Best BRAINS for books, videos or ANY learning resource

I think instead of asking about what resources are best such as books, videos etc for example, we have numerous threads on Which book is the best, the focus should be WHAT BRAINS ARE BEST and how do you calibrate your brain daily for self-study and overcoming challenges given the resources we are "dealt" with and trying to ensure that even if you're not some brainiac, that at the very least, your brain is cognizant of what herculean effort lies ahead and to "ready" itself for the effort or task that lies ahead for you. Off-topic example would be how Olympic athletes prepare their training for efforts that are beyond their current limit and now Olympic level competition. They cant "look for the best resource" for training, for ex, train with other Olympians from around the world, they just have to do it harder and more often for Olympic level.

Why are study guides complex? If the author of a ccxx book like odom and lammel are to write a book, these authors are not going to write it for the introductory student ever because they themselves are not introductory so they don't have the mindset. They have been in the industry for dozens of years and your brain hasn't even one and then you have to deal with editors and publishers requirements too. It's not that they don't want to make it easier, its that they don't have the gift of teaching to those that are just beginning. You either have it or you don't and they don't. Inevitably, the burden of learning still remains a burden despite having a book as you're still left with deciphering and breaking down complexity and left to whittle down the complexity to digestible pieces for your "introductory" or first time learning brain.

My point is networking can be as easy or as hard as the authors that drive all the books and resources we recommend in these "What is the best book, videos etc" so if you find a good resource that makes things easy to learn, promote those to the exclusion of all others. In this case, it is not bad to assume everyone is an introductory student looking for the easiest path to learning!

In conclusion, it's when you do not find this best resource which you won't, that's when you have to ask What is my best brain for this and focus on making your brain better to sort out and reduce the prodigious complexity you are left with in these study tomes. If you recommend Odom or Lammel, get ready to earn everything on your own "devices"!

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Comments

Roguetadhg

I know I'm ready to tackle any cisco book when I have my hot mug of tea, some food in my stomach, no projects on the table, and i have bills planned out.

I tackle a section at a time, and pick out the key points

Any personal issues tend to throw a mental wrench into my studies.

I'd like to think of it as "Yes, the book is dry. I'll make it my own." Once you can explain complexity in a short, already digested piece - you've pretty much mastered that topic.

synseq

I think that's subjective and you can't classify your brain as easy as all that based on books and their authors. What you can do however is determine what type of learner you are. Are you a visual learner? Do video lectures help more than simply reading the material? Would you benefit more from an auditory approach as in an audio book? Perhaps you are a combination.. video lectures combined with reading and note taking. Studies show that reading, summarizing, and taking notes helps you remember more because you use different parts of the brain. So to does using visuals, taking notes, reading, etc. Experience is the ultimate teacher. The best way to maximize the amount of material you remember is to do a combination of reading, visuals, note taking using methods that require using multiple parts of your brain as opposed to just one. Also after learning the material if you turn around and teach/explain it to someone else that will help form more long term memory connections. At first the majority of the stuff hangs in the short term memory and only brief parts are committed to long term memory as connections are formed. The more you study the material espec. utilizing different methods the more solid these connections in your brain become hence improved recall, understanding, etc. I wouldn't take my post at 100% value it's been a while since I studied neurology but I believe these methods are sound. Repetition, Repetition!

NetworkVeteran

Illumanati wrote: »

Why are study guides complex? If the author of a ccxx book like odom and lammel are to write a book, these authors are not going to write it for the introductory student ever because they themselves are not introductory so they don't have the mindset.

A psychologist can write a book for those who are depressed without being depressed himself. They may also have a clearer picture what is causing the condition, what the patient needs, and how long treatment will take. They may have superior communication skills.

I just went through a CCNA flash card set published by a CCNA. It was well-written and easy to read. I also discarded about 75% of the material for being erroneous. Some of my favorite books are written by a duo, one who is an expert and one who is a novice. It can really help to highlight the thinking changes a novice must make in order to become an expert.

Roguetadhg

The thinking changes?

NetworkVeteran

Some of the most enlightening things I've learned from experts in various fields, related to thought process, rather than specific facts. Brain scans of experts tend to show something very different is often going on when solving problems. I'll cede that it's unclear sometimes whether an expert's thought process works well with only a novice's supporting knowledge.

Publishing duos sell well for other reasons, too. It more often leads to a book written in terms novices grasp, while benefiting from an expert's technical rigor and organization, imho.

Roguetadhg

Id definitely agree that learning from a novice's point of view, when the information is right, can often times be better than trying to learn from someone who is just speaking in technical black and white.

