem-solving produce longer-lasting outcomes than simply reading, watching, or listening.