Xachariah comments on Why CFAR's Mission? - Less Wrong

38 Post author: AnnaSalamon 02 January 2016 11:23PM

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Comment author: Xachariah 06 January 2016 08:13:12AM *  2 points [-]

This is my main question. I've never seen anything to imply that multi-day workshops are effective methods of learning. Going further, I'm not sure how Less Wrong supports Spaced Repetition and Distributed Practice on one hand, while also supporting an organization that's primary outreach seems to be crash courses. It's like Less Wrong is showing a forum wide cognitive dissonance that nobody notices.

That leaves a few options:

  • I'm wrong (though I consider it highly unlikely)
  • CFAR never bothered to look it up or uses self selection to convince themselves it's effective
  • CFAR is trying to optimize for something aside from spreading rationality, but they aren't actually saying what.
Comment author: AnnaSalamon 11 January 2016 03:11:54AM 5 points [-]

See my reply above. It is worth noting also that there is follow-up after the workshop (emails, group Skype calls, 1-on-1 follow-up sessions, and accountability buddies), and that the workshops are for many an entry-point into the alumni community and a longer-term community of practice (with many participating in the google group; attending our weekly alumni dojo; attending yearly alumni reunions and occasional advanced workshops, etc.).

(Even so, our methodology if not what I would pick if our goal was to help participants memorize rote facts. But for ways of thinking, it seems to work better than anything else we've found. So far.)

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