How the way we learn has changed, and why the next generation may be teaching us something about learning itself.
I have always enjoyed learning. Whether it is technology, something practical around the house, or simply something that has caught my interest, I have generally been someone who wants to understand how things work. I enjoy the process of figuring things out, experimenting, and eventually getting to the point where something that once seemed complicated starts to make sense.
However, something I have been thinking about more recently is just how much the way we learn has changed. Not necessarily what we learn, but how we approach learning in the first place. The methods I grew up with are very different from those my children have grown up with, and with artificial intelligence becoming increasingly integrated into our everyday lives, I believe we are about to see another significant change.
What makes this particularly interesting to me is that I have witnessed these differences firsthand with my own children. There have been plenty of occasions where I have tried to teach them something using what I would consider a logical, structured approach, only to watch them completely ignore that approach and figure it out another way.
At first, I found it frustrating. Now, I am beginning to wonder whether they have been teaching me something about learning all along.
When Learning Meant Finding the Information First
Growing up, learning something new was often a much bigger undertaking than it is today. If I wanted to understand how something worked, I usually needed to find a book about it. That meant going to the library, searching through shelves, and spending hours reading through whatever information I could find.
There was no YouTube, no search engine that could instantly provide an answer, and certainly no AI assistant that could explain something in a matter of seconds. If the book I needed was not available, I either had to find another one or wait until I could get hold of it.
Once I found the information, the real work began.
I would read through the explanations, follow the examples, and then attempt to put what I had learned into practice. Sometimes it worked, but quite often it did not. I would make mistakes, go back through the book, reread sections, and try again. There were times when I spent hours trying to understand something that, looking back now, could probably have been explained in a five-minute video.
However, that process taught me something beyond the subject itself. It taught me patience, persistence, and how to work through problems without immediately having the answer available. It also taught me that failure was often simply part of understanding something properly.
The traditional approach to learning was generally quite structured. You started with the fundamentals, built a foundation, and gradually worked toward more complicated concepts. Whether you were learning mathematics, programming, a musical instrument, or almost anything else, the expectation was that you needed to master the basics before moving on.
There is a phrase I have used many times over the years, particularly with my children.
“You are trying to run before you can walk.”
For most of my life, I have considered that to be fairly sound advice. After all, how can you really understand something complicated if you have not first learned the fundamentals?
Well, perhaps the answer is not quite as straightforward as I once thought.
My Children Have a Different Approach
Two of my older sons taught themselves to play musical instruments. Between them, they learned piano and guitar, and neither wanted to take traditional lessons.
I remember suggesting lessons, explaining that an instructor could teach them the correct techniques, help them understand musical theory, and give them the foundation they would need to become good musicians. They were not particularly interested.
Instead, they went online, found videos showing how to play songs they liked, and started learning those songs. They were not interested in spending weeks practicing scales, learning how to read sheet music, or working through the traditional exercises that usually form the beginning of music lessons.
They wanted to play a particular song, so they found someone who could show them how to play it. Then they practiced until they could.
When they wanted to learn another song, they repeated the process. Sometimes the next song required a new chord, a different technique, or something they had not encountered before. Rather than learning all those things in advance, they learned them when they needed them.
Over time, they became increasingly capable musicians, without ever following what I would consider a traditional learning path.
Of course, that does not necessarily mean they understand everything a formally trained musician might understand. There may be gaps in their theoretical knowledge or techniques they have never encountered. However, they can sit down and play music, which was ultimately what they wanted to achieve.
That distinction is important.
They were not necessarily interested in learning to play an instrument in the traditional sense. They were interested in being able to play music.
Those may sound like the same thing, but the motivation behind them is quite different.
And when I look at how my youngest son approaches learning, I see exactly the same pattern.
Learning to Code, Without Wanting to Learn Coding
My youngest son became interested in creating games in Roblox. As someone who has spent much of my professional life working with technology, I was naturally excited about this. I thought it would be a great opportunity to introduce him to programming and help him understand some of the concepts behind building software.
So, I did what seemed perfectly logical to me.
I started explaining the basics of programming. I talked about how code works, the importance of understanding the underlying concepts, and how you build things step by step. I even bought him a book so that he could follow along and learn in a structured way.
In my mind, this was exactly how someone should begin learning to code.
He had a different idea. He wanted to build a Roblox world.
Rather than spending time working through the book or listening to me explain programming concepts, he went online, found videos showing how to create what he wanted, and started following along.
