Hot tip: If you're interested in a fairly obscure subject, become an active editor of the Wikipedia article on that subject. Check the accuracy of the article, read all the sources used for citations, then start correcting and improving it. Eventually you'll be a world-class expert on that subject.
@@smiechu47 >"You'd have to factor in political edit wars." Absolutely. A bonus tip is to stay away from contentious Wikipedia topics if you want to stay sane.
I’ve been doing this since I was 12. I had bought a book about horse training and it was translated from German and very complicated. So I started rewriting every paragraph I read in words that I understood. It worked. I do this all the time. It’s well known to math folks. Richard Feynman notably said that if you couldn’t explain something to an 8 year old you didn’t yet really understand it.
@@adrianbalmes5704 You're probable right. Makes more sense. I’m dealing with chemo brain these days and my memory isn’t up to par. Thanks for the chat.
All these TH-cam explainers are just video essays. It's interesting to me that what so many students only created begrudingly turned into the type of content they consume most willingly.
Summary for Jordan Peterson essay writing Guide Part One: Reading and Note-Taking Purpose: Gather relevant information for your essay. Steps: Read broadly about your topic. Take notes on key points, ideas, and quotes. Organize notes by subtopics. Part Two: Choosing a Topic Purpose: Narrow down a broad subject to a specific, manageable topic. Steps: List potential topics. Evaluate topics based on interest, available information, and scope. Choose one topic. Part Three: Generating a Reading List Purpose: Identify sources for further research. Steps: Create a list of books, articles, and other sources relevant to your topic. Ensure the sources are credible and varied. Part Four: The Outline Purpose: Create a structured plan for your essay. Steps: Write a brief outline with main headings. Expand each heading with sub-points. Ensure the outline covers the entire argument logically Part Five: Writing the First Draft Purpose: Get your ideas down on paper without worrying about perfection. Steps: Follow your outline to write the essay. Aim for a first draft 25% longer than the final length. Focus on content over style. Part Six: Editing and Arranging Sentences Purpose: Improve clarity, precision, and flow. Steps: Break each paragraph into individual sentences. Rewrite each sentence to be clearer and more concise. Rearrange sentences for better flow Part Seven: Re-ordering the Paragraphs Purpose: Ensure the overall structure and flow are logical. Steps: Copy new improved paragraphs. Review and reorder them for the best logical sequence. Part Eight: Generating a New Outline Purpose: Refine and simplify your argument. Steps: Write a new outline from memory. Cut and paste material from the original essay into the new outline. Remove unnecessary material Part Nine: Repeat Purpose: Further refine and improve your essay. Steps: Re-edit sentences and paragraphs. Wait a few days before final editing to see with fresh eyes. Repeat the process as necessary. Part Ten: References and Bibliography Purpose: Properly cite sources to avoid plagiarism and support your argument. Steps: Add in-text references using APA or another specified style. Create a reference list at the end of your essay. Format your essay according to academic standards. Final Formatting Purpose: Ensure your essay meets presentation standards. Steps: Double-space the text. Include a title page. Indent paragraphs and use section headers if needed. Conclusion Purpose: Highlight the value of the process. Steps: Review the entire process and its benefits. Acknowledge the importance of practice and repetition for improvement. By following these steps, you can develop a well-structured, well-researched, and polished essay.
I work in IT and I cannot tell you how many complicated problems I have solved simply by explaining them comprehensively to someone, aka writing essays.
I've found that explaining the problem to Claude AI with is role being to document, question, and expand my understanding of the problem has been a powerful tool. And I'm sure there is far more possible as I continue to refine and expand the process.
so called power point failure is example of opposite, too much explanation and people are not paying attention.Especially when people are not forced to grasp it - like your manager or somebody who you cannot force to listen.
I homeschooled my son using the Charlotte Mason method, which is based on the philosophy of a 19th-century English educator. Through the use of narration, students begin at an early age telling back what they've heard from a short reading from an excellent book. These oral compositions graduate to written narrations at about the age of 10. As a young adult, my son is an excellent writer and articulates his thoughts well. The Charlotte Mason method is popular among homeschooling families and there are many young people utilizing this way of learning.
Also, Robinson curriculum has one write an essay every day on any topic of study or interest. It begins once one is about age nine. Prior they focus on narration and copy work.
I spend a lot if time, too much time, scrolling through TH-cam looking for something that can inspire me, expand my understanding of the universe, get me off the sofa. I think you just provided that inspiration. Thank you.
Yes, I agree, gauravtejpal. Writing essays is a mind-expanding activity. For me, and without doubt many others, the polemic style is the most effective, So many comments on you tube are no more than unsubstantiated opinions, or just rants. But the essay is a vehicle by means of which the writer can provide evidence to give credence to an opinion or to give substance to what underlies a rant. The polemical essay forces the writer to more deeply consider his/her subject, and thus to learn and to help the readers to learn also.
@@williambunter3311 The polemical method is useful. If we become more proficient and skillful in narrative methods, it will benefit us and others around us.
@@gauravtejpal8901 It's a matter of 'horses for courses', surely? A couple of years ago I joined a writers' group, and one of the things I learned was that the preferred way of keeping a story moving forward is by the use of dialogue, rather than by mere description. For example, a person's character is more interestingly portrayed through their dialogue with other characters than by the writer's plain statements about them. Another good device is to appeal to all the senses. Take for example, a girl on the roof of a building, hiding from someone. Her frightened posture, shortness of breath and facial expression will all be referred to as a matter of course,, but the skilful writer will also interject a detail such as the sound of someone using a drill in the distance. This makes the scene more realistic - we are, after all, in everyday life surrounded by sounds of one sort or another. For myself, however, writing fiction is not satisfying. Nor, generally speaking, is reading fiction. I think it quite lamentable that so great a number of the population spend hours every day immersed in fictional worlds, either through books, or television movies, or by way of the false propaganda daily put out by the mainstream media, purporting to be the 'News'. So many people are living virtual lives, in their imaginations identifying with their fictional heroes and heroines. Given this common alienation from reality, I really don't think that becoming more skilful and convincing in the presentation of fictional worlds can be of benefit either to ourselves or to others around us. You speak, in your comment, of 'a wide variety of narrative methods'. You don't, however, specify any of these methods. Of course, we all have our own likes and dislikes. Personally, I have a strong dislike for works of fiction written entirely in the present tense. And for news reports from 'troublespots' also using the present tense about things that have already happened.. Also unpalatable for me is the use of certain devices found in poetry , which take liberties with verb forms. For example , take a line such as 'Along the dusty lane I did walk'. This is so irritating. Why not just 'I walked'? Anyhow, my thoughts and fingers have run away with me, so I'd better sign off and wish you well.
I agree. In my own way I've been using writing to problem solve for 60 years. Explaining something in writing (in a way that a non expert could understand) requires you to order your thoughts, it highlights your misunderstandings, it confronts you with issues you never noticed before! Writing out your understanding of any problem (relationships, technical issues, finances, etc.) reveals solutions that were hidden in your subconscious.
Somewhere along the line in school we stopped thinking of essays (and other things) as tools to master to help us make sense of the world and we started thinking of them as dreary assignments to survive. Along with that we have become more concerned more with receiving the degree or the diploma than the education. On Montaigne and his essays: My daughter bought me Sara Bakewell's "How to Live - or A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer". I enjoyed it enough to buy the Frame translation of Montaigne's Complete Works. As someone who enjoys history and philosophy, the breadth of references and quotes in his writings makes it a joy to read.
Yeah, I really enjoyed reading Montaigne's essays. ChatGPT told me about him after I ask "What can you suggest me similar to Plutarch?". 1k pages of chill info 🤤🤤
in France education relies a lot on essays, it's kind of the supreme exercise at school all along once you can write sentences until the masters or phd thesis
There is no reason for hating it, just keep a journal. Rephraming "daily writing" as "thought journal keeping" mas it much more palatable. And yes, it does work, like magic.
I find the opposite! For 50 years, I tried repeatedly to keep a journal, failing after a few days every time. Now, I write essays for myself, adding the completion date at the bottom. Writing a titled essay gives me focus, and dating on completion removes the deadly drudgery of "Went shopping. Rained all day." entries, which were so discouraging.
Agree. "Essay" sounds like something more formal, more potentially public, something you might get graded on. I think that stops people from writing. A private journal, or just writing on a random scrap of paper is more useful at letting you get you discover your thoughts.
I was taught the 5-paragraph essay in High School English, where we had to turn in a bunch of them. Then, in college, I found myself in front of my Freshman English class diagraming and explaining the 5PE for a class full of my peers. It’s a great tool.
The 5-paragraph essay is the 1-introduction 3-body 1-conclusion one, right? My teachers didn't call it that (just said it was the right way to write essays), although that might also be in part because I don't live in an English-speaking country.
doing that for many years! Recently, a few friends of mine started learning about machine learning, so I gave them an assignment: "Write a 250-word essay explaining the following: - Why normalization of inputs is necessary - Why normalization after each layer is important - Why shuffling the data is essential - Why the softmax activation function is defined as it is - Why ReLU is effective for hidden layers but not suitable for output layers" and many many more questions like this. After reviewing their essays, I realized they lacked a deep understanding of these concepts. They could provide surface-level answers in a sentence, but they hadn't grasped the underlying principles and motivations behind these practices. All this was visible in their essays! What did we learn? You can fool the world and yourself with a sentence. You can not hide your ignorance with an essay!
@@JohnSmith-gu9gl damn, so despite you asking so many detailed questions, they couldn't even hit 100 words? i mean your comment is 150 words even... do you think they even tried to answer your questions?
@@JohnSmith-gu9gl oh by "write an essay explaining a, b, c and d" you meant write multiple essays explaining a,b ,c and d individually... my bad. yeah, that's whack... i don't know why they would ask for essay questions from you if they were not gunna bother doing them...
As soon as you corrected your pronunciation I INSTANTLY subscribed. So few have the humility to say “Oh, I was incorrect. Here’s the revision, let’s continue.” that is truly the mark of an educated mind. Thank you.
The most useful and interesting class I had in high school (many years ago now) required the writing of one essay per week, and oral presentation following. Crucial skills for my future professional life were the result. I would not have been able to write law school exams without that skill in my brain.
The 5 W ( what, why, when, where, who) questions are things to ask when wanting to gather information and gain a broad understanding of a particular topic or situation. The 5 can be written down in the relevant order appropriate for the subject of the essay.
This is why its so important to encourage your children to Journal. Its a way for them to write Essays about what they think and feel - just add the topics later on
While I don't write essays, I would have to agree that even when I write a reply on different topics on TH-cam, it helps me not only organize my thoughts better but certain topics have me ponder things before I write my thoughts down.
I spend a lot of time quarrelling with people online on various topics, or holding forth about why my opinion is right. Not good for my sleep or general temperament, but it has allowed me to have an extensive memory on particular topics! Like when I get into a TV show or a movie, I watch it obsessively, then I comment about it for HOURS. Within a few weeks, that entire movie is locked into my brain.
I'm a writer, and you are correct that writing essays improve your cognitive thinking abilities. I tend to write essays in my college discussion posts, lol. Works for any subject, even mathematics!
I write essays all the time in my personal diary. It's like if there is a concept that I find interesting I will just write whatever comes to mind and finish with some neat paragraph to summarize the idea. I write by hand with pen, so I get to see all my thought process unedited. I can tell about my mental health seeing what I wrote before. When I write about how I feel it means I'm crashing. If I write about whatever concept sparks curiosity it means I am very healthy. I love to see things from different perspectives, today I had an issue at work where a manager told me to just simplify things, to work with a "simple model", when I told him it wasn't so easy to simplify one variable he just lost it. The issue at hand has to do with, if you lower your product quality and sell at the same price you might trick your customers to buy for a short period of time, but people might miss the quality and stop buying. With anything that could impact your quality is not so easy to simplify the behavior of the customer. He just wants me to simplify a reduction in a cost that can impact quality and conclude that "sell more = good, always" and that is not accurate... Anyway,
Interesting, because this is my normal studying method, and I didn't learn it, it just developed somehow on it's own over time, and it's very very effective. You can master every topic with this method in such a degree, that to others it looks like you are a super talented person or you are using magic. Anyway, my method is very simple. When i have to learn something (like why a rocket moves) I read lots of explanations and watch lots of videos on the topic, and because i read and watch different explanations from different approaches and viewpoints, I can see the problem or the concept from many different angles, so slowly I start to understand the stuff. As I understand more and more, and I can see and understand more and more clearly the stuff, I write it down to myself, but I write it in a way like I have to explain this stuff to someone else. Eventually, no matter how complex the problem or concept is, I can understand it so clearly, that I can explain it even to a 10 years old child and that is the form my 'essay' is written. That's when I know I understand it. If you were reading my essays and you wouldn't understand it, that is a sign that I don't understand it either. Anyway I don't really call them as essays, for me, these are like parts of a book I write. I mean I don't really follow the shape of an essay, because the emphasis is on the understanding. But we can call them as essays because they are sentences in a logical order after all with the purpose of conveying knowledge. When I review the topic, usually I just read the essay, and many times I pretend that I actually try to explain this to a friend or to a class. Again I do this instinctively, but it works like magic. I don't recommend this method to those who want to learn something fast and quickly. This method is only for those who want to be part of the upper 10% in their chosen field. Because you will be this good, but it takes time.
Remembering may be as simple as writing down something multiple times. In the eighties I worked in a car dealers parts department, the part numbers were all ten digits long and we were constantly hand writing receipts. We were all quiet happily remembering the part numbers and the prices of all the common items. Then the company changed over to a computer, it soon had a noticeable effect, first the prices of everything wouldn't stick in memory after a price change, then as new part numbers were introduced they didn't seem to stick either. After the change I ended up relying on the computer where previously I would just remember. The upside of the first computerless years is a set of ten digit numbers I still haven't forgotten to use as internet passwords...
It's more likely that it was that you were *using* those numbers constantly, rather than just writing them down, as in you had a practical use for remembering them.
@@TheSmollocks writing them down we remembered them, typing them on a keyboard they didn't seem to stick anywhere near as well. Things didn't seem to move from short term memory too long term. The job itself hadn't changed...
You sir are correct. I came back to this practice a few years ago in my private time for self development. Became even more necessary during the COVID lockdowns. I managed to organise my thoughts and create teaching materials from this practice.
It’s too bad they didn’t teach us WHY we were doing essays in school, they make it feel like busy work. I’d have learned more if I were doing it for a reason other than “I said so”.
It’s amazing because my close friend who is studying most of her life can remember things back in 5th grade(she also do journalism and do essays). I might have idea why she’s an outstanding life-long learner. As for me, writing feels great because it shows the current skill I have.
Also, I’ve been engaging with expressing my opinions(mostly in essay or about living) here for almost half a decade. Ik it feels that I’ve wasted it in internet, but life moves in unique ways to each people and I also have a reason.
