I can read past "The accuracy of a map is local" in the text while only understanding it lets say 30%
The usage of this abstraction in context in the rest of the text makes it easier to improve my understanding
I can come back later and let my mind / biological processes work
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However, being prompted for "The accuracy of a map is local" is frustrating because I need at least like 70% understanding + be acclimated with the word choice
(nothing is more frustrating than having the same idea as the answer, when the answer is worded differently)
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And then being prompted for an answer that includes the previous not-understood prompt... that feels bad.
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So in some ways its a classic failure mode of other peoples prompts: the prompt does not "prompt" the answer for me (!).
Magnified by the strangness of other peoples minds when dealing with abstractions.
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Now for a prompt that I liked. This one just clicked. Its easy and fits for me.
(just for context: I am discounting possible english-as-a-second-language problems here)
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The bottom line might be this:
Texts can deal with variability of understanding because they typically dont need you to understand everything right away.
If you dont "get" a prompt, you are stopped right in your tracks.
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This is magnified here because even good abstractions take time to sink in (at least for me, I cant speak for y'all gifted smarty people) and there are more opportunities for mismatch between prompt-writer and prompt-reader.
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A possible solution might be to have third option for the prompts where you get to read them (and the relevant text-passage!) every few days until the wording + abstractions have sunken in / synchronized with your own inner world.
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You will! If you set up an account, you’ll get an email periodically that takes you to the Orbit web site, where it will re-prompt you, particularly with the ones you had trouble with.
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Sure, that is the "normal" SRS-part. But it probably does not work for prompts that you cant get right at all / refuse to put in the effort to get right? I need to look into it.
I feel like I want the agency to refuse to undertand right now (which I take for granted with text).
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I'm super grateful for this very thoughtful feedback, Lucca. Writing lots of notes about this!
Smooth-brain wondering: to what extent do you think it would it help if the prompts in question were shoved to later in the article after you'd had time to absorb their use a bit more?
Love to help, I want to see Orbit succeed!
Moving them to a later point could help in some cases, but I dont think it solves the general problem of complex ideas sometimes just taking a lot of time to sink in.
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Maybe the area of inquiry can be described as: How do SRS-essays deal with necessary re-reading? Prompts as possible stopping-points.
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