Before long, he had built a sample world.
It was not the approach I would have taken. He had skipped over many of the fundamentals that I believed he should understand first. He was using techniques and following instructions without necessarily understanding every line of code or why it worked.
Naturally, we had several conversations about this.
I explained that he needed to understand the basics, that copying something from a video was not necessarily the same as understanding it, and that he was once again trying to run before he could walk.
But from his perspective, he was already walking, and perhaps even running a little.
He had wanted to create something, found the information necessary to do it, and produced a working result. He was excited about what he had built and wanted to keep going.
Meanwhile, I was still trying to convince him to read chapter two.
Looking back, I think there is something rather revealing about that situation. I was approaching learning from the perspective of understanding the subject first and then applying that knowledge. He was approaching it from the perspective of wanting to accomplish something and learning whatever was necessary along the way.
Neither approach is necessarily wrong, but they are fundamentally different.
Learning Has Become More About the Destination
Traditionally, much of our education has followed a fairly linear structure. We introduce a subject, teach the fundamentals, test understanding, and gradually increase the difficulty. We assume that knowledge needs to be acquired in a particular order, and in many subjects there are good reasons for doing so.
However, today’s learners have access to an enormous amount of information, presented in ways that simply did not exist when I was growing up.
YouTube, online courses, interactive tutorials, forums, communities, and countless other resources have changed how people discover and develop new skills. We no longer have to rely on a single textbook, instructor, or classroom to provide the information we need.
More importantly, we do not necessarily have to follow someone else’s prescribed route through that information.
If someone wants to learn how to edit a video, they can find a tutorial showing them how to create the exact effect they have in mind. If they want to repair something around the house, they can watch someone perform the repair. If they want to create a website, they can follow an example and have something working before they understand all the technologies involved.
This is often described as just-in-time learning, where people acquire knowledge when they need it rather than learning everything in anticipation of needing it later.
It is also a form of project-based learning. Instead of starting with a curriculum, the learner starts with a problem, an idea, or something they want to create. The learning happens as part of achieving that objective.
I think this is one of the biggest differences between how I learned growing up and how my children learn today.
For me, knowledge usually came before the practical result. For them, the desire for a practical result often creates the need for knowledge.
And that can be an incredibly powerful motivator.
When you are trying to learn something because someone has told you it is important, it can sometimes feel like hard work. When you are trying to learn something because it is the only thing standing between you and something you desperately want to accomplish, your motivation can be very different.
My sons did not want to learn scales. They wanted to play songs they enjoyed. My youngest son did not want to complete programming exercises. He wanted to build a Roblox world.
The learning was not the initial objective. It was the means of reaching it.
But Do the Basics Still Matter?
This is where I find myself somewhat conflicted, because while I can clearly see the benefits of this newer approach, I still believe there is enormous value in understanding the fundamentals.
Learning how to accomplish something is not always the same as understanding why it works.
Someone might be able to play a particular song on the piano by following a video, but that does not automatically mean they understand musical theory. Someone might be able to create a working application by copying code, but that does not necessarily mean they understand how to troubleshoot it when something goes wrong.
The challenge becomes more apparent when the learner encounters a problem that has not already been solved for them.
What happens when the YouTube tutorial does not match what they are seeing? What happens when the code stops working, or when they want to build something that nobody has created a step-by-step video for?
At some point, deeper understanding becomes increasingly valuable.
I have seen this repeatedly throughout my own career in technology. It is relatively easy to follow instructions that tell you which settings to change or which commands to execute. It is another thing entirely to understand what those settings do, how the different components interact, and what the consequences might be when something is configured incorrectly.
That deeper knowledge is often what separates someone who can follow a procedure from someone who can solve a problem.
However, I have also started to question whether we sometimes place too much emphasis on when those fundamentals must be learned.
Do you need to understand every aspect of musical theory before you can enjoy playing a song? Do you need to understand every programming concept before you can create your first game? Do you need to understand all the principles of photography before taking a photograph worth keeping?
Perhaps not. Perhaps learning the fundamentals becomes more meaningful when the learner has already experienced what they are capable of creating.
There is a difference between telling someone that they need to learn something because it will be useful someday and showing them why that knowledge matters because they have encountered a problem they genuinely want to solve.
That is something I think we sometimes overlook.
The fundamentals still matter, but perhaps they do not always have to come first.
