I found one of those on the beach one day when I was a little kid. Like 10, maybe. I didn't know what it was but i thought it was the coolest thing I had ever found. You'd of thought I had found box of gold coins. My older brother was like, "It's just a fish hook remover". It became one of my favorite toys. It was useful, practical and it even looked like a little grey dinosaur. I used that thing for all kinds of tasks. Even my mom got used to me pulling it out to fix something and she would ask me to "go get your thing and pull that stuff out of there", or whatever it was she needed it for. That was 45 years ago and that thing is still in my tool box.
As a dance teacher and theater technician, your description of watch and do is spot on (at least for me and my process). I appreciate that there are other modes of learning, and that others have different ways of processing or intaking new material. Experiential learning is in many ways the most complete internal learning (and teaching) for me. The gestalt observation process is also essential in creative criticism practice. I’ve found that I cannot give criticism or good observations too quickly, however - it has to percolate mentally a bit before I can verbalize. I have become an avid watcher of your videos, primarily because of the joy you take in whatever it is you are doing. The spiritual uplift of process is so clear. Many thanks to you for consistently brightening my days.
I practice acrobatics at a high level and train with national level gymnasts regularly. I've also teached gymnastics to both beginner and advanced athletes. The thing I've noticed that there are different types of learners. Some people seem to be very receptive to the 'intellectualization' of an action more than they are to intuiting it from watching and of course vice versa. In my experience the athletes that are receptive to intellectualization often learn better if you heavily front load the information and then remind them of small mistakes or help them reframe their thinking when mistakes occur. Usually mechanical descriptions of movements are better for these athletes. The athletes that prefer to just watch and intuitively understand on the other hand are hindered by too much information and it can misdirect their original intuitions about a movement. These athletes often benefit from explanation of how a movement feels rather than how it mechanically works. So I think that the teachers Adam mentions are themselves probably the type who learn by having as much information front loaded as possible. While Adam is very intuitive builder and learner himself so there could have been a clash because of that.
I trained myself through musical theatre from a baritone singer into a tenor/counter-tenor (still keeping my low notes) by watching and listening. However, through that- I found I was intellectualizing others' performances with my own logic and mechanical understanding of my voice. I trained to be a counter-tenor after seeing Jersey Boys on Broadway (with a new cast)- and while getting autographs after I said to the Frankie "I decided I'm going to learn to sing like that." He glanced up slowly and said- "Good Luck with that..." My friend and I looked at each other with similar discomfort because it sounded so sarcastic. I trained to sing Take On Me by the end of the next week.
I find the best commentary when watching someone's techniques is when they narrate WHY they do it in that way. By describing the WHY, it helps me conceptualize the technique's HOW. It anchors me to the problem and gives a perspective that allows me to follow along to their solution.
I’m a plastic surgeon and use those “alligator pliers” (sterilized, of course!) to remove the rare deep stitch that the body is rejecting. Thanks for all the great content over the years!
My dad has a beefy pair for grabbing hooks out of fish, he’s gotten good with them, most times he doesn’t even need to grab the fish with his hands he can just snatch the hook while they are still floating in the water
For me the difference between learning to do something and learning to do something well is learning to see differently. This changes the rote action from “just do it that way” into understanding the outcome difference that one action has compared to another action. Changing how I “see” the object as it progresses from raw to finished lets me understand when I’ve made an error and when I’ve fixed it. For example: Adam regularly takes cut wood over to his belt grinder (a tool designed for metal). On the face of it, this tells the viewer that we need this additional tool as well. But once he tells us what he is seeing in the wood part that necessitates that action, then we can apply our own processes and tools to achieve a similar result. This nuance moves the learner from process operator to the realm of craftsman and maker. With this understanding I may not use the processes but can certainly recognize craftsmanship when I encounter it.
As someone who grew up with a mechanic in the house, I learned to appreciate the subtle movements and techniques used when doing work. It's why I made so many videos showing how exactly I put together drones. No cuts. No interruptions. They aren't shortened to make them better. They include everything that you might need to be better at doing such a specialized task.