Great explanation! It's really useful framing to understand the essay as an effective learning tool rather than just school's item for testing you. I loved English class and got good grades, but I found essays really painful to write. I've since been diagnosed with autism - which means issues with things like executive function, input processing, filtering information for importance, making decisions, maintaining focus when I'm anxious... basically the things required to write essays. I also have an immune disorder which affects my memory. Peterson's guide looks really useful. But if anyone is struggling like I was: be kind to yourself. Also I think a tutor would make the most difference to anyone who is really struggling with executive function. I really need someone to take me through step by step as I apply it. (Obviously many people can't afford a tutor, and the guide is free)
Summary for Jordan Peterson essay writing Guide Part One: Reading and Note-Taking Purpose: Gather relevant information for your essay. Steps: Read broadly about your topic. Take notes on key points, ideas, and quotes. Organize notes by subtopics. Part Two: Choosing a Topic Purpose: Narrow down a broad subject to a specific, manageable topic. Steps: List potential topics. Evaluate topics based on interest, available information, and scope. Choose one topic. Part Three: Generating a Reading List Purpose: Identify sources for further research. Steps: Create a list of books, articles, and other sources relevant to your topic. Ensure the sources are credible and varied. Part Four: The Outline Purpose: Create a structured plan for your essay. Steps: Write a brief outline with main headings. Expand each heading with sub-points. Ensure the outline covers the entire argument logically Part Five: Writing the First Draft Purpose: Get your ideas down on paper without worrying about perfection. Steps: Follow your outline to write the essay. Aim for a first draft 25% longer than the final length. Focus on content over style. Part Six: Editing and Arranging Sentences Purpose: Improve clarity, precision, and flow. Steps: Break each paragraph into individual sentences. Rewrite each sentence to be clearer and more concise. Rearrange sentences for better flow Part Seven: Re-ordering the Paragraphs Purpose: Ensure the overall structure and flow are logical. Steps: Copy new improved paragraphs. Review and reorder them for the best logical sequence. Part Eight: Generating a New Outline Purpose: Refine and simplify your argument. Steps: Write a new outline from memory. Cut and paste material from the original essay into the new outline. Remove unnecessary material Part Nine: Repeat Purpose: Further refine and improve your essay. Steps: Re-edit sentences and paragraphs. Wait a few days before final editing to see with fresh eyes. Repeat the process as necessary. Part Ten: References and Bibliography Purpose: Properly cite sources to avoid plagiarism and support your argument. Steps: Add in-text references using APA or another specified style. Create a reference list at the end of your essay. Format your essay according to academic standards. Final Formatting Purpose: Ensure your essay meets presentation standards. Steps: Double-space the text. Include a title page. Indent paragraphs and use section headers if needed. Conclusion Purpose: Highlight the value of the process. Steps: Review the entire process and its benefits. Acknowledge the importance of practice and repetition for improvement. By following these steps, you can develop a well-structured, well-researched, and polished essay.
Thank you for giving the benefit of your knowledge. I went to a rubbish comprehensive school on the 80s, the teachers were generally dissatisfied and taught us not a lot. I didn’t learn how to write an essay until I was retaking my A-levels. I think I’ve forgotten something along the way. Thank you for reminding me, why essays helped me synthesise the knowledge I had.
There are two, maybe three essays about essay writing by Paul Graham that are interesting. They are more about discovery (which is also a type of learning. Paul Graham: The Age of the Essay Paul Graham: Putting Ideas Into Words Paul Graham: The Best Essay (that's the maybe one)
I am surprised you didn't mention Umberto (edit) Eco's' How to Write A Thesis. Very good, and talks about how to build complex thoughts. And yes, he spends many pages on how to properly cite, which isn't really writing, but more building the foundation.
It probably doesn't really matter, but in the interest of accuracy, as a result of my own google search, "Umberto Eco's". Thank you for the suggestion!
So very glad I came upon this video (and channel) as I embark on my first year of homeschooling high school. This is going to make it so much easier for all parties involved. Thank you for this perspective!
I co-own two small community newspapers. Every issue, I have to write the editorial. It's kind of an essay with a local "news hook." Over the years, I've learned that the best way to write the editorial is to find the "nuance" in a topic and share both sides of the argument in as balanced a way as possible. You gave excellent advice in your video. More high school English instructors should share it with their students. By the way, thanks for telling the viewers you were in incorrect in your pronounciation of Michel de Montaigne's name. For a few minutes, I thought I had been pronouncing it wrong for most of my life. 😉
Summary for Jordan Peterson essay writing Guide Part One: Reading and Note-Taking Purpose: Gather relevant information for your essay. Steps: Read broadly about your topic. Take notes on key points, ideas, and quotes. Organize notes by subtopics. Part Two: Choosing a Topic Purpose: Narrow down a broad subject to a specific, manageable topic. Steps: List potential topics. Evaluate topics based on interest, available information, and scope. Choose one topic. Part Three: Generating a Reading List Purpose: Identify sources for further research. Steps: Create a list of books, articles, and other sources relevant to your topic. Ensure the sources are credible and varied. Part Four: The Outline Purpose: Create a structured plan for your essay. Steps: Write a brief outline with main headings. Expand each heading with sub-points. Ensure the outline covers the entire argument logically Part Five: Writing the First Draft Purpose: Get your ideas down on paper without worrying about perfection. Steps: Follow your outline to write the essay. Aim for a first draft 25% longer than the final length. Focus on content over style. Part Six: Editing and Arranging Sentences Purpose: Improve clarity, precision, and flow. Steps: Break each paragraph into individual sentences. Rewrite each sentence to be clearer and more concise. Rearrange sentences for better flow Part Seven: Re-ordering the Paragraphs Purpose: Ensure the overall structure and flow are logical. Steps: Copy new improved paragraphs. Review and reorder them for the best logical sequence. Part Eight: Generating a New Outline Purpose: Refine and simplify your argument. Steps: Write a new outline from memory. Cut and paste material from the original essay into the new outline. Remove unnecessary material Part Nine: Repeat Purpose: Further refine and improve your essay. Steps: Re-edit sentences and paragraphs. Wait a few days before final editing to see with fresh eyes. Repeat the process as necessary. Part Ten: References and Bibliography Purpose: Properly cite sources to avoid plagiarism and support your argument. Steps: Add in-text references using APA or another specified style. Create a reference list at the end of your essay. Format your essay according to academic standards. Final Formatting Purpose: Ensure your essay meets presentation standards. Steps: Double-space the text. Include a title page. Indent paragraphs and use section headers if needed. Conclusion Purpose: Highlight the value of the process. Steps: Review the entire process and its benefits. Acknowledge the importance of practice and repetition for improvement. By following these steps, you can develop a well-structured, well-researched, and polished essay.
@@ThePrairieChronicles I'm in the U.S. -- in southern Silicon Valley. The newspapers are Morgan Hill Life and Gilroy Life. hyper-local quality-of-life publications. They are privately owned. No corporations will ever control our newspapers.
Hi Marty, I have to disagree that sharing both sides of an argument in a balanced way makes a good editorial. For example on the topic of raining. A good editorial doesn't give both sides to the argument in a balanced way ie yes it's raining and no it's not raining 50/50. A good editorial is accurate and relevant. Find out if its raining- Yes it's raining, and the rain is good for home veggie patches which half of the community has.
Writing it down always helps me learn things, even if its just making a list of dates or terms, the act of writing (with a pen, not a keyboard for some reason) seems to be a real conduit to move things from the cognitive part my brain to the permanent storage part.
I have to rewrite my notes multiple times to retain information. I read/heard some where there is a connection made in the brain when you hand write information.
I would add to this. Publish it! Even if just to friends. Publishing it not only gets you feedback l, but it pushes you to develop it at with a higher quality than you might otherwise do if it's just for yourself and your notes
Tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, tell them, tell them, tell them what you told them. 5 paragraphs, to the point, and effective. I wish I knew in high school there was a formula, it would have changed everything for me.
Another great thing about essays is that if you get any good at writing them: Whatever topic you're writing about, there are probably big websites that publish what are essentially "guest blogs" on that topic. It's a great way to start nudging your way into professional writing.
Very happy the algorithm delivered this to me today, and opened up a whole world of meta-knowledge delivered in dulcet tones. Really appreciate the approach, sir. Easy subscription.
I was doing a crossword puzzle yesterday and had to look up the proper spelling of "essai". The puzzle was/is in French. I tried, but couldn't finish that puzzle without a bit of help. I find speaking and writing to be a useful alternation from thinking and doing. It does give you feedback to your life in action. So, when I'm teaching or just jabbering, I listen to myself and sometimes hear something new. Some thoughts come to the surface via words and I become aware of what was bubbling up from experience into words. Writing to create is still just a form of converting our internal world into something external. At least, if it's in a structured methodical fashion, so that you (as journalist for example) can get to print before the day is over, then you force yourself to go back to thinking to get actual useful material. If you write in a more relaxed responsive way, you will realize quickly the value of Zen meditation to clear your mind of stuff (emptying your cup) to make room for more activities and thinking and thought creation. Key is to learn about our many mental faculties and how to use them in a complete way. The book, Thinking Fast, Thinking Slow tends to push us in that direction, though I also like Move First, Think Later.
That's so true, also I believe it calms you down when you write and read complex words and sentences, that's how you strengthen your prefrontal cortex(i.e. the evolved part of our brain)
you are absolutely right ! my first assay was written to summarize lots of notes about a specific topic and when I was writing and organizing information I discover that I was writing a book about the topic.
Just wanted to say, how minimalistic and smart this guys video design. Realliy inspring how you use changes in camera angle and zoom aswell as simple Ai images and video edditing effects to create videos that are fitting to todays high stimulus enviornment on youtube! 👍👍👍
how to learn anything? literally anything, including math (my domain): ask a question and answer it, which results in an essay in its purest form. our brains ignore everything we learn unless we utilize them, essays are an excellent tool for that purpose.
Summary for Jordan Peterson essay writing Guide Part One: Reading and Note-Taking Purpose: Gather relevant information for your essay. Steps: Read broadly about your topic. Take notes on key points, ideas, and quotes. Organize notes by subtopics. Part Two: Choosing a Topic Purpose: Narrow down a broad subject to a specific, manageable topic. Steps: List potential topics. Evaluate topics based on interest, available information, and scope. Choose one topic. Part Three: Generating a Reading List Purpose: Identify sources for further research. Steps: Create a list of books, articles, and other sources relevant to your topic. Ensure the sources are credible and varied. Part Four: The Outline Purpose: Create a structured plan for your essay. Steps: Write a brief outline with main headings. Expand each heading with sub-points. Ensure the outline covers the entire argument logically Part Five: Writing the First Draft Purpose: Get your ideas down on paper without worrying about perfection. Steps: Follow your outline to write the essay. Aim for a first draft 25% longer than the final length. Focus on content over style. Part Six: Editing and Arranging Sentences Purpose: Improve clarity, precision, and flow. Steps: Break each paragraph into individual sentences. Rewrite each sentence to be clearer and more concise. Rearrange sentences for better flow Part Seven: Re-ordering the Paragraphs Purpose: Ensure the overall structure and flow are logical. Steps: Copy new improved paragraphs. Review and reorder them for the best logical sequence. Part Eight: Generating a New Outline Purpose: Refine and simplify your argument. Steps: Write a new outline from memory. Cut and paste material from the original essay into the new outline. Remove unnecessary material Part Nine: Repeat Purpose: Further refine and improve your essay. Steps: Re-edit sentences and paragraphs. Wait a few days before final editing to see with fresh eyes. Repeat the process as necessary. Part Ten: References and Bibliography Purpose: Properly cite sources to avoid plagiarism and support your argument. Steps: Add in-text references using APA or another specified style. Create a reference list at the end of your essay. Format your essay according to academic standards. Final Formatting Purpose: Ensure your essay meets presentation standards. Steps: Double-space the text. Include a title page. Indent paragraphs and use section headers if needed. Conclusion Purpose: Highlight the value of the process. Steps: Review the entire process and its benefits. Acknowledge the importance of practice and repetition for improvement. By following these steps, you can develop a well-structured, well-researched, and polished essay.
Thanks for the links to the writing guides. I've started writing on Asian Philosophy with no prior experience in essay writing because my background is entirely STEM. I found it very slow and very tough going. I'm hoping these will help make me a better writer and will improve my productivity and the quality of the result.
00:01 Essay writing as a powerful learning technique 01:30 Writing essays as a learning tool 03:00 Benefit of learning - Improved thinking, understanding, and communication skills 04:26 Essay writing enhances critical thinking skills. 05:49 Retrieval practice is more effective than rereading for learning. 07:08 Use the learn it linked approach for effective learning 08:27 Jordan Peterson's essay guide is comprehensive and provides valuable advice.
It's how you write essays that matters. If you're writing a monologue about all the subjects you're studying, you'll get bored and worn out. So know how to write your essays and yes you'll flourish in life. Note taking is essay writing.
I have stumbled onto essay writing as the way for me to learn. It has been a game changer in my life. I can see how my thinking is transforming my brain and holding ideas.
Summary for Jordan Peterson essay writing Guide Part One: Reading and Note-Taking Purpose: Gather relevant information for your essay. Steps: Read broadly about your topic. Take notes on key points, ideas, and quotes. Organize notes by subtopics. Part Two: Choosing a Topic Purpose: Narrow down a broad subject to a specific, manageable topic. Steps: List potential topics. Evaluate topics based on interest, available information, and scope. Choose one topic. Part Three: Generating a Reading List Purpose: Identify sources for further research. Steps: Create a list of books, articles, and other sources relevant to your topic. Ensure the sources are credible and varied. Part Four: The Outline Purpose: Create a structured plan for your essay. Steps: Write a brief outline with main headings. Expand each heading with sub-points. Ensure the outline covers the entire argument logically Part Five: Writing the First Draft Purpose: Get your ideas down on paper without worrying about perfection. Steps: Follow your outline to write the essay. Aim for a first draft 25% longer than the final length. Focus on content over style. Part Six: Editing and Arranging Sentences Purpose: Improve clarity, precision, and flow. Steps: Break each paragraph into individual sentences. Rewrite each sentence to be clearer and more concise. Rearrange sentences for better flow Part Seven: Re-ordering the Paragraphs Purpose: Ensure the overall structure and flow are logical. Steps: Copy new improved paragraphs. Review and reorder them for the best logical sequence. Part Eight: Generating a New Outline Purpose: Refine and simplify your argument. Steps: Write a new outline from memory. Cut and paste material from the original essay into the new outline. Remove unnecessary material Part Nine: Repeat Purpose: Further refine and improve your essay. Steps: Re-edit sentences and paragraphs. Wait a few days before final editing to see with fresh eyes. Repeat the process as necessary. Part Ten: References and Bibliography Purpose: Properly cite sources to avoid plagiarism and support your argument. Steps: Add in-text references using APA or another specified style. Create a reference list at the end of your essay. Format your essay according to academic standards. Final Formatting Purpose: Ensure your essay meets presentation standards. Steps: Double-space the text. Include a title page. Indent paragraphs and use section headers if needed. Conclusion Purpose: Highlight the value of the process. Steps: Review the entire process and its benefits. Acknowledge the importance of practice and repetition for improvement. By following these steps, you can develop a well-structured, well-researched, and polished essay.