The Role of the Instructor Is Changing
This shift also raises some interesting questions about the role of teachers, trainers, and instructors.
I have spent many years teaching technology, creating training courses, and helping people understand complicated subjects. Much of that work has traditionally involved taking a large subject, breaking it down into manageable sections, and presenting those sections in a logical order.
There is still considerable value in doing that. A well-structured course can help someone understand how different concepts relate to one another, avoid common mistakes, and develop a broader understanding than they might acquire through disconnected tutorials.
However, I also think we need to recognize that the learner sitting in front of us today may have very different expectations from someone sitting in a classroom twenty or thirty years ago.
They may not want to spend hours learning features they have no immediate use for. They may prefer to experiment, make mistakes, and search for answers as problems arise. They may already have experience using a technology but lack some of the underlying knowledge that a traditional course would have introduced much earlier.
Rather than assuming everyone should begin at the same starting point and follow the same path, perhaps we need to become more flexible in how we teach.
An instructor’s value is no longer simply in being the person who possesses the information. That information is available almost everywhere.
The real value increasingly comes from helping learners understand what matters, providing context, identifying gaps in their knowledge, challenging assumptions, and helping them move beyond simply following instructions.
In many ways, the instructor becomes more of a guide or mentor, someone who helps learners make sense of what they are discovering rather than controlling every step of the journey.
That is not necessarily a reduction in the importance of teaching. I would argue that good teaching may become even more valuable, precisely because there is so much information available.
Having access to information and knowing how to use it effectively are two very different things.
And Then Along Comes Artificial Intelligence
Just as we were becoming accustomed to learning through videos, online tutorials, and search engines, artificial intelligence has introduced another major change.
And I believe this one could be even more significant.
When I was a child, I had to find a book that contained the information I needed. Later, the internet allowed me to search for information. YouTube made it possible to watch someone demonstrate how to do something.
Now, with AI, I can have a conversation about what I am trying to understand.
That is a fundamental change.
Rather than searching through multiple websites or watching several videos in the hope that one explains something in a way that makes sense, I can ask an AI assistant to explain a concept, provide an example, and then ask follow-up questions about the parts I still do not understand.
If the explanation is too complicated, I can ask it to simplify it. If I already understand the basics, I can ask it to skip them and focus on something more advanced. If I want to see how a concept applies to a real problem, I can ask for an example based on what I am actually trying to accomplish.
In effect, learning becomes much more conversational and personalized.
Think about my youngest son wanting to build his Roblox world.
Previously, he would search for a video that demonstrated something similar to what he wanted to create, watch it, and follow along. If the video did not cover exactly what he needed, he would have to search for another one or try to figure out the difference himself.
With AI, he can describe the world he wants to build, ask how to create a particular feature, request help understanding a piece of code, and troubleshoot problems as they appear.
He could even ask AI to explain the coding concepts behind what he has just created, giving him an opportunity to understand the fundamentals in the context of something he has already built.
That last part is particularly interesting to me.
Instead of insisting that he learn programming concepts before creating his world, AI could help him understand those concepts as they become relevant to his project.
The same applies to music. Someone learning a song on guitar could ask AI to explain the chord progression, suggest exercises for a particular technique, or help them understand the musical theory behind what they are playing.
The learning can move backward and forward between practical application and underlying theory, based on what the individual needs at that particular moment.
This is something that traditional instruction, particularly in larger classrooms or predefined courses, has often struggled to provide at scale.
AI Changes the Speed, but Not Necessarily the Understanding
Of course, there is another side to all of this. AI can make it incredibly easy to produce something without fully understanding how it was created.
We are already seeing this in software development. Someone can describe what they want, have AI generate code, and potentially create a working application without writing much of the code themselves.
That is impressive, but it also raises an important question.
If AI can help us accomplish something without understanding all the steps involved, have we actually learned anything?
I think the answer depends on how we use it.
There is a significant difference between asking AI to complete a task for you and using AI to help you understand how to complete that task yourself.
If I simply copy an answer, paste some code, or accept an explanation without questioning it, I may have achieved my immediate objective, but I have not necessarily developed any meaningful understanding.
However, if I use AI to explore the problem, question its recommendations, understand why something works, and test different approaches, it can become an incredibly powerful learning tool.
AI also introduces risks that we cannot ignore. It can be wrong, misunderstand what we are asking, or provide answers that sound convincing but are inaccurate. That means critical thinking, verification, and the ability to recognize when something does not make sense become even more important.