The in-person learning experience is the best. My friend invited me to a very rare all-day glassblowing workshop in a remote location in my country. She traveled from abroad and paid for the whole thing, which was quite expensive for just a day-experience, and I drove us there. It was all the way in the province of Groningen, The Netherlands, at a remote farm - but gosh, the entire day was amazing. The instructor was a highly experienced artistic glassblower, with numerous glass-blown objects around his workshop/farmhouse. The farmhouse was very chilly, apart from the kiln. I thought I was going to catch a cold for sure, until we started the actual glass-blowing class along with a few others who were attending the workshop. We were explained how the physics of glass-blowing and its tools works and finally we were assisted in doing some basic glass-blowing. Around lunchtime we were served lunch in their beautiful historic home next to the farmhouse. We eventually made several objects with various colours of glass included, such as a globe and a cup or glass to drink from. After a few days we were able to pick them up and take them home because the cooling down of glass-made objects takes several days or they will shatter.
one of my favorite things about listening to you (Adam) talk is, regardless of topic, your enthusiasm is such that it makes the topic seem to just matter more. Thank you for providing smarts, motivation and learnin' with a fun, passionate spin. The "Wholesome Quadinitry" (Keanu, Bob, Fred and Steve) of fantastic people should be a Pentinity to include you.
I’ve been instructing adults in everything from federal regulatory compliance to gun safety for 20 years, and until the age of COVID, most of this was done in a face to face (F2F) setting. In the last two years, I’ve had to transition to much more internet/video-based training, and I’ve learned a few things… - I think as an instructor, I can be much more effective in the F2F environment because I’m sensitive to non-verbal cues that guide me when I need to re-explain something, explain something differently, or if we’re ready to move on. It also gives me cues on whether I can move faster or should move slower, which can vary greatly between classes on the same subject. - I’ve found that when doing things on-line or recorded, most people want to be very focused on sharing the “right” thing to do. In reality and especially with physical types of learning, as much can be learned from struggling through something a few times as being shown one person’s right way to do something. - I also think the mindset of the participant is different when learning something from a screen and learning something in person. When looking at a screen many people seem to be in a kind of disconnected “receive mode”, whereas in a F2F environment, more people are engaged with the subject, the instructor, and the other participants which seem to result is a different (and I believe likely better) quality of learning experience. - For real practical kids of training (how to make something, how to do your job, etc...) to be done on-line, shorter is better... Breaking complex tasks down into simple steps and letting the participant step away and apply the technique and/or re-watch the video is a much better approach than an hour or more of detailed explanation.
Just one simple question: what if the client(or whatever you call it in this case) is someone who is very mechanical and doesn't let through much in terms of nonhverbal cues, like for example someone on the autistic spectrum? Then again i presume not many people are like that in your field of work, but i'd be curious to know how you'd act in that instance.
Of all things to be done remotely... gun safety training? That sounds like a recipe for disaster. All the people I had to "train" to handle a firearm safely had a different relationship to the weapon... some were scared shitless (which is really dangerous if they close their eyes), some were cowboys wanabees (which is really dangerous if they decide they already know everything), and some had pretty much zero common sense or self-preservation instincts. And you won't know who is what until they actually have the real thing in their hands... Formal training can only teach you a general process to follow... but gun safety REQUIRES ingrained reflexes.
I find that with instructional videos I might sift through a half dozen or more similar videos on a topic unsure if one is better than another. Eventually finding enough of a consensus among the majority of the videos to have confidence that if so many others are doing it the same way it must be right for the most part. Then I just pick the one that I feel best describes the process both visually and verbally and I end up watching it a few times, and also watch while performing whatever the task is and constantly pausing as I go through. Seems like a lot of work but in the absence of having someone from so many different backgrounds/professions sitting with me in person to teach me I think it works really well. For me the best videos are the ones that skip the fluff at the beginning where they spend 5 minutes talking about what they plan to do. Just get to the task and lets get on with it.