The more an essay is intractable, the more it helps explain things that are very hard (or impossible) to represent in closed-form, formal, and logical ("rational)) ways. For example, it is often impossible to find closed form expressions for understand real-world complex systems under randomness and noise, yet there are intractable ways to explain it. Simulations, MDPs, Agent-based modeling, etc. You can never explain all the steps that lead to an outcome, only the overall behaviors of how it does. Writing, especially nuanced and idiosyncratic writing, is another way of explaining what we observe in intractable ways. French writers who use slang are extremely sophisticated, far more than most English work, and explain very complex concepts with far more nuance. Yet, it is nearly impossible to retract backwards step by step. Through the years, it's made me realize that intellectually honest essayists that write about what they observe in real life with a lot of focus end up just as correct as a few brilliant mathematicians and physicists. The more you write or do advanced mathematics about the real world, the more this will make sense. Otherwise, few will know what I'm talking about. I should write an essay about it!
My wife has certainly become an expert on all my faults and mistakes by the use of a daily 'essay' that she freely dictates to me generously each day. She starts by remembering stuff I did or didn't do from years ago, and based on her understanding, she applies that criticism to whatever new mistake I've made, which she takes apart to analyse and evaluate in detail, before she creates these wonderfully 'motivational monologues' - or 'moan-a-lots' as I like to call them. She'll be delighted to discover that she's a 'great thinker', though I might forget to mention it.
essai is pronounced the same way as essay. a few months ago I came across a video about writing your thoughts first thing in the morning. the goal was to improve the way you comprehend and handle your own life. it sounds strange but it works. and with this video I have another preview on why it works so well. thank you!
@@seinou7471 no, it's not. I put it to be pronounced in a traducer's app, and the sound is worse than essay. a french person understands perfectly when an english person says essay. so, it's ok, there is no need to be perfect here. just to be clear, I'm french.
@@dianemoril7612 Je pense surtout que tu ne comprends pas du tout l'anglais pour penser que essai et essay se prononcent de la même façon, ou alors t'es malentendant, mais aucune excuse parce que je suis aussi malentendant. Si t'as un doute c'est simple tu regardes l'IPA pour les deux mots
@@seinou7471 vous pensez ce que vous voulez, je pense ce que je veux, vous percevez les choses comme ça vous chante, et moi de même. si vous ça vous semble différent grand bien vous fasse. et bon vent!
@@dianemoril7612 Mais ça ne me semble pas différent, C'EST DIFFÉRENT DÉBILE, c'est fou cette mauvaise foi... Essay se prononce /ɛˈseɪ/ Essai se prononce /ɛ.sɛ/ ~ /e.sɛ/ Il s'agirait de prendre du recul
In India we mostly tend to copy our writing assignments, the majority of students just put on some good music on their headphones and copy mindlessly. I believe the exercise mentioned in the video will help college students like me to be more expressive and creative with our thoughts and ideas and maybe also help us become a high-level thinker.
I think this video is about the final stages of understanding. It’s also very much underrated to memorize things simply because knowing certain facts about a topic off by heart gives you a starting point for analysis. If I know the US presidents and the years of their presidency, I can put other events in context of when they happened. So if you know the Second World War happened under Roosevelt, you have approximate dates, you might find things invented at the time, or social changes. Now you can put it all together and form a picture.
@@TheresaReichleyoh, thank you thank you Thank You!!! I have been shouting the point of your comment for what seems like an eternity! Why do some educators insist on an either/or relationship to learning? They want to trade what seems to them to be rote memorization for whatever they decide is the analysis. Along with the analysis, I much rather prefer that students know that the American Civil War ended in 1865, not 1945. It’s vitally important to know when events occur. And that reason is right there in your observation... Cheers 💖!
@@hiwayshoes it’s just been trial and error on my part because I more or less study n my own. But I find thinking much much easier when I have the relevant knowledge in my brain so I can put things in their proper context without having to look up everything. If I have to look up everything, I’m spending so much time and energy on figuring out what the facts are that thinking beyond that gets more difficult and taxing. Knowing that FDR was president during WW2 alongside Stalin in Russia and Churchill in Britain, you have things to use to think about why events are happening as they are, what crises shaped the events leading up to the war, their personalities and so on.
@@TheresaReichleyyou're saying even details can be remebered easily because if I write when President becomes pr3sident then I'll remebered the dates immediately?
@@watcheronly71 once you know them off by heart, yes. And not only when thinking about presidents. You’ll eventually see a date like 1964 for example. You’ll remember the president at that time and also know what other things were going on then.
Use writing as a therapy. Just getting the problem externalised and on a page can help in getting a better view on things. Developing the 'two chair' method on a page helps not only to develop perspective and appreciation of 'another's' view of life but it is the start of developing the narrative style of the short story and novel. Start by opening up a clean page and typing/talking on to that page various windows or glimpses of your life. You want to start it a la Joyce with a moo cow then it is your choice. This is your story, not edited by parents or siblings. It could also end up as an excellent social history document just make sure that it does not end up in the skip when you peg out.
I don’t want to pry into your private life, but I would like to inquire about your methodology. Not only do you use many settings in any one video, but you appear to regularly change the setting of the settings. I have the impression you travel about Europe (and the UK), visit long enough to familiarize yourself with the locale, then move on. I divide my time between the US and France, have not fully mastered the flow, but enjoy charging perspectives. In a sense it is like living in an essay format.
My inference is that an essay should be written at least 3 times. First to establish the subject and write down all of the supporting arguments and objections explaining why each one is proper or improper. The examine them to refute them and find what are the strongest arguments and objections. Then reorganize the whole to into a readable format. I was basically taught to have a point of view and write it out in essay which is probably why I never understood them. It was the whole "say what you're going to say, say it, then say what you said" thing which I found repetitive and boring. I never realized that I mentally do this essay writing thing until I watched this video which is why I've always considered myself a bit of a devil's advocate on everything. People refuse to confront the weakest arguments in their viewpoints which frustrates me because if we did I think we'd be able to compromise much better.
I'm very pleased to have found your channel - I enjoy the content, but that's not why I am making the comment... It's your presentation that impresses me - everything feels extremely well-prepared and flows smoothly from one point to the next. You have an effective way of transferring your message and I am a fan. Keep up the good work. Subscribed.
That’s awesome! I would have loved and totally understood a video like this in middle school. It would have made the assignments a lot more meaningful too. It would have changed everything for me at that age to understand there was a framework I could have followed when writing.. As it was, I focused diligently on rubric that had me jumping from thought bubble to thought bubble, while trying to hit items on a checklist so my teacher would see I was trying. Writing for me was like trying to harness 7,000 lbs of slime into a random graphic organizer with bubbles and connecting lines that were somehow supposed to tie together whatever disjointed points I wrote down. I’d end up writing and then filling out the graphic organizer after the fact because it was part of the assignment. We teach how to plug numbers into formulas that can help us solve problems. We don’t expect kids to know this, we actively teach it. It’s a beautiful framework that one can rely on when working out questions. You may not have the answer, but at least you can plug things in and see if it makes sense. We don’t always do this with writing though. I always felt writing was something I was supposed to know how to do, but I really didn’t, and teachers focused on grammar and technical details while I was trying to figure out the structure. Brevity is still a struggle for me as I am sure you can see. For a kid with ADHD, in a time where no one even knew what that was, organizing my thoughts effectively would have solved a massive amount of the communication struggles I faced. I didn’t learn the framework for an essay until college. I longed to go back and rewrite every assignment from high school, turn it in and say hey wait I get it now, look how good this is! At least I learned how to revise, revise, revise. My work ethic wasn’t in question, it was just my ability to capture my thoughts in a succinct way. I’m still working on that one.😊
@vibesmom, ty for that feedback. I teach reading and writing b/c I love them both, but I've also always been very capable of doing both well. Your perspective is essential for me to see who I may not be reaching. While we focus quite a bit on structure in 8th grade (standardized tests make sure we do so), I think thus video will help my audio/visual learners. They get tired of hearing me! I am also quite verbose in my writing, the last few years I have really focused on saying more with less:)
I would say an essay featuring a case study could be considered as an "application" of the theory, which in my opinion make any essay more enjoyable and more relatable.
Love the Ikea Chair in the background, much more comfortable than chairs 10 times the price :-), I'm going to go and sit in my one now and contemplate essays.
the fact that "memory masters" use narrative story telling I guess tells it own story... Im a linguist and using stories to connect meanings to foreign words is very effective...oh and essai is pronounced pretty much the same as essay :)
The guide was recommended because it’s very useful. That you won’t use it because you disagree with the writer’s political views is a you problem, not anyone else’s.
The apparent goal of this video was to convey how essay writing can improve retention, comprehension, and enhance creative thinking. Choosing an essay guide authored by a prominent religious and political figure with some controversial views…. just seems odd. To put it another way, instead of Peterson, instead just swap in Hillary Clinton, or Putin, or Trump, etc… no matter how good the essay guide may be, it is difficult or impossible for most people to ignore such a powerful political or religious influence. It also naturally causes some to question the intent of the video itself. So many possibilities. Perhaps one should write an essay about it 🤪
This is just the motivation I’ve been looking for to complete my masters assignment. I get terrible writers block and imposter syndrome as the deadline approaches!
Thanks for the informative and entertaining Video! I put “Uncommon Sense Teaching” on my reading list. I’m motivated to write essays now, so let's see if I really do it. 😂
Summary for Jordan Peterson essay writing Guide Part One: Reading and Note-Taking Purpose: Gather relevant information for your essay. Steps: Read broadly about your topic. Take notes on key points, ideas, and quotes. Organize notes by subtopics. Part Two: Choosing a Topic Purpose: Narrow down a broad subject to a specific, manageable topic. Steps: List potential topics. Evaluate topics based on interest, available information, and scope. Choose one topic. Part Three: Generating a Reading List Purpose: Identify sources for further research. Steps: Create a list of books, articles, and other sources relevant to your topic. Ensure the sources are credible and varied. Part Four: The Outline Purpose: Create a structured plan for your essay. Steps: Write a brief outline with main headings. Expand each heading with sub-points. Ensure the outline covers the entire argument logically Part Five: Writing the First Draft Purpose: Get your ideas down on paper without worrying about perfection. Steps: Follow your outline to write the essay. Aim for a first draft 25% longer than the final length. Focus on content over style. Part Six: Editing and Arranging Sentences Purpose: Improve clarity, precision, and flow. Steps: Break each paragraph into individual sentences. Rewrite each sentence to be clearer and more concise. Rearrange sentences for better flow Part Seven: Re-ordering the Paragraphs Purpose: Ensure the overall structure and flow are logical. Steps: Copy new improved paragraphs. Review and reorder them for the best logical sequence. Part Eight: Generating a New Outline Purpose: Refine and simplify your argument. Steps: Write a new outline from memory. Cut and paste material from the original essay into the new outline. Remove unnecessary material Part Nine: Repeat Purpose: Further refine and improve your essay. Steps: Re-edit sentences and paragraphs. Wait a few days before final editing to see with fresh eyes. Repeat the process as necessary. Part Ten: References and Bibliography Purpose: Properly cite sources to avoid plagiarism and support your argument. Steps: Add in-text references using APA or another specified style. Create a reference list at the end of your essay. Format your essay according to academic standards. Final Formatting Purpose: Ensure your essay meets presentation standards. Steps: Double-space the text. Include a title page. Indent paragraphs and use section headers if needed. Conclusion Purpose: Highlight the value of the process. Steps: Review the entire process and its benefits. Acknowledge the importance of practice and repetition for improvement. By following these steps, you can develop a well-structured, well-researched, and polished essay.
That's why all my TH-cam comments become long multiparagraph essays. I once wrote a four comment length comment without realising, and if you have ever wrote a max length comment, you know the character limit is not small. It always becomes this process: throwing a random, possibly funny comment or slight disagreement or presenting a question that seemingly contradicts a statement on the video. Then expanding, arguing for my case, coming up with examples and metaphors, referring to other sources, double checking the source to not make wrong claims and use something to support my claim without it being relevant, even looking up researching sources to things I knew but never sourced, starting to rewrite parts when I realise it's becoming way too big and no one's gonna read it anyway. I always disliked "mother language" classes or whatever would be a reasonable way to call it, especially the homework essays in high school that were abundant and took a lot of time to do. But I never struggled with them and getting good grades. I might have made fun of them by just doing the proper process without having my heart in it, writing technically proper text types and analysis and all, but disliking every moment of it and doing the bare minimum intellectually and creatively or in terms of personal ideas. I just did them mechanically correctly. Having got that off my heart, I agree, writing an essay even if it's just an online comment does help your thinking on any given subject. Like you said how it formulates ideas. You know the things on that subject, but writing them down in a coherent text structures it and you will have easier time talking about that subject in the future and you might realise that you knew more than you thought. Furthermore you can discover your own ideological/rational controversies when looking at the subject and preferrably you'd also include counter-arguing possible arguments. And the best way you can approach your ideas is steelmanning the opposition and arguments against your idea to find weak points or things you haven't thought through well enough, holes in your ideas that you have to reform to make sense or abandon your opinion/hypothesis. Many times it makes your slightly absolute or polarised thought more mellow and rounded when you realise that there are parts you don't know or situations where the idea doesn't apply, the limitations of your vision. I think the feeling you have after finishing an essay should be "this will be useful to someone" and not "I won an argument and defeated opponents" if your essay is successful. It will become more meaningful than proving someone wrong or a rebuttal or even attacking someone/something/some thought. It will become useful information. And I disagree that a good essay should persuade the reader that it's the only sensible conclusion. I think a good essay will persuade the reader that this is a very well founded reasonable interpretation, that has its limits, but not by all means the only one possible.
As an article writer for over 20 years, I found your video interesting, although the continual position changes were distracting. However, having skimmed Peterson's essay guide, I wonder why it was necessary to describe it as 'arrogant'? It's as though you were compelled to use the word in order to excuse your recommendation.
I've always seen essay writing as a formalised version of 'rubber ducking', both are excellent at gaining a deeper understanding of the topic. (you've just earned a new subscriber too, by the way).
Modern education , at least the school portion, is after all based on the idea to quickly create work-ready drones to throw into the factory of capitalism. University education still retains some aspects of the older academic style that focuses on teaching critical thinking and the scientific method and philosophy, but it's getting more and more dragged into a similar factory mindset, like Europe changing from a diploma-based system that valued students' own curiosity and left room for academic learning outside of the core curriculum into one that is basically school, but complicated and stressful.
Retrieval practice works, I'd study and take frequent brakes where id do some chores while trying to retrieve the information. It gives you practice of recalling the information when you havent been thinking about the information for a while, which is the exact situation you'll be in when you need the information most in real life.❤
Very helpful, thank you for posting! One funny thing happened as I listened to this video. Initially thought “he’s mispronouncing Montaigne” but then I fell victim to something I think is common here in the US. We assign more intelligence and a better education to anyone with a British accent, and yours is excellent. So I thought, there’s no way that he’s mispronouncing Montaigne, it must be me that has been mispronouncing this name all these years. 😊 Again, thanks for your helpful insights!
