Today in Review:
It is currently fashionable to criticize the traditional education system and the learning models it instills in our youth. Certainly, I am guilty of it. In a broad sense, it is always quite simple to criticize the incumbent; however, it is much more difficult to propose a viable alternative, especially one that is scalable.
Traditional learning models are flawed in two ways: first, they promote compartmentalized knowledge, and second, they create forced, linear progressions.
The ultimate meta-goal of learning is the accumulation of knowledge over time. We wish to acquire new information in such a way that it builds upon existing foundations, preferably in an accelerating, non-linear fashion.
Networked Learning is a means of returning to our origins and allowing knowledge to freely interact and combine. There are numerous ways to engage it, such as:

(1) Explore versus Tour,

(2) Constantly Analogize,

(3) Paired Learning,

(4) Read Broadly & Quit More, and

(5) Slow Down Learning.

Visualization Credit: Jack Butcher

It is currently fashionable to criticize the traditional education system and the learning models it instills in our youth. Certainly, I am guilty of it. In a broad sense, it is always quite simple to criticize the incumbent; however, it is much more difficult to propose a viable alternative, especially one that is scalable.
Traditional learning models are flawed in two ways: first, they promote compartmentalized knowledge, and second, they create forced, linear progressions.
The ultimate meta-goal of learning is the accumulation of knowledge over time. We wish to acquire new information in such a way that it builds upon existing foundations, preferably in an accelerating, non-linear fashion.
Networked Learning is a means of returning to our origins and allowing knowledge to freely interact and combine. There are numerous ways to engage it, such as: (1) Explore versus Tour, (2) Constantly Analogize, (3) Paired Learning, (4) Read Broadly & Quit More, and (5) Slow Down Learning.

The New Method of Study in 2022:

Jack Butcher is attributed for the design.
The death of traditional learning models
Over the past five years, if you’ve used Twitter or attended any group events, you’ve likely heard countless variations of the above statement.
It is currently fashionable to criticize the traditional education system and the learning models it instills in our youth. Certainly, I am guilty of it. In a broad sense, it is always quite simple to criticize the incumbent; however, it is much more difficult to propose a viable alternative, especially one that is scalable.
In today’s article, I’d like to lay the groundwork for a new, superior learning model: Networked Learning. Before delving into the specifics of the new method and how to employ it, let’s examine the traditional model and its flaws.
Note: I say “foundation” because my thoughts on the subject are still evolving. I believe I’ve identified a significantly superior method for children and adults to learn, along with clear instructions for its implementation, but the challenge of deploying it at scale remains.
The Conventional Example

Elementary school appears eerily similar to how it did fifty or more years ago.
I graduated from a public high school with the impression that I detested most subjects.
It was strange, because I was a fairly interested child, but I drifted from class to class, doing the bare minimum to provide an adequate report card to my parents and to meet the academic requirements of the Stanford Athletic Department’s admissions team.
With the benefit of hindsight and a bit of maturity, I realize that what I truly detested was the learning model that the traditional education system imposed on me: A model of learning based on linear, compartmentalized learning. A learning model that emphasized memorizing facts by rote.
Unfortunately, we are indoctrinated with this learning model for so many years that our bad habits last a lifetime. Consequently, few adults are able to learn more effectively.
Stay with me today and I’ll assist you in breaking the cycle…
Let’s begin with a brief explanation of the traditional model’s flaws.
Problem #1: Compartmentalized
Traditional education requires you to create mental containers.
I envision them as miniature homes. There are history houses, English houses, science houses, mathematics houses, etc. Each home is private and isolated from the other homes and the outside world.
On Monday, you have a test in history. You sit down with a cup of coffee on a Sunday evening and cram new abstract information about Genghis Khan into your designated history house. You manage to ace the test on Monday by recalling the material. Your teacher, parents, and friends congratulate you on a job well done, but by Monday, you’ve already forgotten it.
You say, “Oh well, I didn’t need to learn about Genghis Khan anyway…”
This procedure is repeated for all subjects. Knowledge is crammed and imprisoned in its designated dwelling.
The difficulty? Essentially, trapped knowledge is useless. It is resistant to the interactions that allow it to adhere and accumulate over time. The compartment is helpful for the examination, but not for genuine learning and development.
Second Problem: Linear and Forced
The traditional education system was designed for the Industrial Age; it is based on a production line model.
It instructs us to learn and be tested on one specific topic before moving on to the next. We move from one topic to the next in accordance with predetermined timelines, which have been established by boards and committees.
The progression is forced and linear in the model. No room exists for inspired consumption.
Everyone learns in their own way, at their own pace, and with their own interests.
The current model accepts those who can conform and make it work, while rejecting those who are unable to do so. It leaves behind too many people.
Networked Learning: The New Model

Jack Butcher is attributed for the design.
“I have never allowed school to impede my education.” – Mark Twain
Okay, we’ve identified a few fundamental issues with the existing, conventional learning models. Let’s adopt the new, superior method: Networked Education.

