[0kl]

Maybe it’s good, maybe it’s bad. A lot of anecdotes about “important” historical figures or institutions that use copy by hand as a method for learning.

I would have preferred citing actual research, not an appeal to historical methods.

Given that some of the conclusions that word for word copy may be less efficient than summarized copy[1], it may be a less efficient and less effective way of learning than going through a reading and summarizing every paragraph.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-learning-secret...

[eyelidlessness]

In my personal anecdata, writing a thing down is an important mechanism to note and recall facts I’ll find important later. I nearly never consult my notes. I’m even a terrible note taker, and always have been. I write things down in random places which normally I discard as they become clutter, just because the act of writing them is an additional point of recall when I might fail to recall otherwise. It doesn’t always serve me well, but it always serves me better than not making the note somewhere.

[tsumnia]

> I would have preferred citing actual research, not an appeal to historical methods. Given that some of the conclusions that word for word copy may be less efficient than summarized copy.

I can at least provide some links. [1] is my own research on giving students optional typing practice in a CS2 course. [2] is Mickie Chi's overview of the ICAP framework which categorizes learning activities based on their level of engagement (Interactive, Constructive, Active, Passive). Chi's work notes that higher modes of engagement provide more learning gains, or I > C > A > P.

Copying would be considered an Active exercise and theoretically would not give as much learning gains as a Self-Explanation exercise ("summarized copy", Constructive). However, much of the research into self-explanation shows that lower-performing students do not provide good summarizations/self-explanations. Thus, in my [1] work, I make the argument that for these students, completing a lower ICAP mode (typing practice) is a better use of their time. While it does not provide as much learning gain as a Constructive activity, it can still give students some gains that could potentially elevate them to a mental model that can successfully complete Self-Explanations.

[1] https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/3373165.3373177

[1] https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1044018.pdf

[urthor]

Much appreciated.

In your research area, is there a significant textbook or summary paper you would recommend that summarises current findings well?

What would you recommend to a complete amateur orienting themselves?

[nextos]

The OP is advocating for copying + Zettelkasten, although it is not super clear in this particular post.

That kind of agrees with the summarized copy idea you suggested.

[gnull]

"Way of learning" is a very broad term, and the two ways may be good for different aspects of it.

Verbatim copying is good for bringing your attention to the material, it helps you notice more, and doesn't let you mind wander. While summarizing is good for cementing what you've noticed and learned.

For example, if I try to copy part of text I see the writing techniques used there a lot better. I don't see how summarizing can give me the same effect.

I'm almost ready to try both techniques simultaneously, although it seems like an overkill, so much writing.