Reminds me a of college professor I had for a few semesters. At the beginning of each class, he'd hand out the lecture notes (more or less an outline of the lecture he was about to give). That way, instead of spending the entire time scrambling to write down everything he says or writes on the board, we could sit back and actually enjoy what he's talking about. It also allows for a lot more discussion between the prof and the class.
In scouts, when I did a leadership camp, one of the key things i learned was the EDGE method of teaching. Explain, Demonstrate, Guide, Enable. this was 16 years ago and whenever i teach anyone anything new, i use this, most of the time I lump step 1 and 2 together. it has been invaluable.
I love my laparoscopic graspers. I have a set of Snowden-Pencer graspers with carbide jaws and they are one of my favorite tools that does it's job of getting lost screws and bolts, especially when you drop a screw in an engine bay, nothing else has been able to come close.
Just got home from the workshop where I used, yeah, baking soda to cure some CA glue on a model. It also works well for a rust like texture on surfaces, just "paint" on some glue and dust with baking soda, and then paint it.
I do a lot of training for machine operators, and I utilize several different techniques to communicate the same information. First, I explain the process, then I demonstrate the process, and finally, I coach them through the process while they do it. Each method imparts a different level of understanding of that process to the person learning.
Adam, great video about learning. My dad was in the appliance sales and service business, back when you had to be an electrician, plumber, carpenter jack of all trades as they say. I worked with him from the time I was old enough and learned from watching what he did. My kids kids have learned from me. Love your channel, keep it up.
I have a pair of those pliers too and don’t use them often but they come in handy when needed, also I agree with watching someone do something to learn from them as being an easier way to “get it “ for me. Thanks for the video.
What a great video! I'm glad I clicked on it because the way that you talked about the on topic and off topic issues kept me intrigued all the way through. I enjoy the way you elaborate on a question, especially when the answer is not so straight forward and ends up on a winding path, because answers are usually not so simple. I hope that you continue to explain things as such in the future. I'll definitely keep an eye out for the next Ask Adam savage video.
I model in HO scale trains. A truck tuning tool is pretty much essential and only has that one purpose. Fits in the trucks and reams out the axle hole to a perfect and consistent shape to receive the axles. The jokes almost write themselves, but it's real and true.
I am a motorcycle ridercoach (what the MSF calls teacher/instructor) and the way we do exercises is we give a description of the exercise, the course layout. then we demo it. after we run the students through it. the first run through we give very little advise as they are already overwhelmed with the experience and filling their heads with instructions will probably make it worse. then the next times through I will usually just try to correct one thing at a time (turn your head more, lean more, whatever) and let them know what they did right. (positive critique is also important for learning as if they focus on the negative only, they will get discoraged) we let them make the small mistakes as they learn from them. if they wobble through a turn and miss a cone, I don't have to tell them they missed the cone. I just have to make sure they know how to get it next time. the best is when they make a mistake, pull up to me and I can see that they know exactly what they did wrong. I usually ask "know what you did?" if they say yes then I tell them "then you know what you have to do" and send them off. if they are learning themselves it will stick with them more then me trying to explain it to them over the sound of a running bike.
Ran training classes for some fairly complicated pieces of equipment and we found that showing someone how to do a task, then watching them and providing guidance, then just letting them complete the task while we observed silently led to great retention. The hardest part (as someone who want them to get it right) is that last step. But it's crazy satisfying to see that Aha! flash across someone's face when it clicks..
I am visually-analytical and thus NEED to see it...not just read it (reading is great and easily great to follow as a backup) but hands-on is the most important learning. "Show me, don't tell me"
i learn a lot from watching others on RU-vid, i think the reason it works for those of us who have been around are the level of experience in other areas. already knowing how a material may work, how things might react. if your young and inexperienced, its not possible to understand vicariously what is happening through a video alone.
One thing I like about Adam is that he draws from widely diverse disciplines, not only nail salons and jewelry making, but also tennis and psychiatry. The ability to find practical lessons from diverse experiences is hugely valuable.
Similar to live classes, I noticed some of the same benefits to watching live-streamed cooking. Seeing it unedited tells you so much about the way that they work that isn't related to the intended lesson. Like, how they organize their space and reorganize it as they're working. When they choose to do what steps. Also small techniques that "seem tedious/obvious" so they disappear in editing.