A Reversion to Our Origins

The ultimate meta-goal of learning is the accumulation of knowledge over time. We wish to acquire new information in such a way that it builds upon existing foundations, preferably in an accelerating, non-linear fashion.
But for this to work, we must expose our knowledge to the outside world. It must interact with both existing and new knowledge in order to stimulate new growth.
Fortunately, we are biologically wired in this way. As children, we experience every new event, person, or object with awe and insatiable curiosity. Each new learning is actively contextualized within our existing knowledge graphs. Constantly constructing and revising our “maps” of the world.
There are many “collisions” of knowledge in the child’s brain, which is the determining factor. There are currently no predetermined compartments imposed on them. There is no separation between certain knowledge and the rest of it. It’s an application of chaos theory. In the child’s brain, information is free to interact, react, and stimulate growth.

A return to our roots, this is the basis of Networked Learning.

A return to the natural way of interacting with the world. We grapple with concepts and allow cross-pollination to take its course. We abstract complexity in a distinctive manner. Our knowledge is never stored in a closed, dark room; it is always exposed to light and ready to combine.
This is sufficient theory; hopefully you’re persuaded. Now is the time to employ strategy: How can Networked Learning be implemented?
Several ideas to get you started:
Explore vs. Tour Analogize Continuously Coupled Learning
Read broadly and give up more
Slow down Education
Let’s examine each:
Explore vs. Tour
Always strive to be an explorer rather than a tourist when gaining new knowledge.
The tourist embarks on a predetermined tour of a new location by adhering to predetermined routes and maps established by others.
To create their own maps of the city, the explorer traverses the streets, wanders widely, and engages with new individuals. Much more is learned and retained by the explorer as a result of the experience.
Don’t tour, explore.
Analogize Constantly\sNetworked The foundation of learning is the capacity to contextualize newly-learned information within your existing maps.
To accomplish this, you must make direct or indirect comparisons and associations between the new and existing data. It will compel the knowledge to persist, combine, and expand.
A simple illustration to illustrate the concept:
I conducted extensive research on Morris Chang and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company for a January 2021 article. It occurred to me that TSMC’s innovative model for a pure-play chip manufacturer had enabled independent chip designers to launch their own businesses.

I sought an analogy, or a way to relate this new information to something I had previously learned.
Then, it dawned on me: this resembled Shopify’s creation of infrastructure that enabled independent consumer companies to sell online.

I had placed the new information within the context of my larger mental map. It was now able to mix and interact in my mind, as well as consolidate and expand.
Paired Instruction
There are frequently non-obvious “learning pairs” that can be utilized to accelerate the acquisition of new information.
Learning pairs are two (or more) subjects that share a similar connective tissue — something that binds them at the molecular level (read: below the surface).
Examples:
William Shakespeare and English History
Sci-Fi & Tech Investing
Nuclear Physics and United States History
If I’m simultaneously reading a great science fiction novel (Project Hail Mary was incredible!) and a book on technology venture capital investing, I may discover interesting connections in abstract predictions of future technologies or similarities in underlying logic that enhance my understanding of both subjects.
If you consume these non-obvious pairs simultaneously, you can create more connections and compounding.
Read broadly and give up more
One of the best decisions you can make is to expand your reading beyond what is “useful.” Science fiction has probably taught me more about investing in technology than most investment books.
Read more, but also quit more. If it doesn’t grab you, drop it.
I attempt to read for 60 minutes every day, but there is no pattern or reason to what I read. I may be reading passages from any of the 10 books I have open at once, as well as the numerous articles, newsletters, and blogs I encounter each week. I am not compelled to read anything. I pursue what excites me and cease when that excitement wanes. I urge you to give this reading method a try.
Slow down Education
The number of books read by adults and children has become a peculiar vanity metric or “flex” I used to boast about the number of books I read each week to impress others.
But learning is unquestionably not a competition. There are often negative returns to incremental speed, so it is counterproductive to rush through a task. It is not impressive to read 52 books per year if you are unable to learn anything from them.
Slow down and allow new ideas to marinate and develop.
Concluding Remarks

Networked Learning is the modern method of education. It is a radical departure from the compartmentalized, forced, linear models of the conventional system and a return to our roots. Try it out, either on your own or with your children, and let me know what you think. I would appreciate your feedback.
Undoubtedly, there is still a great deal of mystery surrounding this topic, particularly how to implement this Networked Learning model at scale. I am just beginning to scratch the surface of my own thinking, but I will persevere.
I hope this article sparks a conversation about new learning models and sheds light on the innovators who are creating a better future for our children.