Summary for Jordan Peterson essay writing Guide Part One: Reading and Note-Taking Purpose: Gather relevant information for your essay. Steps: Read broadly about your topic. Take notes on key points, ideas, and quotes. Organize notes by subtopics. Part Two: Choosing a Topic Purpose: Narrow down a broad subject to a specific, manageable topic. Steps: List potential topics. Evaluate topics based on interest, available information, and scope. Choose one topic. Part Three: Generating a Reading List Purpose: Identify sources for further research. Steps: Create a list of books, articles, and other sources relevant to your topic. Ensure the sources are credible and varied. Part Four: The Outline Purpose: Create a structured plan for your essay. Steps: Write a brief outline with main headings. Expand each heading with sub-points. Ensure the outline covers the entire argument logically Part Five: Writing the First Draft Purpose: Get your ideas down on paper without worrying about perfection. Steps: Follow your outline to write the essay. Aim for a first draft 25% longer than the final length. Focus on content over style. Part Six: Editing and Arranging Sentences Purpose: Improve clarity, precision, and flow. Steps: Break each paragraph into individual sentences. Rewrite each sentence to be clearer and more concise. Rearrange sentences for better flow Part Seven: Re-ordering the Paragraphs Purpose: Ensure the overall structure and flow are logical. Steps: Copy new improved paragraphs. Review and reorder them for the best logical sequence. Part Eight: Generating a New Outline Purpose: Refine and simplify your argument. Steps: Write a new outline from memory. Cut and paste material from the original essay into the new outline. Remove unnecessary material Part Nine: Repeat Purpose: Further refine and improve your essay. Steps: Re-edit sentences and paragraphs. Wait a few days before final editing to see with fresh eyes. Repeat the process as necessary. Part Ten: References and Bibliography Purpose: Properly cite sources to avoid plagiarism and support your argument. Steps: Add in-text references using APA or another specified style. Create a reference list at the end of your essay. Format your essay according to academic standards. Final Formatting Purpose: Ensure your essay meets presentation standards. Steps: Double-space the text. Include a title page. Indent paragraphs and use section headers if needed. Conclusion Purpose: Highlight the value of the process. Steps: Review the entire process and its benefits. Acknowledge the importance of practice and repetition for improvement. By following these steps, you can develop a well-structured, well-researched, and polished essay.
Hugely valuable to think in this way. I have gotten away from this at times, but the essay structure and process works so well for outlining videos too.
2:30. You were correct on the word essay - like like Spanish esse Or Essai .. Montaigne - Mon(Mohn) - is like mine in French -- mohn-tai-ni-uh.. This would be the best pronunciation for an English speaker.
Fun fact, the word essay also means the same thing in English as it originally did in French. I usually find it in military historical fiction, this regiment essayed out on the right flank, the new midshipman essayed up the rigging and so on and so forth.
Why didn't my English teacher tell me this in 1974. I had no idea how to write essays and the only reason for essay assignments was for the teacher to torture us.
Summary for Jordan Peterson essay writing Guide Part One: Reading and Note-Taking Purpose: Gather relevant information for your essay. Steps: Read broadly about your topic. Take notes on key points, ideas, and quotes. Organize notes by subtopics. Part Two: Choosing a Topic Purpose: Narrow down a broad subject to a specific, manageable topic. Steps: List potential topics. Evaluate topics based on interest, available information, and scope. Choose one topic. Part Three: Generating a Reading List Purpose: Identify sources for further research. Steps: Create a list of books, articles, and other sources relevant to your topic. Ensure the sources are credible and varied. Part Four: The Outline Purpose: Create a structured plan for your essay. Steps: Write a brief outline with main headings. Expand each heading with sub-points. Ensure the outline covers the entire argument logically Part Five: Writing the First Draft Purpose: Get your ideas down on paper without worrying about perfection. Steps: Follow your outline to write the essay. Aim for a first draft 25% longer than the final length. Focus on content over style. Part Six: Editing and Arranging Sentences Purpose: Improve clarity, precision, and flow. Steps: Break each paragraph into individual sentences. Rewrite each sentence to be clearer and more concise. Rearrange sentences for better flow Part Seven: Re-ordering the Paragraphs Purpose: Ensure the overall structure and flow are logical. Steps: Copy new improved paragraphs. Review and reorder them for the best logical sequence. Part Eight: Generating a New Outline Purpose: Refine and simplify your argument. Steps: Write a new outline from memory. Cut and paste material from the original essay into the new outline. Remove unnecessary material Part Nine: Repeat Purpose: Further refine and improve your essay. Steps: Re-edit sentences and paragraphs. Wait a few days before final editing to see with fresh eyes. Repeat the process as necessary. Part Ten: References and Bibliography Purpose: Properly cite sources to avoid plagiarism and support your argument. Steps: Add in-text references using APA or another specified style. Create a reference list at the end of your essay. Format your essay according to academic standards. Final Formatting Purpose: Ensure your essay meets presentation standards. Steps: Double-space the text. Include a title page. Indent paragraphs and use section headers if needed. Conclusion Purpose: Highlight the value of the process. Steps: Review the entire process and its benefits. Acknowledge the importance of practice and repetition for improvement. By following these steps, you can develop a well-structured, well-researched, and polished essay.
this really helps slower learners and people that have issues with comprehension and retention of information - others... it will not help so much. for example, if i try to slowly regurgitate and re-process material in this manner, i will lose focus, and lose retention. i suffer from ADHD and have an IQ that is representative of less than 0.4% of the population in my region (that is, above 99.6% of the populace). i need to go fast and hard at material, stopping and starting a lot, or else i will suffer retention issues. this is my own personal case; however - i mention it because if a person seeing this, finds that 're-writing information' is not working for them, then it may never be applicable to themselves - and to not 'feel bad' about it... this is a way of learning that is very thorough (and this video is extremely helpful!) - but only for the majority of people, not everyone. and that's OK.
Excellent! You put into words what I discovered sort of by accident when I wrote my PhD thesis. Thank you so much! I’m going to be using your video in a class. I teach because I want students to be able to master what you’re talking about.
great video! for future reference essai is pronounced the same as its english counter (eh-say), our french 'ai' is the same as the english 'ay'. Your first prononciation of Montagne was also closer to the correct one (Mon-tah-gn) we don't pronounce the 'e' at the end.
I’ll admit my bias right up front: I’m inclined to agree with your claim. But first, I think you should have made more of an effort to define what you mean by “write an essay.” Second, you suggest a guide on how to write essays. (Again my biases are that it’s probably a good guide though I haven’t read or used it.) But doesn’t the work produced by the author of the guide you suggest exist as a counter argument to your premise that writing essays will improve the quality of one’s thinking and writing? I’m familiar with both post modern philosophy and much of what that guy has to say about it, and he’s simply wrong. I wish I could conclusively argue either that he is knowingly lying or that he simply wasn’t able to understand the material but what he says about it and the claims he makes are so poorly formed and so full of falsehoods that I don’t think any coherent conclusion can be drawn. That points to at least one example where someone can know how to write essays but not exhibit the benefits you suggest, unfortunately. But to augment your point here, a related way to learn, understand and apply material is to teach it (or at least think about how you would teach it to someone else.) the actual genius physicist Richard Feynman suggested a means of better learning material by “taking something that's hard to understand and try to clarify it in your mind by explaining it as if you were talking to a child.” I would, though, like to apologize for writing a bit if a (badly structured) essay here.
This has to be satire. The irony of writing an essay clearly explaining why essays are not the best form of learning under a video talking about essay writing.
@@ihavenoname6285 there is absolutely a tongue in cheek element. But particularly because I agree with the overall premise I couldn’t resist pointing out that when you claim that writing essays will improve your thinking, pointing to a guide to essay writing by a guy who is famous (more recently) for poorly formed cognition is a problem. Still, my bet is that the guide, written years ago, is probably pretty good. But overall blame the Jesuits who educated me. I can’t pass up something like this - a mostly cogent argument that has some glaring issues.
@@tomdchi12 Have you picked up a thesaurus for the first time? Because why are you trying so hard to look smart in a TH-cam comment section? It’s so painfully obvious because your grammar is worst than a 5 year old. I recommend you actually learn English before using words too big for you.
I've come to like writing essays, once I figured out why we were writing essays. Its something that should be explained in yr 7, but no, I figured it out in yr 11. Only got good at them when doing my graduate certificate.
Summary for Jordan Peterson essay writing Guide Part One: Reading and Note-Taking Purpose: Gather relevant information for your essay. Steps: Read broadly about your topic. Take notes on key points, ideas, and quotes. Organize notes by subtopics. Part Two: Choosing a Topic Purpose: Narrow down a broad subject to a specific, manageable topic. Steps: List potential topics. Evaluate topics based on interest, available information, and scope. Choose one topic. Part Three: Generating a Reading List Purpose: Identify sources for further research. Steps: Create a list of books, articles, and other sources relevant to your topic. Ensure the sources are credible and varied. Part Four: The Outline Purpose: Create a structured plan for your essay. Steps: Write a brief outline with main headings. Expand each heading with sub-points. Ensure the outline covers the entire argument logically Part Five: Writing the First Draft Purpose: Get your ideas down on paper without worrying about perfection. Steps: Follow your outline to write the essay. Aim for a first draft 25% longer than the final length. Focus on content over style. Part Six: Editing and Arranging Sentences Purpose: Improve clarity, precision, and flow. Steps: Break each paragraph into individual sentences. Rewrite each sentence to be clearer and more concise. Rearrange sentences for better flow Part Seven: Re-ordering the Paragraphs Purpose: Ensure the overall structure and flow are logical. Steps: Copy new improved paragraphs. Review and reorder them for the best logical sequence. Part Eight: Generating a New Outline Purpose: Refine and simplify your argument. Steps: Write a new outline from memory. Cut and paste material from the original essay into the new outline. Remove unnecessary material Part Nine: Repeat Purpose: Further refine and improve your essay. Steps: Re-edit sentences and paragraphs. Wait a few days before final editing to see with fresh eyes. Repeat the process as necessary. Part Ten: References and Bibliography Purpose: Properly cite sources to avoid plagiarism and support your argument. Steps: Add in-text references using APA or another specified style. Create a reference list at the end of your essay. Format your essay according to academic standards. Final Formatting Purpose: Ensure your essay meets presentation standards. Steps: Double-space the text. Include a title page. Indent paragraphs and use section headers if needed. Conclusion Purpose: Highlight the value of the process. Steps: Review the entire process and its benefits. Acknowledge the importance of practice and repetition for improvement. By following these steps, you can develop a well-structured, well-researched, and polished essay.
T. Austin Sparks incorporated a version of this in his daily study. As he studied the Bible daily he would write his observations and insights about the passages he read in different notebooks. He filled many notebooks and developed a very deep and nuanced understanding. I chronicled my initial months in South Korea like this too. As a result many of my observations about the culture have been steered into my mind even though I passed through many traumatic experiences in the following years at the hands of the Korean people. I suspect that journaling is a key to manys’ recovery because it helps translate trauma into learning where it is actionable.
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Hot tip: If you're interested in a fairly obscure subject, become an active editor of the Wikipedia article on that subject. Check the accuracy of the article, read all the sources used for citations, then start correcting and improving it. Eventually you'll be a world-class expert on that subject.
Funny guy, wd.
I lolled.
"If you're interested in a fairly obscure subject" haha, well that rules out 98% of people reading your comment lol.
What obscure subject are you interested in @KarlBunker
You'd have to factor in political edit wars.
@@smiechu47 >"You'd have to factor in political edit wars."
Absolutely. A bonus tip is to stay away from contentious Wikipedia topics if you want to stay sane.
I’ve been doing this since I was 12. I had bought a book about horse training and it was translated from German and very complicated. So I started rewriting every paragraph I read in words that I understood. It worked. I do this all the time. It’s well known to math folks. Richard Feynman notably said that if you couldn’t explain something to an 8 year old you didn’t yet really understand it.
i thought it was an 8th grader, more likely. 8 is way too difficult think IT too young. stop with this thic content, it's way too good for it's own.
@@adrianbalmes5704 You're probable right. Makes more sense. I’m dealing with chemo brain these days and my memory isn’t up to par. Thanks for the chat.
“Year old,” you didn’t finish the sentence.
@@michaelanderson2166 Yeah. Chemo brain strikes again. Sorry.
Such a great method! Hope you comfort at this time ❤
All these TH-cam explainers are just video essays. It's interesting to me that what so many students only created begrudingly turned into the type of content they consume most willingly.
Hardly surprising that consuming something isn't equivalent to creating something.
Summary for Jordan Peterson essay writing Guide
Part One: Reading and Note-Taking
Purpose: Gather relevant information for your essay.
Steps:
Read broadly about your topic.
Take notes on key points, ideas, and quotes.
Organize notes by subtopics.
Part Two: Choosing a Topic
Purpose: Narrow down a broad subject to a specific, manageable topic.
Steps:
List potential topics.
Evaluate topics based on interest, available information, and scope.
Choose one topic.
Part Three: Generating a Reading List
Purpose: Identify sources for further research.
Steps:
Create a list of books, articles, and other sources relevant to your topic.
Ensure the sources are credible and varied.
Part Four: The Outline
Purpose: Create a structured plan for your essay.
Steps:
Write a brief outline with main headings.
Expand each heading with sub-points.
Ensure the outline covers the entire argument logically
Part Five: Writing the First Draft
Purpose: Get your ideas down on paper without worrying about perfection.
Steps:
Follow your outline to write the essay.
Aim for a first draft 25% longer than the final length.
Focus on content over style.
Part Six: Editing and Arranging Sentences
Purpose: Improve clarity, precision, and flow.
Steps:
Break each paragraph into individual sentences.
Rewrite each sentence to be clearer and more concise.
Rearrange sentences for better flow
Part Seven: Re-ordering the Paragraphs
Purpose: Ensure the overall structure and flow are logical.
Steps:
Copy new improved paragraphs.
Review and reorder them for the best logical sequence.
Part Eight: Generating a New Outline
Purpose: Refine and simplify your argument.
Steps:
Write a new outline from memory.
Cut and paste material from the original essay into the new outline.
Remove unnecessary material
Part Nine: Repeat
Purpose: Further refine and improve your essay.
Steps:
Re-edit sentences and paragraphs.
Wait a few days before final editing to see with fresh eyes.
Repeat the process as necessary.
Part Ten: References and Bibliography
Purpose: Properly cite sources to avoid plagiarism and support your argument.
Steps:
Add in-text references using APA or another specified style.
Create a reference list at the end of your essay.
Format your essay according to academic standards.
Final Formatting
Purpose: Ensure your essay meets presentation standards.
Steps:
Double-space the text.
Include a title page.
Indent paragraphs and use section headers if needed.
Conclusion
Purpose: Highlight the value of the process.
Steps:
Review the entire process and its benefits.