I have a couple friends who have done bonsai apprenticeships in Japan. Their master would wire a tree with them watching. And they'd spend an entire day just wiring a tree themselves, the bonsai master would come out and say "All wrong. Cut it off and start over." No explanation for why it was wrong and your work day wasn't done until you wired it perfectly (45 degree angles on the wire, no crossing wires, everything anchored to the correct side of the branch bifurcations, etc.). So all but one of them eventually learned to look for the errors before cutting all the wire off and planning how to correct them (the one that didn't never finished his apprenticeship). I thought of this with your last story. Learning by watching is great, but you need to pay close attention to the details.
There are two ways to do things; the technician's way where you focus on how to get the result, and the engineer's way where you focus on why something works. There are times where each is *the* correct way to approach a problem, but usually both work but to varying degrees. Knowing which works for you and dealing with that is the important thing. (And the people who can do both, who can switch their brain from the one approach to the other, and thus choose which to use, are fascinating people to work with.)
The in-person approach has one distinct advantage - feedback. Sometimes you don't actually end up doing what you think you're doing, and there's no way to figure it out apart from forensically backtracking from a point of failure. Having a teacher on hand can streamline that process. They can also help you identify the critical points in any technique, where merely copying gives equal weight to critical and insignificant factors alike. (And, as Helen Rennie has pointed out, some knowledge is so ingrained in a professional's practice that it literally doesn't occur to them to mention to a beginner.)
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That’s exactly how I learned woodworking, I watched my dad do it. Het almost never explained what he was doing, he just let me watch and use his tools. And I found that I do the same when I’m “teaching” others. Worked fine for me!
To me there are several types of learning, watching, listening/reading, doing the thing. Usually one of theses rates higher depending on who you are. I feel like I a mix of these. So when Adam says I've heard you now can I just do the thing, it helps to get it in your body. I like seeing someone do it, hearing them explain it then trying it out.
7:38 i think I just sort of did that for this video: Around the 8:10 mark in the video, I tried recalling earlier discussions and it came up perfectly, not that I remember every detail; an image of Adam holding and talking about one of those Alligator pliers came to mind, along with him mentioning how it's not used often, but when it is, it functions perfectly. 11/10 great memory advice I have trouble remembering stuff in general, and I think I sort of already use this technique of what appears to be passive retention!
10:16 Adam is like myself a kinesthetic learner. Not everyone is like that though. My wife is the complete polar opposite. Give her a manual and in 10 mins she is good to go. Try to show her, and not so much. As a teacher myself, youtube is a great place for kinesthetic learning/teatching. It's good to find a balance or know that not everyone you come across is comfortable learning from the way that you are teaching. And forcing it does not work as well. Good topic for discussion!
100% visual learner here. Have a sinus lifting kit for work I ordered and has sat for a year in a cupboard. Finally had an online course of Dr using it and pow know exactly what to do and where my hesitancies were with it. RU-vid is an excellent resource for such learning if the project is filmed to show the steps and process and less babbling. Ordered that Tim Galloway book immediately.
Seeing how it's done in person plus asking what is this actually doing helps my learning spectacularly. Ex driving a manual vehicle, yes you can tell me to step on the clutch, shift up or down, release clutch, continue on. You can show me and teach me the motions. But I'm not going to fully understand that. Tell me what I'm actually doing. How the clutch and shifter affects the flywheel and transmission. And what I'm actually trying to change there helps so much more.
What you're talking about here is a pedagogy - we call in England at least - explicit instruction. It comes from the late educationalist Englemann. It's very unpopular in some circles as many believe education should be about 'discovery learning' yet explicit instruction tends to get much better results.