In some ways, those skills may become more valuable than memorizing information.
After all, when information is readily available, knowing what questions to ask, how to evaluate the answers, and how to apply what we discover can be just as important as remembering the information itself.
This is also why I do not believe AI removes the need for the fundamentals. Instead, it changes how we might acquire them and when they become necessary.
The danger is that we confuse the ability to produce a result with the ability to understand that result.
The opportunity is that we now have tools that can help us bridge that gap more effectively than ever before.
Perhaps We Need to Rethink What It Means to Learn
One of the things I have come to realize is that much of my thinking about learning has been shaped by the methods that were available to me when I was younger.
I learned by reading books, following structured explanations, experimenting, making mistakes, and gradually developing an understanding. That approach worked for me, and it continues to influence how I approach new subjects today.
When I see my children skipping the basics and immediately attempting something more complicated, my natural reaction is to question whether they are learning properly.
But perhaps I am judging their learning against a process that was partly shaped by the limitations of the technology available at the time.
I did not spend hours searching through books because I believed the library was the only correct way to learn. I did it because that was where the information was.
I did not necessarily follow every chapter in order because it was always the most effective approach. Sometimes I did it because the book was written that way, and I had few alternatives.
My children have grown up in a world where information is immediately accessible, where they can see someone demonstrate almost anything, and where they can often begin creating something within minutes of deciding they want to try.
Their approach reflects the world they have grown up in, just as mine reflects the world I grew up in.
And perhaps that is the real lesson.
Learning has never been about books, classrooms, videos, or artificial intelligence. Those are simply different ways of acquiring information and developing skills.
The underlying process is still about curiosity, experimentation, understanding, persistence, and the willingness to keep trying when something does not work.
I still think there is value in learning to walk before you run. However, I am beginning to appreciate that sometimes the excitement of trying to run is what motivates someone to learn how to walk properly.
Sometimes you need to attempt something beyond your current ability before you fully appreciate what you still need to learn.
And sometimes, creating something imperfect is a much better starting point than spending weeks preparing to create something perfect.
The Future of Learning Is Exciting
When I look at how learning has evolved during my lifetime, it really is remarkable.
We have moved from spending hours searching through libraries, to having almost unlimited information available through search engines, to watching demonstrations of practically anything on YouTube, and now to interacting with AI systems that can help us understand, experiment, and create in ways that would have seemed impossible not that long ago.
Each of these changes has made information more accessible, but they have also changed our relationship with learning.
We are moving away from a world where everyone is expected to follow the same structured path and toward one where learning can become increasingly personalized, practical, and driven by individual curiosity.
That does not mean traditional education is no longer important. It does not mean we should abandon fundamentals, stop reading books, or assume that watching a few videos makes someone an expert.
There will always be subjects where a structured approach is essential, particularly when mistakes carry serious consequences. There will also always be value in teachers, mentors, experience, and the deeper understanding that comes from years of practice.
However, I think we need to become more open to the idea that there is no single correct way to learn.
Some people learn best by reading. Others learn by watching, listening, experimenting, or having someone explain a concept in different ways. Many of us benefit from a combination of all these methods, depending on what we are trying to accomplish.
The arrival of AI gives us an opportunity to bring many of these approaches together, allowing people to explore subjects at their own pace, follow their interests, and access explanations and guidance that adapt to their needs.
I find myself thinking back to those hours spent in the library, trying to understand something from a book, followed by more hours experimenting and often failing before I finally got something working.
I would not trade those experiences, because they helped shape how I think and solve problems today.
But I also look at my sons sitting down at a piano or picking up a guitar and playing songs they taught themselves, or my youngest son creating something in Roblox because he decided he wanted to build it, and I cannot help but be impressed.
They did not wait until someone told them they were ready. They found a way to start, and they learned along the way.
Perhaps I need to spend a little less time telling them they are trying to run before they can walk, and a little more time appreciating what they are already accomplishing.
As someone who has spent much of his life learning and teaching, I find this next chapter particularly exciting. We have more opportunities to learn, create, and discover than at any other point in our history, and AI is only beginning to change what those opportunities might look like.
The art of learning is not about following a particular method. It is about finding the curiosity to begin, the determination to continue, and the understanding that there is always something more to discover.
And I, for one, am excited to see how the next generation continues to redefine what learning looks like.