Acknowledge the importance of practice and repetition for improvement.
By following these steps, you can develop a well-structured, well-researched, and polished essay.
Thanks @@watcheronly71!!!
Might be interesting to try doing a first draft in that format and see if it happens faster
Consume is the keyword. You don't have to do anything but watching and listening. The next day you have forgotten all about it.
I work in IT and I cannot tell you how many complicated problems I have solved simply by explaining them comprehensively to someone, aka writing essays.
Lots of programmers have a rubber duck on their desk so they can explain code to it.
@@coryschwartz1570 Yes indeed, however looking like a fool in front of a rubber duck doesn't give me the social shame needed to learn my lesson 😁
I've found that explaining the problem to Claude AI with is role being to document, question, and expand my understanding of the problem has been a powerful tool. And I'm sure there is far more possible as I continue to refine and expand the process.
@@carlanwray8718this is brilliant
so called power point failure is example of opposite, too much explanation and people are not paying attention.Especially when people are not forced to grasp it - like your manager or somebody who you cannot force to listen.
I homeschooled my son using the Charlotte Mason method, which is based on the philosophy of a 19th-century English educator. Through the use of narration, students begin at an early age telling back what they've heard from a short reading from an excellent book. These oral compositions graduate to written narrations at about the age of 10. As a young adult, my son is an excellent writer and articulates his thoughts well. The Charlotte Mason method is popular among homeschooling families and there are many young people utilizing this way of learning.
Also, Robinson curriculum has one write an essay every day on any topic of study or interest. It begins once one is about age nine. Prior they focus on narration and copy work.
@@berrypatch5583 I seriously considered Robinson Curriculum. It's excellent as well.
I spend a lot if time, too much time, scrolling through TH-cam looking for something that can inspire me, expand my understanding of the universe, get me off the sofa. I think you just provided that inspiration. Thank you.
I hoפe you'll do it. How is it going?
Woah
U r old
Give some wise old person adviice plsssss
@@ZDTFGet off the sofa. Expand your understanding of the universe (and the things therein).
@@ClinttheGreat where should I start with
Physics?
Understanding the laws of the universe
It's been 3 months. Get off the sofa now!!!
Human beings are story-telling beings. Crafting narratives, writing essays are very much a part of who we are
Yes, I agree, gauravtejpal. Writing essays is a mind-expanding activity.
For me, and without doubt many others, the polemic style is the most effective, So many comments on you tube are no more than unsubstantiated opinions, or just rants. But the essay is a vehicle by means of which the writer can provide evidence to give credence to an opinion or to give substance to what underlies a rant. The polemical essay forces the writer to more deeply consider his/her subject, and thus to learn and to help the readers to learn also.
Story telling beings I love it!
@@williambunter3311 The polemical method is useful. If we become more proficient and skillful in narrative methods, it will benefit us and others around us.
@@gauravtejpal8901 It's a matter of 'horses for courses', surely? A couple of years ago I joined a writers' group, and one of the things I learned was that the preferred way of keeping a story moving forward is by the use of dialogue, rather than by mere description. For example, a person's character is more interestingly portrayed through their dialogue with other characters than by the writer's plain statements about them.
Another good device is to appeal to all the senses. Take for example, a girl on the roof of a building, hiding from someone. Her frightened posture, shortness of breath and facial expression will all be referred to as a matter of course,, but the skilful writer will also interject a detail such as the sound of someone using a drill in the distance. This makes the scene more realistic - we are, after all, in everyday life surrounded by sounds of one sort or another.
For myself, however, writing fiction is not satisfying. Nor, generally speaking, is reading fiction. I think it quite lamentable that so great a number of the population spend hours every day immersed in fictional worlds, either through books, or television movies, or by way of the false propaganda daily put out by the mainstream media, purporting to be the 'News'. So many people are living virtual lives, in their imaginations identifying with their fictional heroes and heroines.
Given this common alienation from reality, I really don't think that becoming more skilful and convincing in the presentation of fictional worlds can be of benefit either to ourselves or to others around us.
You speak, in your comment, of 'a wide variety of narrative methods'. You don't, however, specify any of these methods. Of course, we all have our own likes and dislikes. Personally, I have a strong dislike for works of fiction written entirely in the present tense. And for news reports from 'troublespots' also using the present tense about things that have already happened.. Also unpalatable for me is the use of certain devices found in poetry , which take liberties with verb forms. For example , take a line such as 'Along the dusty lane I did walk'. This is so irritating. Why not just 'I walked'?
Anyhow, my thoughts and fingers have run away with me, so I'd better sign off and wish you well.
Citation, please.
I agree. In my own way I've been using writing to problem solve for 60 years. Explaining something in writing (in a way that a non expert could understand) requires you to order your thoughts, it highlights your misunderstandings, it confronts you with issues you never noticed before! Writing out your understanding of any problem (relationships, technical issues, finances, etc.) reveals solutions that were hidden in your subconscious.
Totally agreed, I did a Masters Degree some years ago and learned more from the essays I wrote than anything else.
@skippy6086 Wow! That is such deep thinking.
@skippy6086😂
Somewhere along the line in school we stopped thinking of essays (and other things) as tools to master to help us make sense of the world and we started thinking of them as dreary assignments to survive. Along with that we have become more concerned more with receiving the degree or the diploma than the education.
On Montaigne and his essays: My daughter bought me Sara Bakewell's "How to Live - or A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer". I enjoyed it enough to buy the Frame translation of Montaigne's Complete Works. As someone who enjoys history and philosophy, the breadth of references and quotes in his writings makes it a joy to read.
Some responsibility falls on educators. If it’s that boring, I’m not doing my job properly, OR, it’s not the subject for you.
Yeah, I really enjoyed reading Montaigne's essays. ChatGPT told me about him after I ask "What can you suggest me similar to Plutarch?". 1k pages of chill info 🤤🤤
in France education relies a lot on essays, it's kind of the supreme exercise at school all along once you can write sentences until the masters or phd thesis
There is no reason for hating it, just keep a journal. Rephraming "daily writing" as "thought journal keeping" mas it much more palatable. And yes, it does work, like magic.
I’ve done it since the early 1990s and it has been magical.
Rephrasing or reframing? Or is that a portmanteau neologism?
@@Sifar_Secure just a typo xD
I find the opposite! For 50 years, I tried repeatedly to keep a journal, failing after a few days every time. Now, I write essays for myself, adding the completion date at the bottom. Writing a titled essay gives me focus, and dating on completion removes the deadly drudgery of "Went shopping. Rained all day." entries, which were so discouraging.
Agree. "Essay" sounds like something more formal, more potentially public, something you might get graded on. I think that stops people from writing. A private journal, or just writing on a random scrap of paper is more useful at letting you get you discover your thoughts.
I was taught the 5-paragraph essay in High School English, where we had to turn in a bunch of them. Then, in college, I found myself in front of my Freshman English class diagraming and explaining the 5PE for a class full of my peers. It’s a great tool.
As a retired teacher glad to hear you paid attention and applied in college.
I also taught the 5-paragraph essay, but the students were in 6th grade, and did very well!
The 5-paragraph essay is the 1-introduction 3-body 1-conclusion one, right? My teachers didn't call it that (just said it was the right way to write essays), although that might also be in part because I don't live in an English-speaking country.
doing that for many years!
Recently, a few friends of mine started learning about machine learning, so I gave them an assignment:
"Write a 250-word essay explaining the following:
- Why normalization of inputs is necessary
- Why normalization after each layer is important
- Why shuffling the data is essential
- Why the softmax activation function is defined as it is
- Why ReLU is effective for hidden layers but not suitable for output layers"
and many many more questions like this.
After reviewing their essays, I realized they lacked a deep understanding of these concepts.
They could provide surface-level answers in a sentence, but they hadn't grasped the underlying principles and motivations behind these practices. All this was visible in their essays!
What did we learn?
You can fool the world and yourself with a sentence.
You can not hide your ignorance with an essay!
Do you think that part of the reason why their answers, to your many in depth questions, lacked detail, was because you gave them a 250 word cap?
@@rupert909 no, I told them to use at least 250 words and some of them struggled with 100
@@JohnSmith-gu9gl damn, so despite you asking so many detailed questions, they couldn't even hit 100 words? i mean your comment is 150 words even...
do you think they even tried to answer your questions?
@@rupert909 sure but again, It was at least 250 words per question.
What I noticed was a big lack of mathematical understanding.
@@JohnSmith-gu9gl oh
by "write an essay explaining a, b, c and d" you meant write multiple essays explaining a,b ,c and d individually... my bad.
yeah, that's whack... i don't know why they would ask for essay questions from you if they were not gunna bother doing them...
As soon as you corrected your pronunciation I INSTANTLY subscribed. So few have the humility to say “Oh, I was incorrect. Here’s the revision, let’s continue.” that is truly the mark of an educated mind. Thank you.
For me it was seeing the DOI of the research. It means he is a no BS guy. Instant subscribe
One definition of the virtue of humility - being able to and willing to make correction when you find out you've been doing something the wrong way.
The most useful and interesting class I had in high school (many years ago now) required the writing of one essay per week, and oral presentation following. Crucial skills for my future professional life were the result. I would not have been able to write law school exams without that skill in my brain.
The 5 W ( what, why, when, where, who) questions are things to ask when wanting to gather information and gain a broad understanding of a particular topic or situation. The 5 can be written down in the relevant order appropriate for the subject of the essay.
And how!
This is why its so important to encourage your children to Journal. Its a way for them to write Essays about what they think and feel - just add the topics later on
While I don't write essays, I would have to agree that even when I write a reply on different topics on TH-cam, it helps me not only organize my thoughts better but certain topics have me ponder things before I write my thoughts down.
I spend a lot of time quarrelling with people online on various topics, or holding forth about why my opinion is right. Not good for my sleep or general temperament, but it has allowed me to have an extensive memory on particular topics! Like when I get into a TV show or a movie, I watch it obsessively, then I comment about it for HOURS. Within a few weeks, that entire movie is locked into my brain.
I'm a writer, and you are correct that writing essays improve your cognitive thinking abilities. I tend to write essays in my college discussion posts, lol. Works for any subject, even mathematics!
Just give me the TLDR!!!!
I write essays all the time in my personal diary. It's like if there is a concept that I find interesting I will just write whatever comes to mind and finish with some neat paragraph to summarize the idea. I write by hand with pen, so I get to see all my thought process unedited. I can tell about my mental health seeing what I wrote before. When I write about how I feel it means I'm crashing. If I write about whatever concept sparks curiosity it means I am very healthy.
I love to see things from different perspectives, today I had an issue at work where a manager told me to just simplify things, to work with a "simple model", when I told him it wasn't so easy to simplify one variable he just lost it. The issue at hand has to do with, if you lower your product quality and sell at the same price you might trick your customers to buy for a short period of time, but people might miss the quality and stop buying. With anything that could impact your quality is not so easy to simplify the behavior of the customer. He just wants me to simplify a reduction in a cost that can impact quality and conclude that "sell more = good, always" and that is not accurate...
Anyway,
Interesting, because this is my normal studying method, and I didn't learn it, it just developed somehow on it's own over time, and it's very very effective. You can master every topic with this method in such a degree, that to others it looks like you are a super talented person or you are using magic.
Anyway, my method is very simple. When i have to learn something (like why a rocket moves) I read lots of explanations and watch lots of videos on the topic, and because i read and watch different explanations from different approaches and viewpoints, I can see the problem or the concept from many different angles, so slowly I start to understand the stuff. As I understand more and more, and I can see and understand more and more clearly the stuff, I write it down to myself, but I write it in a way like I have to explain this stuff to someone else. Eventually, no matter how complex the problem or concept is, I can understand it so clearly, that I can explain it even to a 10 years old child and that is the form my 'essay' is written. That's when I know I understand it.
If you were reading my essays and you wouldn't understand it, that is a sign that I don't understand it either. Anyway I don't really call them as essays, for me, these are like parts of a book I write. I mean I don't really follow the shape of an essay, because the emphasis is on the understanding. But we can call them as essays because they are sentences in a logical order after all with the purpose of conveying knowledge.
When I review the topic, usually I just read the essay, and many times I pretend that I actually try to explain this to a friend or to a class. Again I do this instinctively, but it works like magic. I don't recommend this method to those who want to learn something fast and quickly. This method is only for those who want to be part of the upper 10% in their chosen field. Because you will be this good, but it takes time.
Remembering may be as simple as writing down something multiple times. In the eighties I worked in a car dealers parts department, the part numbers were all ten digits long and we were constantly hand writing receipts. We were all quiet happily remembering the part numbers and the prices of all the common items. Then the company changed over to a computer, it soon had a noticeable effect, first the prices of everything wouldn't stick in memory after a price change, then as new part numbers were introduced they didn't seem to stick either. After the change I ended up relying on the computer where previously I would just remember. The upside of the first computerless years is a set of ten digit numbers I still haven't forgotten to use as internet passwords...
We remembered dozens of phone numbers before mobile phones. Same thing, passwords and PINs now.
So true!
It's more likely that it was that you were *using* those numbers constantly, rather than just writing them down, as in you had a practical use for remembering them.
@@TheSmollocks writing them down we remembered them, typing them on a keyboard they didn't seem to stick anywhere near as well. Things didn't seem to move from short term memory too long term. The job itself hadn't changed...
@@gadget348 the key is if you have to recollect the numbers (or any item to be memorized) yourself not if you type them or write them by hand
You sir are correct. I came back to this practice a few years ago in my private time for self development.
Became even more necessary during the COVID lockdowns.
I managed to organise my thoughts and create teaching materials from this practice.
It’s too bad they didn’t teach us WHY we were doing essays in school, they make it feel like busy work. I’d have learned more if I were doing it for a reason other than “I said so”.
They probably were never told themselves.
@@GalenRutledgeAU but one might expect enough curiosity to discover it by the time you're teaching it to others lol
My thought as well
Or worse doing essays as punishment. Perhaps it can be used that way but only as a tool to help a delinquent child learn why whatever he did was wrong
Agree
It’s amazing because my close friend who is studying most of her life can remember things back in 5th grade(she also do journalism and do essays). I might have idea why she’s an outstanding life-long learner.
As for me, writing feels great because it shows the current skill I have.
Also, I’ve been engaging with expressing my opinions(mostly in essay or about living) here for almost half a decade. Ik it feels that I’ve wasted it in internet, but life moves in unique ways to each people and I also have a reason.
Great explanation! It's really useful framing to understand the essay as an effective learning tool rather than just school's item for testing you.
I loved English class and got good grades, but I found essays really painful to write. I've since been diagnosed with autism - which means issues with things like executive function, input processing, filtering information for importance, making decisions, maintaining focus when I'm anxious... basically the things required to write essays. I also have an immune disorder which affects my memory.
Peterson's guide looks really useful. But if anyone is struggling like I was: be kind to yourself. Also I think a tutor would make the most difference to anyone who is really struggling with executive function. I really need someone to take me through step by step as I apply it. (Obviously many people can't afford a tutor, and the guide is free)
Summary for Jordan Peterson essay writing Guide
Part One: Reading and Note-Taking
Purpose: Gather relevant information for your essay.