In my experience training(and being trained) you need both the what(the job) and the why(the context) to get the job done, but the what definitely has to come first or the why doesn't mean anything. Learning about metrology doesn't really mean much until you've tried and failed to fit pieces together
As a Mechanic and an Engineer I work on designing, creating, building, and fixing many different things, and I also have a set of those Alligator Pliers. Many things I build, design, re-engineer, or create no one has ever heard of or seen before.... But I still at times have to watch videos to try and figure out how to do something.... I agree it's easier to have someone their in person to show you how to fix something or put something together or create something. It's like I watched a video on how to replace disc brake rotors and pads.. After I had watched the videos several times and walked myself through it I repaired the disc brakes. Then 2 weeks later My Neighbor Rich came over and said His Brakes were bad and asked Me how to do it. I showed him the videos, and 2 hours later He said I can't get this.... So, I explained what to do step by step and He said that I made it easier for him to understand. Afterwards He said I didn't know anything about how to replace brakes before, and now my Chevy Silverado stops, all because of you... Being able to help someone like that, help them in a way that it is easy for them and to make them feel proud of what they have done is the most rewarding feeling ever. Where I live, people often criticize you on how you did something or they are quick to point out your mistakes. This one guy even told me that if I didn't do it his way that I would fail that his way was the right way. I said no it doesn't matter how I do it, if I approach it differently, if I go a different route, no matter how I do it if I yield the same results it's still the right way.
I got some of those pliers after you recommended them in a previous video and they are one of my favorite tools now! Like you said, you dont use it much, but when you need it its the only thing that can get the job done!
In person instruction allows the learner to move the instructor along. I can't tell you how often I find myself yelling at a video "Stop talking and get on with it!" Not always, but often. It would also be useful to compare any speaking instruction with written ones.
There was much more to "Inner Game" than you mention. He made people use their eyes to detect specific things about the tennis ball (which way is it spinning?) while hitting it, allowing the body to naturally do the right thing. It was very important to pay close attention to some things, but not to what muscles one was using. It was not really meditation, but proper focus. Sometimes the results were incredible. I lent my copy to a famous trumpet teacher whose methods were similar. Unfortunately, he didn't give it back before he passed.
There's some research on early childhood development on word count development where they tried different types of teaching. Only voice, voice and video, and in person. The recording media paled in comparison to in person learning. There's so much communication and interaction that takes place beyond the words. These all activate different parts of the brain, and what we know from memory is that the more nuanced and layered a memory is, the better it is remembered.
How I usually teach some to do a task is to show them first, then talk them through doing it themselves, and finally letting them do it unguided (unless a specific request or it's would cause damage) with a review afterward. That unguided run lets them work out their mistakes, learn, and rewrite their mental instructions.
In person instructors can do all the parts of the EDGE method: Explain; Demonstrate; Guide; Enable. Videos can explain and demonstrate, but they can only enable if the student has a way to play and control them while they are working. Because a video can't see what an individual student is doing, it can't guide properly.
I have had young women and men that I have trained when they worked with me, I have first shown how I work and then let them try for themselves. But the best thing was when they themselves figured out how they could do it in a way worked better for them, I have stood there with a big smile and pride practices how the ones I learn become self-sufficient
i wish norm still popped up in some of the videos. i do remember him feeling a little superfluous in some of the projects but it was cool to see him acting as sort of an analogue for the audience and being in awe watching adam build stuff
If you read an instruction about something you haven't done before you develop a picture in your head, but that picture could be wrong and you struggle with it and it takes a lot of time to get where you wanna be. With an instructor that shows exactly how it's done you can reach the "goal" much quicker. Going from there you can refine the "picture" and get an even better result. You have to find your own way to do it.
The heavy duty device is used by fishermen to “de-hook” some types of fish that might be hazardous to handle. If they swallow your hook you can reach in and unhook them using they long jaws. We just called it the “dehooker” for the lack of a better name. Anecdote: my dad was using one to unhook a stingray and it flipped its tail around and stung him. The barbs came off and got him pretty good. We had to pull up anchor and head to shore. He was fine but, that’s what the tool is for.
I'm not lucky enough to know anybody who makes... anything. And I don't have the kind of money to take classes. Tested VR, then, was incredibly valuable to me. Just getting to see the layout of these peoples' workshops, to see how things actually go together - it was instructive and inspirational to me in a way that flat videos never were. It ended up being my favorite non-game app in VR, one that I've gone back to multiple times. I really, really hope you offer a season 3.
