The 5 elements of effective thinking
by Edward B. Burger · first published 2012
100% recommend
Why HN recommends it
A practical guide to learning and problem solving, framed as a tutorial on thinking about thinking. Readers find it useful for building effective learning habits and working through hard problems, especially programmers.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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I highly recommend 5 Elements of Effective Thinking: http://www.amazon.com/5-Elements-Effective-Thinking/dp/06911...
on “Creativity in Mathematics: Inquiry-Based Learning and the Moore Method” ↗The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking by Burger and Starbird. https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691156668/th... Defies categorization, difficult to summarize. A tutorial for effective and fulfilling learning, grappling with…
on “Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?” ↗"The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking" by Edward B. Burger and Michael Starbird
on “Ask HN: Books that teach you to think” ↗…that means or how to go about getting it, start with some of the various "learning how to learn" resources: Cal Newport's blog or books, Barbara Oakley's "Learning How to Learn" Cousera course and book, 5 Elements of Effective Thinking, etc.
on “Ask HN: What's the best way to get a good computer science grounding?” ↗The books that I've read that have helped me immensely: How To Solve It, Problem Solving 101, 5 Elements of Effective Thinking, and Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise. Trying to improve my problem solving ability in coding forced me to look inwards and analyze my thought process to understand why I'm able to solve…
on “Ask HN: How did you improve your problem-solving skills?” ↗…to move the needle for your skills. One thing that has helped me over the years is adopting more effective learning strategies. I highly recommend the books "A Mind for Numbers" by barbara oakley and "5 elements of effective thinking" (don't remember the authors) for some ideas on how to deepen your knowledge (so that you don't just feel like you possess purely surface level knowledge).
on “Ask HN: I'm a terrible developer, what now?” ↗…that people who fall off of "mount stupidity" can sometimes get really really stuck. In my experience when they do that at work it is quite traumatic. Another good book for the author and others is "5 Elements of Effective Thinking" by Burger & Starbird. It thinks about thinking which can sometimes side step the depression of suddenly not thinking you know anything about anything that accompanies that big drop off mount stupid.
on “Math Academy pulled me out of the Valley of Despair” ↗You might like 5 Elements of Effective Thinking, too.
on “Ask HN: Learning How to Teach” ↗