Steps:
Read broadly about your topic.
Take notes on key points, ideas, and quotes.
Organize notes by subtopics.
Part Two: Choosing a Topic
Purpose: Narrow down a broad subject to a specific, manageable topic.
Steps:
List potential topics.
Evaluate topics based on interest, available information, and scope.
Choose one topic.
Part Three: Generating a Reading List
Purpose: Identify sources for further research.
Steps:
Create a list of books, articles, and other sources relevant to your topic.
Ensure the sources are credible and varied.
Part Four: The Outline
Purpose: Create a structured plan for your essay.
Steps:
Write a brief outline with main headings.
Expand each heading with sub-points.
Ensure the outline covers the entire argument logically
Part Five: Writing the First Draft
Purpose: Get your ideas down on paper without worrying about perfection.
Steps:
Follow your outline to write the essay.
Aim for a first draft 25% longer than the final length.
Focus on content over style.
Part Six: Editing and Arranging Sentences
Purpose: Improve clarity, precision, and flow.
Steps:
Break each paragraph into individual sentences.
Rewrite each sentence to be clearer and more concise.
Rearrange sentences for better flow
Part Seven: Re-ordering the Paragraphs
Purpose: Ensure the overall structure and flow are logical.
Steps:
Copy new improved paragraphs.
Review and reorder them for the best logical sequence.
Part Eight: Generating a New Outline
Purpose: Refine and simplify your argument.
Steps:
Write a new outline from memory.
Cut and paste material from the original essay into the new outline.
Remove unnecessary material
Part Nine: Repeat
Purpose: Further refine and improve your essay.
Steps:
Re-edit sentences and paragraphs.
Wait a few days before final editing to see with fresh eyes.
Repeat the process as necessary.
Part Ten: References and Bibliography
Purpose: Properly cite sources to avoid plagiarism and support your argument.
Steps:
Add in-text references using APA or another specified style.
Create a reference list at the end of your essay.
Format your essay according to academic standards.
Final Formatting
Purpose: Ensure your essay meets presentation standards.
Steps:
Double-space the text.
Include a title page.
Indent paragraphs and use section headers if needed.
Conclusion
Purpose: Highlight the value of the process.
Steps:
Review the entire process and its benefits.
Acknowledge the importance of practice and repetition for improvement.
By following these steps, you can develop a well-structured, well-researched, and polished essay.
Thank you for giving the benefit of your knowledge. I went to a rubbish comprehensive school on the 80s, the teachers were generally dissatisfied and taught us not a lot. I didn’t learn how to write an essay until I was retaking my A-levels. I think I’ve forgotten something along the way. Thank you for reminding me, why essays helped me synthesise the knowledge I had.
There are two, maybe three essays about essay writing by Paul Graham that are interesting. They are more about discovery (which is also a type of learning.
Paul Graham: The Age of the Essay
Paul Graham: Putting Ideas Into Words
Paul Graham: The Best Essay (that's the maybe one)
Thanks!
thank you!
Anyone but Peterson.
Captivating second by second. You have a welcomed ability to communicate. Your balance of tempo and tone allows for greater clarity. Thank you.
I am surprised you didn't mention Umberto (edit) Eco's' How to Write A Thesis. Very good, and talks about how to build complex thoughts. And yes, he spends many pages on how to properly cite, which isn't really writing, but more building the foundation.
It probably doesn't really matter, but in the interest of accuracy, as a result of my own google search, "Umberto Eco's". Thank you for the suggestion!
@@mdphybes yup. My mind has his name stored wrong.
So very glad I came upon this video (and channel) as I embark on my first year of homeschooling high school. This is going to make it so much easier for all parties involved. Thank you for this perspective!
I co-own two small community newspapers. Every issue, I have to write the editorial. It's kind of an essay with a local "news hook." Over the years, I've learned that the best way to write the editorial is to find the "nuance" in a topic and share both sides of the argument in as balanced a way as possible.
You gave excellent advice in your video. More high school English instructors should share it with their students.
By the way, thanks for telling the viewers you were in incorrect in your pronounciation of Michel de Montaigne's name. For a few minutes, I thought I had been pronouncing it wrong for most of my life.
😉
Summary for Jordan Peterson essay writing Guide
Part One: Reading and Note-Taking
Purpose: Gather relevant information for your essay.
Steps:
Read broadly about your topic.
Take notes on key points, ideas, and quotes.
Organize notes by subtopics.
Part Two: Choosing a Topic
Purpose: Narrow down a broad subject to a specific, manageable topic.
Steps:
List potential topics.
Evaluate topics based on interest, available information, and scope.
Choose one topic.
Part Three: Generating a Reading List
Purpose: Identify sources for further research.
Steps:
Create a list of books, articles, and other sources relevant to your topic.
Ensure the sources are credible and varied.
Part Four: The Outline
Purpose: Create a structured plan for your essay.
Steps:
Write a brief outline with main headings.
Expand each heading with sub-points.
Ensure the outline covers the entire argument logically
Part Five: Writing the First Draft
Purpose: Get your ideas down on paper without worrying about perfection.
Steps:
Follow your outline to write the essay.
Aim for a first draft 25% longer than the final length.
Focus on content over style.
Part Six: Editing and Arranging Sentences
Purpose: Improve clarity, precision, and flow.
Steps:
Break each paragraph into individual sentences.
Rewrite each sentence to be clearer and more concise.
Rearrange sentences for better flow
Part Seven: Re-ordering the Paragraphs
Purpose: Ensure the overall structure and flow are logical.
Steps:
Copy new improved paragraphs.
Review and reorder them for the best logical sequence.
Part Eight: Generating a New Outline
Purpose: Refine and simplify your argument.
Steps:
Write a new outline from memory.
Cut and paste material from the original essay into the new outline.
Remove unnecessary material
Part Nine: Repeat
Purpose: Further refine and improve your essay.
Steps:
Re-edit sentences and paragraphs.
Wait a few days before final editing to see with fresh eyes.
Repeat the process as necessary.
Part Ten: References and Bibliography
Purpose: Properly cite sources to avoid plagiarism and support your argument.
Steps:
Add in-text references using APA or another specified style.
Create a reference list at the end of your essay.
Format your essay according to academic standards.
Final Formatting
Purpose: Ensure your essay meets presentation standards.
Steps:
Double-space the text.
Include a title page.
Indent paragraphs and use section headers if needed.
Conclusion
Purpose: Highlight the value of the process.
Steps:
Review the entire process and its benefits.
Acknowledge the importance of practice and repetition for improvement.
By following these steps, you can develop a well-structured, well-researched, and polished essay.
@@ThePrairieChronicles I'm in the U.S. -- in southern Silicon Valley. The newspapers are Morgan Hill Life and Gilroy Life. hyper-local quality-of-life publications. They are privately owned. No corporations will ever control our newspapers.
Hi Marty, I have to disagree that sharing both sides of an argument in a balanced way makes a good editorial. For example on the topic of raining. A good editorial doesn't give both sides to the argument in a balanced way ie yes it's raining and no it's not raining 50/50. A good editorial is accurate and relevant. Find out if its raining- Yes it's raining, and the rain is good for home veggie patches which half of the community has.
This only works with handwriting. I wrote my thesis on a computer and I can hardly remember anything.
Writing it down always helps me learn things, even if its just making a list of dates or terms, the act of writing (with a pen, not a keyboard for some reason) seems to be a real conduit to move things from the cognitive part my brain to the permanent storage part.
I have to rewrite my notes multiple times to retain information. I read/heard some where there is a connection made in the brain when you hand write information.
I would add to this. Publish it! Even if just to friends. Publishing it not only gets you feedback l, but it pushes you to develop it at with a higher quality than you might otherwise do if it's just for yourself and your notes
Tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, tell them, tell them, tell them what you told them. 5 paragraphs, to the point, and effective. I wish I knew in high school there was a formula, it would have changed everything for me.
Another great thing about essays is that if you get any good at writing them: Whatever topic you're writing about, there are probably big websites that publish what are essentially "guest blogs" on that topic. It's a great way to start nudging your way into professional writing.
Very happy the algorithm delivered this to me today, and opened up a whole world of meta-knowledge delivered in dulcet tones. Really appreciate the approach, sir. Easy subscription.
I was doing a crossword puzzle yesterday and had to look up the proper spelling of "essai". The puzzle was/is in French. I tried, but couldn't finish that puzzle without a bit of help.
I find speaking and writing to be a useful alternation from thinking and doing. It does give you feedback to your life in action. So, when I'm teaching or just jabbering, I listen to myself and sometimes hear something new. Some thoughts come to the surface via words and I become aware of what was bubbling up from experience into words.
Writing to create is still just a form of converting our internal world into something external. At least, if it's in a structured methodical fashion, so that you (as journalist for example) can get to print before the day is over, then you force yourself to go back to thinking to get actual useful material. If you write in a more relaxed responsive way, you will realize quickly the value of Zen meditation to clear your mind of stuff (emptying your cup) to make room for more activities and thinking and thought creation.
Key is to learn about our many mental faculties and how to use them in a complete way. The book, Thinking Fast, Thinking Slow tends to push us in that direction, though I also like Move First, Think Later.
That's so true, also I believe it calms you down when you write and read complex words and sentences, that's how you strengthen your prefrontal cortex(i.e. the evolved part of our brain)
you are absolutely right ! my first assay was written to summarize lots of notes about a specific topic and when I was writing and organizing information I discover that I was writing a book about the topic.
Good stuff, Giles. Every middle school kid whinging about why writing is a waste of time should sit down and watch this... and everyone else too!
So you think school kids whinging are wasting time instead they should shut up and listen?
you are absolutely crazy if you compare writing for your personal knowledge to writing something in the context of school work. absolutely crazy
Great advice! I am an avid reader but I would surely try my hand at writing.
I love the fact you have Carmen Habanera playing as music
Just wanted to say, how minimalistic and smart this guys video design.
Realliy inspring how you use changes in camera angle and zoom aswell as simple Ai images and video edditing effects to create videos that are fitting to todays high stimulus enviornment on youtube! 👍👍👍
how to learn anything? literally anything, including math (my domain): ask a question and answer it, which results in an essay in its purest form.
our brains ignore everything we learn unless we utilize them, essays are an excellent tool for that purpose.
Summary for Jordan Peterson essay writing Guide
Part One: Reading and Note-Taking
Purpose: Gather relevant information for your essay.
Steps:
Read broadly about your topic.
Take notes on key points, ideas, and quotes.
Organize notes by subtopics.
Part Two: Choosing a Topic
Purpose: Narrow down a broad subject to a specific, manageable topic.
Steps:
List potential topics.
Evaluate topics based on interest, available information, and scope.
Choose one topic.
Part Three: Generating a Reading List
Purpose: Identify sources for further research.
Steps:
Create a list of books, articles, and other sources relevant to your topic.
Ensure the sources are credible and varied.
Part Four: The Outline
Purpose: Create a structured plan for your essay.
Steps:
Write a brief outline with main headings.
Expand each heading with sub-points.
Ensure the outline covers the entire argument logically
Part Five: Writing the First Draft
Purpose: Get your ideas down on paper without worrying about perfection.
Steps:
Follow your outline to write the essay.
Aim for a first draft 25% longer than the final length.
Focus on content over style.
Part Six: Editing and Arranging Sentences
Purpose: Improve clarity, precision, and flow.
Steps:
Break each paragraph into individual sentences.
Rewrite each sentence to be clearer and more concise.
Rearrange sentences for better flow
Part Seven: Re-ordering the Paragraphs
Purpose: Ensure the overall structure and flow are logical.
Steps:
Copy new improved paragraphs.
Review and reorder them for the best logical sequence.
Part Eight: Generating a New Outline
Purpose: Refine and simplify your argument.
Steps:
Write a new outline from memory.
Cut and paste material from the original essay into the new outline.
Remove unnecessary material
Part Nine: Repeat
Purpose: Further refine and improve your essay.
Steps:
Re-edit sentences and paragraphs.
Wait a few days before final editing to see with fresh eyes.
Repeat the process as necessary.
Part Ten: References and Bibliography
Purpose: Properly cite sources to avoid plagiarism and support your argument.
Steps:
Add in-text references using APA or another specified style.
Create a reference list at the end of your essay.
Format your essay according to academic standards.
Final Formatting
Purpose: Ensure your essay meets presentation standards.
Steps:
Double-space the text.
Include a title page.
Indent paragraphs and use section headers if needed.
Conclusion
Purpose: Highlight the value of the process.
Steps:
Review the entire process and its benefits.
Acknowledge the importance of practice and repetition for improvement.
By following these steps, you can develop a well-structured, well-researched, and polished essay.
@@watcheronly71thank you!
Thanks for the links to the writing guides. I've started writing on Asian Philosophy with no prior experience in essay writing because my background is entirely STEM. I found it very slow and very tough going. I'm hoping these will help make me a better writer and will improve my productivity and the quality of the result.
So good to see you! You taught me Python years ago! Yay!
Content was persuasive, but must admit I was most impressed with the sheer quality of this video, editing, script and presentation. Well done
I love that i learn more about learning than python from you which is good as python is no use to me
Despite knowing the benefits, I felt lazy making notes....now you have convinced me so I will start making notes in college
3: 30 Bloom's Taxonomy.
Your n and m are transposed; "BLOOM'S TAXOMONY"
Could happen to anyone.
00:01 Essay writing as a powerful learning technique
01:30 Writing essays as a learning tool
03:00 Benefit of learning - Improved thinking, understanding, and communication skills
04:26 Essay writing enhances critical thinking skills.
05:49 Retrieval practice is more effective than rereading for learning.
07:08 Use the learn it linked approach for effective learning
08:27 Jordan Peterson's essay guide is comprehensive and provides valuable advice.
It's how you write essays that matters. If you're writing a monologue about all the subjects you're studying, you'll get bored and worn out. So know how to write your essays and yes you'll flourish in life. Note taking is essay writing.
I have stumbled onto essay writing as the way for me to learn. It has been a game changer in my life. I can see how my thinking is transforming my brain and holding ideas.
Summary for Jordan Peterson essay writing Guide
Part One: Reading and Note-Taking
Purpose: Gather relevant information for your essay.
Steps:
Read broadly about your topic.
Take notes on key points, ideas, and quotes.
Organize notes by subtopics.
Part Two: Choosing a Topic
Purpose: Narrow down a broad subject to a specific, manageable topic.
Steps:
List potential topics.
Evaluate topics based on interest, available information, and scope.
Choose one topic.
Part Three: Generating a Reading List
Purpose: Identify sources for further research.
Steps:
Create a list of books, articles, and other sources relevant to your topic.
Ensure the sources are credible and varied.
Part Four: The Outline
Purpose: Create a structured plan for your essay.
Steps:
Write a brief outline with main headings.
Expand each heading with sub-points.
Ensure the outline covers the entire argument logically
Part Five: Writing the First Draft
Purpose: Get your ideas down on paper without worrying about perfection.