For CA glue and accelerator, I have moved to BSI (Bob Smith Industries). I used to use retail Super Glue, but they always seem to set in the bottle after using about half if the volume. My last BSI CA glue actually ran empty on me. Blew my mind. - That said, I HATE the smell of the spray accelerator, so I make sure to ventilate well.
I know this is totally out of the realm of possibility, but for as long as I've been watching you build and create, I've always wanted to just sit in the corner of your shop and watch you create and brainstorm! I'd say observational learning is one of my most valued interests. I'd like to say I'm a novice builder, as I've only built a couple simple things, but my mind is always racing with ideas!, but unsure of techniques on how to conceptualize them, but also not having the shop space. I realize the closest I'll probably get is through these videos, which are such a wealth of knowledge that I'm so grateful to have access to, but I'd be lying if I said I haven't dreamt about watching your creative process in person! To silently observe your process, while also trying not to get in the way haha!, though I never mind tedious little tasks too! Also, learning techniques that were passed down to you, even ones created by you, would be such a wealth of knowledge! I have however utilized and implemented a lot of your organizational tips and skills both at home, and at work! Thank you Adam! For always being a major source of inspiration to me!
Can recommend the activator from BSI (Bob smith industries) it's in a pump spray, foam safe and smells of strawberries.. and i found it to work with most of my CA glues without crystalising :)
I feel as though I'm one of the fortunate few (I think) that not only can learn from books and then from real practice/experience, but then somehow my mind often manifests a dynamic fusion of both that leaves me with something greater than the sum of their parts. I can also just learn from books and just learn from practice/real-world experience, but I do much better when I have access to both. I have used this technique throughout my professional career to effectively leapfrog ahead, both of these approaches reinforcing and enhancing each other. Thus, when I'm taking a class, I invariably grab a bunch of the top recommended books (often at least some if not all of the instructor's recommended reading list), and burying myself in the material. Of course, the cost of all of this is time. It takes a great deal of time to do this, time most people may not have, time I sometimes don't have and thus can't do this. Perhaps most people can do this and just lack the time to do it, thus its rarely done. That said, I have met people who have little use for one or the other and do fantastic with their chosen individual method. I was in grad school with this guy who hated to read and whom I felt might lack the dedication for our field. However, when we both interned/did our residency of sorts, he hit the ground running and was soon doing masterfully. I noted so to him to acknowledge how well he was doing and how far he'd come. I also noted to myself that I had learned something valuable: sometimes people are different and take different paths to arrive at a similar place. It also reinforced to me that I must always try and remain teachable, hopefully to my last day. .
Regarding the learning experience, I know the idea is most videos on here are not “how-to” so much as they are “what happened” videos. However, I JUST (finally) watched the Aztec Death Whistle ODB yesterday with Allie and found it to be a drastically different experience watching Adam teaching someone else than e.g. Adam teaching styrene paneling to the camera in another recent video. I think, even in video format, having that student stand-in to make mistakes or ask the question the instructor may not even realize is a question gets you quite a bit closer to that in-person learning experience.
i have a neighbor that likes working on cars. he is young, i have been trying to help him learn things. i explain what is to be done, then i let him run with it. i let him go down a wrong path before offering correction. i feel this allows him to develop his critical thinking process while working on troubleshooting and allows him to experience what the wrong way feels like. then when i offer a better way with each step and then he feels how much easier or how it makes more sense to do it a different way than what he came to; i think this is a better way for a more hands on learner to build his skill set. it has required me to interject with my plasma and welders to unfuck things but i believe that if you have not broken parts when learning, you will never learn what is 'too much' or what the wrong way 'FEELS" like. just my take on it.
When I conduct a daily training with the other EMTs and paramedics, I Use analogy that is sometimes stated towards Doctoral medical students. “See one, do one, teach one”.
