The Curse of Knowledge | Shadow English Podcast #83
8m 30s
The curse of knowledge describes the difficulty of explaining something you know well to someone who doesn't, because you've forgotten what it's like to be a beginner. This occurs in many contexts, such as technology, math, language teaching, and cooking. For instance, telling a friend to "update drivers" or a student to "factor the equation" can be meaningless if they lack background knowledge. The brain changes after learning, making it impossible to unknow information, which complicates simple explanations. To overcome this, one should slow down, break concepts into smaller parts, use plain language, and empathize with the learner's perspective. Small adjustments, like saying "put onions in a hot pot with oil and stir until soft" instead of "saute the onions," can significantly improve understanding. Fighting the curse of knowledge enhances teaching, leadership, and relationships. Importantly, recognizing the problem is half the solution. Instead of frustration, awareness helps bridge the gap between expert and novice, making communication more effective and compassionate.
Have you ever tried to teach something, and the other person just looked confused? You thought you explained it clearly, but they didn't get it at all. That might be what is called the curse of knowledge. It's not an actual curse, but it feels like one when you're trying to explain something simple, and the person just doesn't understand. The curse of knowledge is when you know something so well that you forget what it's like not to know it. For example, imagine you're good at computers. Your friend has a problem and asks you, "How do I fix this error?" You say, "Just update the drivers." But your friend has no idea what that means. To you, it's basic. To them, it's a foreign language. Or maybe you're a math teacher. You say, "Just factor the equation." But the student is still wondering, "What's an equation?" Or something, I think, which is relatable to second language teachers. You say a word or an explanation of a vocabulary word in simple English or whatever language you're teaching, and the learner still doesn't understand. That's a daily occurrence for me as an English teacher in Japan. That's the curse in action. Once you learn something, your brain actually changes. You can't unknow it, and that makes it harder to explain it simply. So what can we do? Well, one thing is we can slow down. Try to break ideas into smaller pieces. Use clear, simple words. And most importantly, remember what it's like to be a beginner. It's all about trying your best to put yourself in their shoes. One more example, when you say, "Just saute the onions." And if they look at you blankly, instead say, "Put the onions in a hot pot with oil and stir them until they get soft." Little changes like that in your explanation can make a big difference. When we fight the curse of knowledge, we become better teachers, better leaders, and better friends. So next time someone doesn't get it, don't get frustrated. It's not their fault. It's you under the curse. It's a spell you must break. And knowing is half the battle, which means knowing or being aware of the problem is half of the solution. Hope you enjoyed today's episode. Please leave a comment and let me know what topics you would like to hear. Catch you next time. Have you ever tried to teach something? And the other person just looked confused? It's not an actual curse, but it feels like one when you're trying to explain something simple. And the person just doesn't understand. To you, it's basic. You say, "Just factor the equation." But the student is still wondering, "What's an equation?" Or something I think which is relatable to second language teachers. You say a word or an explanation of a vocabulary word. In simple English or whatever language you're teaching. And the learner still doesn't understand. You can't unknow it. And that makes it harder to explain it simply. So what can we do? One more example. When you say, "Just saute the onions." And if they look at you blankly. Instead, say, "Put the onions in a hot pot with oil." And stir them until they get soft. Little changes like that in your explanation can make a big difference. When we fight the curse of knowledge, we become better teachers. Better leaders and better friends. And knowing is half the battle. It means knowing or being aware of the problem is half of the solution. Catch you next time. [BLANK_AUDIO]
Podcast Summary
Key Points:
The curse of knowledge is when you know something so well you forget what it's like not to know it, making it hard to explain simply.
Examples include tech jargon ("update drivers"), math terms ("factor the equation"), and cooking instructions ("saute the onions").
Solutions include slowing down, breaking ideas into smaller pieces, using clear simple words, and remembering what it's like to be a beginner.
Awareness of the curse is half the battle; fighting it improves teaching, leadership, and friendships.
Summary:
The curse of knowledge describes the difficulty of explaining something you know well to someone who doesn't, because you've forgotten what it's like to be a beginner. This occurs in many contexts, such as technology, math, language teaching, and cooking. For instance, telling a friend to "update drivers" or a student to "factor the equation" can be meaningless if they lack background knowledge.
The brain changes after learning, making it impossible to unknow information, which complicates simple explanations. To overcome this, one should slow down, break concepts into smaller parts, use plain language, and empathize with the learner's perspective. Small adjustments, like saying "put onions in a hot pot with oil and stir until soft" instead of "saute the onions," can significantly improve understanding.
Fighting the curse of knowledge enhances teaching, leadership, and relationships. Importantly, recognizing the problem is half the solution. Instead of frustration, awareness helps bridge the gap between expert and novice, making communication more effective and compassionate.
FAQs
It's when you know something so well that you forget what it's like not to know it, making it hard to explain simply.
If you tell a friend to 'update the drivers' to fix an error, but they don't know what that means, that's the curse in action.
A math teacher might say 'just factor the equation' to a student who doesn't even know what an equation is, causing confusion.
Language teachers often explain vocabulary in simple words, but learners still don't understand because the teacher assumes prior knowledge.
Slow down, break ideas into smaller pieces, use clear simple words, and remember what it's like to be a beginner.
Instead, say 'put the onions in a hot pot with oil and stir them until they get soft' to make it clearer.
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