Steps:
Follow your outline to write the essay.
Aim for a first draft 25% longer than the final length.
Focus on content over style.
Part Six: Editing and Arranging Sentences
Purpose: Improve clarity, precision, and flow.
Steps:
Break each paragraph into individual sentences.
Rewrite each sentence to be clearer and more concise.
Rearrange sentences for better flow
Part Seven: Re-ordering the Paragraphs
Purpose: Ensure the overall structure and flow are logical.
Steps:
Copy new improved paragraphs.
Review and reorder them for the best logical sequence.
Part Eight: Generating a New Outline
Purpose: Refine and simplify your argument.
Steps:
Write a new outline from memory.
Cut and paste material from the original essay into the new outline.
Remove unnecessary material
Part Nine: Repeat
Purpose: Further refine and improve your essay.
Steps:
Re-edit sentences and paragraphs.
Wait a few days before final editing to see with fresh eyes.
Repeat the process as necessary.
Part Ten: References and Bibliography
Purpose: Properly cite sources to avoid plagiarism and support your argument.
Steps:
Add in-text references using APA or another specified style.
Create a reference list at the end of your essay.
Format your essay according to academic standards.
Final Formatting
Purpose: Ensure your essay meets presentation standards.
Steps:
Double-space the text.
Include a title page.
Indent paragraphs and use section headers if needed.
Conclusion
Purpose: Highlight the value of the process.
Steps:
Review the entire process and its benefits.
Acknowledge the importance of practice and repetition for improvement.
By following these steps, you can develop a well-structured, well-researched, and polished essay.
I had to write essays every Thursday during high school. Helped a lot.
Putting accurately into words , perceptions accurately aligned with the most important and helpful realities .
Are you Steve Mould in disguise? Same mannerisms, similar voice, similar facial structure... Also bloody edutaining!
The more an essay is intractable, the more it helps explain things that are very hard (or impossible) to represent in closed-form, formal, and logical ("rational)) ways. For example, it is often impossible to find closed form expressions for understand real-world complex systems under randomness and noise, yet there are intractable ways to explain it. Simulations, MDPs, Agent-based modeling, etc. You can never explain all the steps that lead to an outcome, only the overall behaviors of how it does.
Writing, especially nuanced and idiosyncratic writing, is another way of explaining what we observe in intractable ways. French writers who use slang are extremely sophisticated, far more than most English work, and explain very complex concepts with far more nuance. Yet, it is nearly impossible to retract backwards step by step.
Through the years, it's made me realize that intellectually honest essayists that write about what they observe in real life with a lot of focus end up just as correct as a few brilliant mathematicians and physicists.
The more you write or do advanced mathematics about the real world, the more this will make sense. Otherwise, few will know what I'm talking about. I should write an essay about it!
My wife has certainly become an expert on all my faults and mistakes by the use of a daily 'essay' that she freely dictates to me generously each day. She starts by remembering stuff I did or didn't do from years ago, and based on her understanding, she applies that criticism to whatever new mistake I've made, which she takes apart to analyse and evaluate in detail, before she creates these wonderfully 'motivational monologues' - or 'moan-a-lots' as I like to call them. She'll be delighted to discover that she's a 'great thinker', though I might forget to mention it.
Reply back with an essay of your own.
essai is pronounced the same way as essay.
a few months ago I came across a video about writing your thoughts first thing in the morning. the goal was to improve the way you comprehend and handle your own life. it sounds strange but it works. and with this video I have another preview on why it works so well. thank you!
No it's pronounced esseh
@@seinou7471
no, it's not. I put it to be pronounced in a traducer's app, and the sound is worse than essay.
a french person understands perfectly when an english person says essay. so, it's ok, there is no need to be perfect here.
just to be clear, I'm french.
@@dianemoril7612 Je pense surtout que tu ne comprends pas du tout l'anglais pour penser que essai et essay se prononcent de la même façon, ou alors t'es malentendant, mais aucune excuse parce que je suis aussi malentendant.
Si t'as un doute c'est simple tu regardes l'IPA pour les deux mots
@@seinou7471 vous pensez ce que vous voulez, je pense ce que je veux, vous percevez les choses comme ça vous chante, et moi de même.
si vous ça vous semble différent grand bien vous fasse.
et bon vent!
@@dianemoril7612 Mais ça ne me semble pas différent, C'EST DIFFÉRENT DÉBILE, c'est fou cette mauvaise foi...
Essay se prononce /ɛˈseɪ/
Essai se prononce /ɛ.sɛ/ ~ /e.sɛ/
Il s'agirait de prendre du recul
In India we mostly tend to copy our writing assignments, the majority of students just put on some good music on their headphones and copy mindlessly. I believe the exercise mentioned in the video will help college students like me to be more expressive and creative with our thoughts and ideas and maybe also help us become a high-level thinker.
I think this video is about the final stages of understanding. It’s also very much underrated to memorize things simply because knowing certain facts about a topic off by heart gives you a starting point for analysis. If I know the US presidents and the years of their presidency, I can put other events in context of when they happened. So if you know the Second World War happened under Roosevelt, you have approximate dates, you might find things invented at the time, or social changes. Now you can put it all together and form a picture.
@@TheresaReichleyoh, thank you thank you Thank You!!! I have been shouting the point of your comment for what seems like an eternity! Why do some educators insist on an either/or relationship to learning? They want to trade what seems to them to be rote memorization for whatever they decide is the analysis. Along with the analysis, I much rather prefer that students know that the American Civil War ended in 1865, not 1945. It’s vitally important to know when events occur. And that reason is right there in your observation... Cheers 💖!
@@hiwayshoes it’s just been trial and error on my part because I more or less study n my own. But I find thinking much much easier when I have the relevant knowledge in my brain so I can put things in their proper context without having to look up everything. If I have to look up everything, I’m spending so much time and energy on figuring out what the facts are that thinking beyond that gets more difficult and taxing. Knowing that FDR was president during WW2 alongside Stalin in Russia and Churchill in Britain, you have things to use to think about why events are happening as they are, what crises shaped the events leading up to the war, their personalities and so on.
@@TheresaReichleyyou're saying even details can be remebered easily because if I write when President becomes pr3sident then I'll remebered the dates immediately?
@@watcheronly71 once you know them off by heart, yes. And not only when thinking about presidents. You’ll eventually see a date like 1964 for example. You’ll remember the president at that time and also know what other things were going on then.
Use writing as a therapy. Just getting the problem externalised and on a page can help in getting a better view on things. Developing the 'two chair' method on a page helps not only to develop perspective and appreciation of 'another's' view of life but it is the start of developing the narrative style of the short story and novel. Start by opening up a clean page and typing/talking on to that page various windows or glimpses of your life. You want to start it a la Joyce with a moo cow then it is your choice. This is your story, not edited by parents or siblings. It could also end up as an excellent social history document just make sure that it does not end up in the skip when you peg out.
I don’t want to pry into your private life, but I would like to inquire about your methodology.
Not only do you use many settings in any one video, but you appear to regularly change the setting of the settings.
I have the impression you travel about Europe (and the UK), visit long enough to familiarize yourself with the locale, then move on.
I divide my time between the US and France, have not fully mastered the flow, but enjoy charging perspectives.
In a sense it is like living in an essay format.
My inference is that an essay should be written at least 3 times. First to establish the subject and write down all of the supporting arguments and objections explaining why each one is proper or improper. The examine them to refute them and find what are the strongest arguments and objections. Then reorganize the whole to into a readable format. I was basically taught to have a point of view and write it out in essay which is probably why I never understood them. It was the whole "say what you're going to say, say it, then say what you said" thing which I found repetitive and boring. I never realized that I mentally do this essay writing thing until I watched this video which is why I've always considered myself a bit of a devil's advocate on everything. People refuse to confront the weakest arguments in their viewpoints which frustrates me because if we did I think we'd be able to compromise much better.
Every educational video I watch is sponsored by Brilliant.
I'm very pleased to have found your channel - I enjoy the content, but that's not why I am making the comment... It's your presentation that impresses me - everything feels extremely well-prepared and flows smoothly from one point to the next. You have an effective way of transferring your message and I am a fan. Keep up the good work. Subscribed.
Plan to show chunks of this to my 8th graders this year, thank you.
That’s awesome! I would have loved and totally understood a video like this in middle school. It would have made the assignments a lot more meaningful too.
It would have changed everything for me at that age to understand there was a framework I could have followed when writing..
As it was, I focused diligently on rubric that had me jumping from thought bubble to thought bubble,
while trying to hit items on a checklist so my teacher would see I was trying.
Writing for me was like trying to harness 7,000 lbs of slime into a random graphic organizer with bubbles and connecting lines that were somehow supposed to tie together whatever disjointed points I wrote down.
I’d end up writing and then filling out the graphic organizer after the fact because it was part of the assignment.
We teach how to plug numbers into formulas that can help us solve problems. We don’t expect kids to know this, we actively teach it. It’s a beautiful framework that one can rely on when working out questions. You may not have the answer, but at least you can plug things in and see if it makes sense.
We don’t always do this with writing though. I always felt writing was something I was supposed to know how to do, but I really didn’t, and teachers focused on grammar and technical details while I was trying to figure out the structure. Brevity is still a struggle for me as I am sure you can see.
For a kid with ADHD, in a time where no one even knew what that was, organizing my thoughts effectively would have solved a massive amount of the communication struggles I faced.
I didn’t learn the framework for an essay until college. I longed to go back and rewrite every assignment from high school, turn it in and say hey wait I get it now, look how good this is!
At least I learned how to revise, revise, revise. My work ethic wasn’t in question, it was just my ability to capture my thoughts in a succinct way. I’m still working on that one.😊
@vibesmom, ty for that feedback. I teach reading and writing b/c I love them both, but I've also always been very capable of doing both well. Your perspective is essential for me to see who I may not be reaching.
While we focus quite a bit on structure in 8th grade (standardized tests make sure we do so), I think thus video will help my audio/visual learners. They get tired of hearing me!
I am also quite verbose in my writing, the last few years I have really focused on saying more with less:)
I would say an essay featuring a case study could be considered as an "application" of the theory, which in my opinion make any essay more enjoyable and more relatable.
Love the Ikea Chair in the background, much more comfortable than chairs 10 times the price :-), I'm going to go and sit in my one now and contemplate essays.
the fact that "memory masters" use narrative story telling I guess tells it own story... Im a linguist and using stories to connect meanings to foreign words is very effective...oh and essai is pronounced pretty much the same as essay :)
Gaining even a cursory awareness of Peterson's output will inspire a hesitation against the recommendation of his ersatz process.
The guide was recommended because it’s very useful. That you won’t use it because you disagree with the writer’s political views is a you problem, not anyone else’s.
The apparent goal of this video was to convey how essay writing can improve retention, comprehension, and enhance creative thinking. Choosing an essay guide authored by a prominent religious and political figure with some controversial views…. just seems odd.
To put it another way, instead of Peterson, instead just swap in Hillary Clinton, or Putin, or Trump, etc… no matter how good the essay guide may be, it is difficult or impossible for most people to ignore such a powerful political or religious influence. It also naturally causes some to question the intent of the video itself.
So many possibilities. Perhaps one should write an essay about it 🤪
This is just the motivation I’ve been looking for to complete my masters assignment. I get terrible writers block and imposter syndrome as the deadline approaches!
Thanks for the informative and entertaining Video! I put “Uncommon Sense Teaching” on my reading list. I’m motivated to write essays now, so let's see if I really do it. 😂
Summary for Jordan Peterson essay writing Guide
Part One: Reading and Note-Taking
Purpose: Gather relevant information for your essay.
Steps:
Read broadly about your topic.
Take notes on key points, ideas, and quotes.
Organize notes by subtopics.
Part Two: Choosing a Topic
Purpose: Narrow down a broad subject to a specific, manageable topic.
Steps:
List potential topics.
Evaluate topics based on interest, available information, and scope.
Choose one topic.
Part Three: Generating a Reading List
Purpose: Identify sources for further research.
Steps:
Create a list of books, articles, and other sources relevant to your topic.
Ensure the sources are credible and varied.
Part Four: The Outline
Purpose: Create a structured plan for your essay.
Steps:
Write a brief outline with main headings.
Expand each heading with sub-points.
Ensure the outline covers the entire argument logically
Part Five: Writing the First Draft
Purpose: Get your ideas down on paper without worrying about perfection.
Steps:
Follow your outline to write the essay.
Aim for a first draft 25% longer than the final length.
Focus on content over style.
Part Six: Editing and Arranging Sentences
Purpose: Improve clarity, precision, and flow.
Steps:
Break each paragraph into individual sentences.
Rewrite each sentence to be clearer and more concise.
Rearrange sentences for better flow
Part Seven: Re-ordering the Paragraphs
Purpose: Ensure the overall structure and flow are logical.
Steps:
Copy new improved paragraphs.
Review and reorder them for the best logical sequence.
Part Eight: Generating a New Outline
Purpose: Refine and simplify your argument.
Steps:
Write a new outline from memory.
Cut and paste material from the original essay into the new outline.
Remove unnecessary material
Part Nine: Repeat
Purpose: Further refine and improve your essay.
Steps:
Re-edit sentences and paragraphs.
Wait a few days before final editing to see with fresh eyes.
Repeat the process as necessary.
Part Ten: References and Bibliography
Purpose: Properly cite sources to avoid plagiarism and support your argument.
Steps:
Add in-text references using APA or another specified style.
Create a reference list at the end of your essay.
Format your essay according to academic standards.
Final Formatting
Purpose: Ensure your essay meets presentation standards.
Steps:
Double-space the text.
Include a title page.
Indent paragraphs and use section headers if needed.
Conclusion
Purpose: Highlight the value of the process.
Steps:
Review the entire process and its benefits.
Acknowledge the importance of practice and repetition for improvement.
By following these steps, you can develop a well-structured, well-researched, and polished essay.
That's why all my TH-cam comments become long multiparagraph essays. I once wrote a four comment length comment without realising, and if you have ever wrote a max length comment, you know the character limit is not small. It always becomes this process: throwing a random, possibly funny comment or slight disagreement or presenting a question that seemingly contradicts a statement on the video. Then expanding, arguing for my case, coming up with examples and metaphors, referring to other sources, double checking the source to not make wrong claims and use something to support my claim without it being relevant, even looking up researching sources to things I knew but never sourced, starting to rewrite parts when I realise it's becoming way too big and no one's gonna read it anyway.
I always disliked "mother language" classes or whatever would be a reasonable way to call it, especially the homework essays in high school that were abundant and took a lot of time to do. But I never struggled with them and getting good grades. I might have made fun of them by just doing the proper process without having my heart in it, writing technically proper text types and analysis and all, but disliking every moment of it and doing the bare minimum intellectually and creatively or in terms of personal ideas. I just did them mechanically correctly.