It's just awesome to me that you've found those long fishhook pliers so handy, just like I have! 👍🏼 I love that answer! And I really am tempted to get one of those measuring tape tats like yours, too, LOL!
I'm not sure what the name of the bit is, but it's a WLXY brand model 2103, it's a plus shape with a tiny pin in the center. It's for ONE specific type of screw in small electronics that a slotted screw driver will fit in, but this 2103 model turns a 30 second to 15 minute fight into a 3 to 5 second twist. The screw is used as a bracket, spacer, or it can receive another screw. REALLY common in iphones. The screws are non-magnetic so getting them out is a lot easier than getting them back in.
It's very rarely about being told something as it is witnessing it and then trying to do it yourself. Explaining is just the first step, then you have to show them, then you have to hand it off and guide them through it, usually multiple times. Training someone is a skill to itself. Just because you are a master at a craft doesn't mean you can teach someone that craft. You have to have the skill of teaching along with the mastery of that craft. It's two totally different skills.
When - - - mentoring / teaching - - - It's not so much the Explanation than it is the Presentation that can make the biggest impact in knowledge retention !
Somebody not familiar with tools focuses on the interaction of his hands with the tool, but with experience we focus on the interaction of the tool (including hands) with the work.
I knit, crochet, and sew. when I want to learn a new technique I watch as many different people doing it as possible before trying. It is good because you see different angles from each instructor. then after my first attempt I usually go back to the ones that were the most detailed and watch again. I knit an entire shawl using the Norwegian purl and then frogged the whole thing because I didn't like it.
Yeah, that's exactly how I learn. I can pick up information almost instantly by watching someone do a thing a lot easier and faster than listening to them explain it. They can say it 1000 different times and I'll never get it, but show me once or twice, then hand me the reigns.
The idea of apprenticeship seems to have been lost… but I am grateful for your videos because I feel like my son will have a semi-apprenticeship with Adam Savage. The very idea of that would have been impossible just a few years ago.
Why do an apprenticeship for a few people at a time when you can record classes and sell them on the internet for hundreds? And if you still wanna do it, someone else will go the internet route and sell the "same" course much cheaper.
When I train new people at work, I show them how to do the job. Slowly with a few key bits of information. Then I put the tools in their hands and let them fumble with it for a while with a few words of encouragement as they make slow, painful progress. After about half an hour or so, when they finally have a rudimentary grasp of the job, then I start giving pointers. They are not going to grasp any of the tips, or corrections until they have done it a bit. They have to feel the awkwardness before they can appreciate the benefit.
Long term CA accelerator use can cause work related asthma - I stopped working with it for that very reason. Not everyone is susceptible it seems, I think Adam is a prime example. I love superglue and its endless uses, it changed my game exponentially thirty years ago. A workshop fan or an air fed helmet will help significantly. 🧘🏼♂️
I'm trying to understand the mechanics of starting a fire using cotton and ashes while rolling them together on a hard flat surface. Could you try this and explain if it's possible or not?
Also I’m moving right now- I fed my dog a French fry yesterday (Sunday) and choked on it. Got it stuck in his throat. I usually have a pair of those long forceps in my desk tools. But I packed them. So I sprinted across the street to the vet with him in my arms foaming at the mouth- they were closed- nobody there. But when I set him down to bang on the door like a mad man- he coughed it up 😂. Always keep those forceps accessible
That cheap metal dohickey is a fish hook remover? I looked at it for quite a while. It is somewhere in my tools. Different people learn in different ways. To try and do, with correction from a teacher, the experiential method, seems more impactful.
Honestly I can think of 2-3 different tools that are rarely used, but if you're reaching for them then it's a requirement that you have them. I've learned firsthand reaching for a certain tool realizing I didn't have it and then having to explain that this complicated job wasn't able to be done because I didn't have a 10$ tool that is usually just a piece of cheap stamped steel.
College right now and I found the same thing about things being explained so much that you don’t learn anything with a lot of the E textbooks my colleagues uses bathroom going to explanations of things sewing desk they don’t really explain how to perform a task to the point where you actually learn how to do is go over the history so on so forth they don’t really give you what you need
