Talk like a scientist or expert

Although most of us can list the big inventions of the last century, very few of us can explain the theories. Think electromagnetism, nanotechnology, quantum dynamics, thermodynamics, nuclear fission or fluid dynamics.

Now, thanks to on-line encyclopedias such as Wikipedia and websites with interactive models, most of us can go on-line and learn about the theories for ourselves.

Knowledge that took centuries for the best brains in the world to discover and turn into well-tested theories can now be acquired in an afternoon by almost anyone.

But the act of observing a colorful, interactive model all on your own, may be just as ineffective as trying to memorize the old paper-based models they replace. Medical students, motor car mechanics and computer programmers can attest to the complexity/difficulty of rote learning new families of concepts, what they mean and how they connect to each other.

But there is a more effective way.

When you discuss a model/theory with others, the concepts become associated with concepts we already know. Over time, as we use the words, we strengthen the neuronal connections associated with the concepts, and so our own personal Google - our frontal lobes - has less trouble finding stuff when we need it.

In this way, learning shifts from being a left brain/hippocampus activity to a right brain problem solving/sensemaking approach.

By playing with and talking about any of the tens of thousands of models that your will find on-line you can start to think/act/talk like a scientist, mathematician, geographer, writer or the expert you would like to be. For example, How Stuff Works is a treasure trove of working models which you can link to and explore with others as shown in this image

Theories and models have come to have a life of their own. We often treat them as the real thing. The computer simulation, the town plan, the business spreadsheet, the script for a play, an orchestral piece, the steps for a dance, a shopping list, the cargo manifest or an airline ticket with its destinations and flights. They all represent something else.

What begins as a vague concept can grow up into a theory or a model and become a psychological tool that can be used initially by a handful of experts or professional few, but at a later stage of development by novices who learn the specialized language. At the same time a lexicon is developed. We name the parts of the technologies/tools to explain the ideas/methods to the novices which contributes to the further development and the spread of the language associated with the tool.


Here's an example of a method to discuss how an engine works:

1. Go to How Stuff Works and look at the engine simulation
2. Make a list of all the parts of the engine, e.g. piston, valve
3. Choose one engine part. Name the part and describe what you think it does.
4. Choose another engine part. Name the part and describe what it does. Improve on other people's ideas.
5. You are a mechanic and you have to explain how an engine works to an apprentice. In 30 words or less describe how an engine works.
6. What improvements do we need to make to our descriptions of how an engine works?
7. Use the best descriptions of how an engine works to improve your description of how an engine works.
8. What did you discover/learn today?

Collecting-connecting words via "language games"

Philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein showed that concepts are part of a language game. They live in wondrous webs (or families) of meaning, connected by how similar or different they are to other concepts.

Brains remember by association. The memory of a concept can deliver up its' friends. They are autocatalytic and catalyze other concepts. When our own personal Google - our frontal lobes - goes out to search for associated ideas, it links to stuff we have experienced, read, seen, heard or felt before.

We get to know the concepts at the periphery of our memory by using them more frequently, especially if we use them in the context of other words. The synapses between the neurons in our brains are strengthened and recall becomes easier/faster/more automatic.

We can use this knowledge to design learning activities which develop new and strong associations with new or unfamiliar concepts.

Most often we know what we experience by the labels we give to events, things and how the events occur. And once we label something, the label sets it apart from ideas that are similar. Or its' opposites. The word "yes" can easily recall its' opposite "no", or indeterminate, "maybe". Or be connected into different kinds of categories.


If you ask people to perform a word association activity the words come tumbling out. Think vegetable and you immediately get carrot, potatoes, peas, lettuce and tomatoes and dozens more. We know these words because we consume them frequently. If we ask people to list the parts of a plant the words may be recalled more slowly, but if we direct their attention to the various aspects of the plant and stages of development with prompts e.g. petals,... or e.g. seed,... the task is made easier. By using the words frequently we become familiar with their meaning and their links to other words.....think roots, stem, branches, leaves, flowers, fruit, stamen etc.

Acquiring new words maybe slow to start but over time it becomes an avalanche, especially if you read and talk about stuff, often. Generally around 5 to 10 new words every day. A child of three has a vocabulary of 500 and 1000 words developed via 200,000 and 500,000 lifetime interactions. The more interactions, the more words and connections.

Over time this is how we progress:

3-year old: 500-1000
5-year old: 5,000
13-year old: 20,000
College student: 50,000-60,000 words

Here's the 100 most frequently used words in the English language. We learned most of these when we were very young. It's a whole bunch of basic verbs (doing words, e.g do, make), pronouns (that define who/what we are talking about, e.g. the, I, you, me), prepositions (that tell give a sense of direction/place/space, e.g. in, on, over, into) a handful of nouns (the what words, e.g. year, day, house, John), adverbs (that describe the verbs e.g. ran quickly, spoke clearly) and adjectives (that describe the nouns e.g. blue sky, happy boy).

"the, be, to, of, and, a, in, that, have, I, it, for, not, on, with, he, as, you, do, at, this, but, his, by, from, they, we, say, her, she, or, an, will, my, one, all, would, there, their, what, so, up, out, if, about, who, get, which, go, me, when, make, can, like, time, no, just, him, know, take, people, into, year, your, good, some, could, them, see, other, than, then, now, look, only, come, its, over, think, also, back, after, use, two, how, our, work, first, well, way, even, new, want, because, any, these, give, day, most, us."

Australian teen author John Marsden has a wonderful workshop exercise to teach young people how to write brilliant prose. To practice the rule, "Don't let language bully you" he asks you to "Respond to the calling of the class roll", with "Yes, Present, Here Miss....etc." In a few minutes a group of students will generate a list of 30-40 variations on the theme.

So here's an example of workshop where we practise the use of new concepts in a way which helps us remember their connections to words we already know. You can use a visual thesaurus to access words you don't know.




1. Make a lists of all the different kinds of relationships you have e.g. friends, etc.
2. Brainstorm a list of different kinds of emotions/feelings you experience e.g. happy, angry.
3. Choose one emotion from this list and explain what causes you to feel that way. Angry, happy, sad, bored, lonely, excited, nervous, stressed.
4. Based on your personal experience, what are the best ways to make and keep good friends?
5. Based on your personal experience, what are the best ways to have a bad relationship with other people?
6. From this list of aspects of personal relationship issues, choose one and describe what it is - trust, support, meanness, dishonesty, friendship, empathy, sympathy.
7. Make a list of all the events in your life where you feel a sense of gain/improvement.
8. Here are some positive relationships events. Empathy, sympathy, concern, congratulations, hugs, hand shake, caress. Choose one and describe how this could contribute to a feeling of wellbeing.
9. Make a list of all the events in the life of a person where there might be a sense of loss.
10. Here are some serious relationships problems or events; bullying, racism, fight, theft, assault, revenge, criticism. Choose one and explain how this could contribute to a sense of loss.
11. Make a list of words about relationships and feelings you discovered/played with today or better understand their meaning by linking it to other words you know. e.g. miserable - sad, unhappy etc.