Having got that off my heart, I agree, writing an essay even if it's just an online comment does help your thinking on any given subject. Like you said how it formulates ideas. You know the things on that subject, but writing them down in a coherent text structures it and you will have easier time talking about that subject in the future and you might realise that you knew more than you thought. Furthermore you can discover your own ideological/rational controversies when looking at the subject and preferrably you'd also include counter-arguing possible arguments. And the best way you can approach your ideas is steelmanning the opposition and arguments against your idea to find weak points or things you haven't thought through well enough, holes in your ideas that you have to reform to make sense or abandon your opinion/hypothesis. Many times it makes your slightly absolute or polarised thought more mellow and rounded when you realise that there are parts you don't know or situations where the idea doesn't apply, the limitations of your vision. I think the feeling you have after finishing an essay should be "this will be useful to someone" and not "I won an argument and defeated opponents" if your essay is successful. It will become more meaningful than proving someone wrong or a rebuttal or even attacking someone/something/some thought. It will become useful information. And I disagree that a good essay should persuade the reader that it's the only sensible conclusion. I think a good essay will persuade the reader that this is a very well founded reasonable interpretation, that has its limits, but not by all means the only one possible.
As an article writer for over 20 years, I found your video interesting, although the continual position changes were distracting. However, having skimmed Peterson's essay guide, I wonder why it was necessary to describe it as 'arrogant'? It's as though you were compelled to use the word in order to excuse your recommendation.
I've always seen essay writing as a formalised version of 'rubber ducking', both are excellent at gaining a deeper understanding of the topic. (you've just earned a new subscriber too, by the way).
"modern education" really made people dislike learning lol
Modern education , at least the school portion, is after all based on the idea to quickly create work-ready drones to throw into the factory of capitalism.
University education still retains some aspects of the older academic style that focuses on teaching critical thinking and the scientific method and philosophy, but it's getting more and more dragged into a similar factory mindset, like Europe changing from a diploma-based system that valued students' own curiosity and left room for academic learning outside of the core curriculum into one that is basically school, but complicated and stressful.
8:19 TO 9:43 How to write an essay and comprehensive guide made by Jordan B Peterson
Retrieval practice works, I'd study and take frequent brakes where id do some chores while trying to retrieve the information.
It gives you practice of recalling the information when you havent been thinking about the information for a while, which is the exact situation you'll be in when you need the information most in real life.❤
Very helpful, thank you for posting! One funny thing happened as I listened to this video. Initially thought “he’s mispronouncing Montaigne” but then I fell victim to something I think is common here in the US. We assign more intelligence and a better education to anyone with a British accent, and yours is excellent. So I thought, there’s no way that he’s mispronouncing Montaigne, it must be me that has been mispronouncing this name all these years. 😊 Again, thanks for your helpful insights!
Summary for Jordan Peterson essay writing Guide
Part One: Reading and Note-Taking
Purpose: Gather relevant information for your essay.
Steps:
Read broadly about your topic.
Take notes on key points, ideas, and quotes.
Organize notes by subtopics.
Part Two: Choosing a Topic
Purpose: Narrow down a broad subject to a specific, manageable topic.
Steps:
List potential topics.
Evaluate topics based on interest, available information, and scope.
Choose one topic.
Part Three: Generating a Reading List
Purpose: Identify sources for further research.
Steps:
Create a list of books, articles, and other sources relevant to your topic.
Ensure the sources are credible and varied.
Part Four: The Outline
Purpose: Create a structured plan for your essay.
Steps:
Write a brief outline with main headings.
Expand each heading with sub-points.
Ensure the outline covers the entire argument logically
Part Five: Writing the First Draft
Purpose: Get your ideas down on paper without worrying about perfection.
Steps:
Follow your outline to write the essay.
Aim for a first draft 25% longer than the final length.
Focus on content over style.
Part Six: Editing and Arranging Sentences
Purpose: Improve clarity, precision, and flow.
Steps:
Break each paragraph into individual sentences.
Rewrite each sentence to be clearer and more concise.
Rearrange sentences for better flow
Part Seven: Re-ordering the Paragraphs
Purpose: Ensure the overall structure and flow are logical.
Steps:
Copy new improved paragraphs.
Review and reorder them for the best logical sequence.
Part Eight: Generating a New Outline
Purpose: Refine and simplify your argument.
Steps:
Write a new outline from memory.
Cut and paste material from the original essay into the new outline.
Remove unnecessary material
Part Nine: Repeat
Purpose: Further refine and improve your essay.
Steps:
Re-edit sentences and paragraphs.
Wait a few days before final editing to see with fresh eyes.
Repeat the process as necessary.
Part Ten: References and Bibliography
Purpose: Properly cite sources to avoid plagiarism and support your argument.
Steps:
Add in-text references using APA or another specified style.
Create a reference list at the end of your essay.
Format your essay according to academic standards.
Final Formatting
Purpose: Ensure your essay meets presentation standards.
Steps:
Double-space the text.
Include a title page.
Indent paragraphs and use section headers if needed.
Conclusion
Purpose: Highlight the value of the process.
Steps:
Review the entire process and its benefits.
Acknowledge the importance of practice and repetition for improvement.
By following these steps, you can develop a well-structured, well-researched, and polished essay.
It's honestly too bad that he doesn't take his own advice.
Hugely valuable to think in this way. I have gotten away from this at times, but the essay structure and process works so well for outlining videos too.
What a dammed fine video - 11 minutes well spent.
2:30. You were correct on the word essay - like like Spanish esse Or Essai .. Montaigne - Mon(Mohn) - is like mine in French -- mohn-tai-ni-uh.. This would be the best pronunciation for an English speaker.
Very peaceful voice you have this is a gift sometimes I quit the video because of the voice 🫣
I imagine I'd write a lot more too if I had a thousand books and a castle.
Fun fact, the word essay also means the same thing in English as it originally did in French. I usually find it in military historical fiction, this regiment essayed out on the right flank, the new midshipman essayed up the rigging and so on and so forth.
Why didn't my English teacher tell me this in 1974. I had no idea how to write essays and the only reason for essay assignments was for the teacher to torture us.
Summary for Jordan Peterson essay writing Guide
Part One: Reading and Note-Taking
Purpose: Gather relevant information for your essay.
Steps:
Read broadly about your topic.
Take notes on key points, ideas, and quotes.
Organize notes by subtopics.
Part Two: Choosing a Topic
Purpose: Narrow down a broad subject to a specific, manageable topic.
Steps:
List potential topics.
Evaluate topics based on interest, available information, and scope.
Choose one topic.
Part Three: Generating a Reading List
Purpose: Identify sources for further research.
Steps:
Create a list of books, articles, and other sources relevant to your topic.
Ensure the sources are credible and varied.
Part Four: The Outline
Purpose: Create a structured plan for your essay.
Steps:
Write a brief outline with main headings.
Expand each heading with sub-points.
Ensure the outline covers the entire argument logically
Part Five: Writing the First Draft
Purpose: Get your ideas down on paper without worrying about perfection.
Steps:
Follow your outline to write the essay.
Aim for a first draft 25% longer than the final length.
Focus on content over style.
Part Six: Editing and Arranging Sentences
Purpose: Improve clarity, precision, and flow.
Steps:
Break each paragraph into individual sentences.
Rewrite each sentence to be clearer and more concise.
Rearrange sentences for better flow
Part Seven: Re-ordering the Paragraphs
Purpose: Ensure the overall structure and flow are logical.
Steps:
Copy new improved paragraphs.
Review and reorder them for the best logical sequence.
Part Eight: Generating a New Outline
Purpose: Refine and simplify your argument.
Steps:
Write a new outline from memory.
Cut and paste material from the original essay into the new outline.
Remove unnecessary material
Part Nine: Repeat
Purpose: Further refine and improve your essay.
Steps:
Re-edit sentences and paragraphs.
Wait a few days before final editing to see with fresh eyes.
Repeat the process as necessary.
Part Ten: References and Bibliography
Purpose: Properly cite sources to avoid plagiarism and support your argument.
Steps:
Add in-text references using APA or another specified style.
Create a reference list at the end of your essay.
Format your essay according to academic standards.
Final Formatting
Purpose: Ensure your essay meets presentation standards.
Steps:
Double-space the text.
Include a title page.
Indent paragraphs and use section headers if needed.
Conclusion
Purpose: Highlight the value of the process.
Steps:
Review the entire process and its benefits.
Acknowledge the importance of practice and repetition for improvement.
By following these steps, you can develop a well-structured, well-researched, and polished essay.
You say it like it's a bad thing...
this really helps slower learners and people that have issues with comprehension and retention of information - others... it will not help so much.
for example, if i try to slowly regurgitate and re-process material in this manner, i will lose focus, and lose retention. i suffer from ADHD and have an IQ that is representative of less than 0.4% of the population in my region (that is, above 99.6% of the populace). i need to go fast and hard at material, stopping and starting a lot, or else i will suffer retention issues. this is my own personal case; however - i mention it because if a person seeing this, finds that 're-writing information' is not working for them, then it may never be applicable to themselves - and to not 'feel bad' about it... this is a way of learning that is very thorough (and this video is extremely helpful!) - but only for the majority of people, not everyone. and that's OK.
This is GREAT. Thank you!
Excellent! You put into words what I discovered sort of by accident when I wrote my PhD thesis. Thank you so much! I’m going to be using your video in a class. I teach because I want students to be able to master what you’re talking about.
Essai is litterally pronounced essay. No change in pronunciation needed :)
C’est vrai
wanted to use this for my student, but i cant in good frame of mind recommend jordan peterson to students in a video about critical thinking
Dub over it, Now it's time to talk about Alexander the Great and how he was forced to take over the world at 24 to save his own life.
YES! back to the quality content! thanks mate
great video! for future reference essai is pronounced the same as its english counter (eh-say), our french 'ai' is the same as the english 'ay'. Your first prononciation of Montagne was also closer to the correct one (Mon-tah-gn) we don't pronounce the 'e' at the end.
I’ll admit my bias right up front: I’m inclined to agree with your claim. But first, I think you should have made more of an effort to define what you mean by “write an essay.” Second, you suggest a guide on how to write essays. (Again my biases are that it’s probably a good guide though I haven’t read or used it.) But doesn’t the work produced by the author of the guide you suggest exist as a counter argument to your premise that writing essays will improve the quality of one’s thinking and writing? I’m familiar with both post modern philosophy and much of what that guy has to say about it, and he’s simply wrong. I wish I could conclusively argue either that he is knowingly lying or that he simply wasn’t able to understand the material but what he says about it and the claims he makes are so poorly formed and so full of falsehoods that I don’t think any coherent conclusion can be drawn. That points to at least one example where someone can know how to write essays but not exhibit the benefits you suggest, unfortunately. But to augment your point here, a related way to learn, understand and apply material is to teach it (or at least think about how you would teach it to someone else.) the actual genius physicist Richard Feynman suggested a means of better learning material by “taking something that's hard to understand and try to clarify it in your mind by explaining it as if you were talking to a child.” I would, though, like to apologize for writing a bit if a (badly structured) essay here.
I think you're missing the point.
This has to be satire. The irony of writing an essay clearly explaining why essays are not the best form of learning under a video talking about essay writing.
@@ihavenoname6285 there is absolutely a tongue in cheek element. But particularly because I agree with the overall premise I couldn’t resist pointing out that when you claim that writing essays will improve your thinking, pointing to a guide to essay writing by a guy who is famous (more recently) for poorly formed cognition is a problem. Still, my bet is that the guide, written years ago, is probably pretty good. But overall blame the Jesuits who educated me. I can’t pass up something like this - a mostly cogent argument that has some glaring issues.
@@tomdchi12so you could just say you agree with the message but you don’t like Jordan Peterson without being so pretentious.
@@tomdchi12 Have you picked up a thesaurus for the first time? Because why are you trying so hard to look smart in a TH-cam comment section? It’s so painfully obvious because your grammar is worst than a 5 year old. I recommend you actually learn English before using words too big for you.
Thank you for telling us what the video is about in the first 5 seconds. I really appreciate that.
Greetings from México!!
I've come to like writing essays, once I figured out why we were writing essays. Its something that should be explained in yr 7, but no, I figured it out in yr 11. Only got good at them when doing my graduate certificate.
Great info! I really went and printed the link you gave us!!
Summary for Jordan Peterson essay writing Guide
Part One: Reading and Note-Taking
Purpose: Gather relevant information for your essay.
Steps:
Read broadly about your topic.
Take notes on key points, ideas, and quotes.
Organize notes by subtopics.
Part Two: Choosing a Topic
Purpose: Narrow down a broad subject to a specific, manageable topic.
Steps:
List potential topics.
Evaluate topics based on interest, available information, and scope.
Choose one topic.
Part Three: Generating a Reading List
Purpose: Identify sources for further research.
Steps:
Create a list of books, articles, and other sources relevant to your topic.
Ensure the sources are credible and varied.
Part Four: The Outline
Purpose: Create a structured plan for your essay.
Steps:
Write a brief outline with main headings.
Expand each heading with sub-points.
Ensure the outline covers the entire argument logically
Part Five: Writing the First Draft
Purpose: Get your ideas down on paper without worrying about perfection.
Steps:
Follow your outline to write the essay.
Aim for a first draft 25% longer than the final length.
Focus on content over style.
Part Six: Editing and Arranging Sentences
Purpose: Improve clarity, precision, and flow.
Steps:
Break each paragraph into individual sentences.
Rewrite each sentence to be clearer and more concise.
Rearrange sentences for better flow
Part Seven: Re-ordering the Paragraphs
Purpose: Ensure the overall structure and flow are logical.
Steps:
Copy new improved paragraphs.
Review and reorder them for the best logical sequence.
Part Eight: Generating a New Outline
Purpose: Refine and simplify your argument.
Steps:
Write a new outline from memory.
Cut and paste material from the original essay into the new outline.
Remove unnecessary material
Part Nine: Repeat
Purpose: Further refine and improve your essay.
Steps:
Re-edit sentences and paragraphs.
Wait a few days before final editing to see with fresh eyes.
Repeat the process as necessary.
Part Ten: References and Bibliography
Purpose: Properly cite sources to avoid plagiarism and support your argument.
Steps:
Add in-text references using APA or another specified style.
Create a reference list at the end of your essay.
Format your essay according to academic standards.
Final Formatting
Purpose: Ensure your essay meets presentation standards.
Steps:
Double-space the text.
Include a title page.
Indent paragraphs and use section headers if needed.
Conclusion
Purpose: Highlight the value of the process.
Steps:
Review the entire process and its benefits.
Acknowledge the importance of practice and repetition for improvement.
By following these steps, you can develop a well-structured, well-researched, and polished essay.
@@watcheronly71 hey, that’s great summary!
T. Austin Sparks incorporated a version of this in his daily study. As he studied the Bible daily he would write his observations and insights about the passages he read in different notebooks. He filled many notebooks and developed a very deep and nuanced understanding.
I chronicled my initial months in South Korea like this too. As a result many of my observations about the culture have been steered into my mind even though I passed through many traumatic experiences in the following years at the hands of the Korean people. I suspect that journaling is a key to manys’ recovery because it helps translate trauma into learning where it is actionable.