However... Not all students can learn from a novice or an expect. While they may be able to grasp the concept themselves, explaining it in different or round-about ways and examples may not be something they are capable of doing.

While I was learning the OSI model the first time within the Cisco academy everyone had their clever acronym. Including myself. However, the acronym that actually lasted me from 2003 is "Please do not tell state police anything". There were sausage pizzas, sweet pies, pancakes and lewd acronyms that would be best saved for a drunken moment. Oh and Spongebob.

However great my own acronym was, I didn't remember it. Because I guess it didn't make sense to me. It is for the best, I'm sure.

I think a teacher with experience of teaching towards wide range of students - old, new, novices, experts would be the better writers. Besides having the depth of knowledge required to be able to explain topics deeper than the course requires, they should have also come to terms that people don't learn the same and they won't learn at the same rate. Teacher's "A" is equal to Bob's "a" or Billie's ".4" and the teacher acknowledge, understands and accommodates.

Now, if that person can translate their years of experience into a technical book that's a different story.

NetworkVeteran

Roguetadhg wrote: »

However, the acronym that actually lasted me from 2003 is "Please do not tell state police anything".

I feel so naked. I don't even have an acronym for the OSI model.

...and lewd acronyms that would be best saved for a drunken moment.

This is why I will never share my flashcards!

I think a teacher with experience of teaching towards wide range of students - old, new, novices, experts would be the better writers.

That helps, too! The two duos I'm thinking of also fit that category. One was a professor who taught a subject--after years of experience in the field. He co-wrote a book with his son when his son first entered the same field. You've got it all there--expert, teacher, beginner mind.

Roguetadhg

Sign me up, slick! what book is this?

Or did I miss it somewhere in the above replies in this thread?

Illumanati

Roguetadhg wrote: »

Id definitely agree that learning from a novice's point of view, when the information is right, can often times be better than trying to learn from someone who is just speaking in technical black and white.

However... Not all students can learn from a novice or an expect. While they may be able to grasp the concept themselves, explaining it in different or round-about ways and examples may not be something they are capable of doing.

While I was learning the OSI model the first time within the Cisco academy everyone had their clever acronym. Including myself. However, the acronym that actually lasted me from 2003 is "Please do not tell state police anything". There were sausage pizzas, sweet pies, pancakes and lewd acronyms that would be best saved for a drunken moment. Oh and Spongebob.

However great my own acronym was, I didn't remember it. Because I guess it didn't make sense to me. It is for the best, I'm sure.

I think a teacher with experience of teaching towards wide range of students - old, new, novices, experts would be the better writers. Besides having the depth of knowledge required to be able to explain topics deeper than the course requires, they should have also come to terms that people don't learn the same and they won't learn at the same rate. Teacher's "A" is equal to Bob's "a" or Billie's ".4" and the teacher acknowledge, understands and accommodates.

Now, if that person can translate their years of experience into a technical book that's a different story.

Yes, I think everyone should read this post and think about all they are overcoming as they read their various titles of books, watch videos etc. There is a lot of work in deciphering the author or presenter especially when taking into account the varying experience, teaching style, changing it to an understanding for yourself. A lot of work and transformation is going on due to so many varying sources/authors and their styles and how they impact when you consume them.

A body at rest will stay at rest, a body of motion will stay in motion. This is why studying regularly is so important because like a sprinter, your mind has to warm up by "staying in motion" in another words, doing it a lot to achieve success in acquiring information!

The bottom line is to get as much out of whatever source in trying to hit your goal mark.

ToddB

All I know is Chris Byant made even my 50 year old brain understand Cisco.

NetworkVeteran

Roguetadhg wrote: »

Sign me up, slick! what book is this?

Alas, it was not a networking book that I was describing.

paul78

@illumanati - You raised a good point but I would state it more in the same vein as @synseq.

synseq wrote: »

What you can do however is determine what type of learner you are.

Yes - I absolute agree with your comments.

I had an opportunity to work with a training team a few years ago and one of the things that I learned about myself is that I'm a classic kinesthetic learner. I am generally a slower learner because of my need for tactile input. So study materials which are only visual or aural are more challenging for me to absorb.

But in general, once I learn a topic, my ability to apply the topic tends to be deeper.

synseq

Yeah. Memorizing the knowledge, understanding it, and knowing how to apply it in the real world are different things entirely. I think after figuring out what type of learner you are a combination of studying and applying those topics in real world applications or even labs if you don't have another choice is the best way to go.