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.
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.
All these RUclips 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.
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 spend a lot if time, too much time, scrolling through RUclips 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.
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...
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.
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 🤤🤤
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.
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.
While I don't write essays, I would have to agree that even when I write a reply on different topics on RUclips, 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.
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.
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)
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.
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”.
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!
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.
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...
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)
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.
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.
I am surprised you didn't mention Roberto 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!
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.
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.
@@vandelayindustries5814 The same rain can be a blessing to some and a curse to others. The rain that waters your garden can wash away topsoil left bare by a shady business or govment dept. That same rain can cause a flash flood that kills. Or makes home renters with a leaking roof cry. The same sun that melts wax and gives you a sun tan can give the next person sun burn and skin cancer. There are at least two sides to every story. Even rain. Is it raining, yes or no or not yet. Where, how much, how does it impact various people, animals, activities, etc in the area. How much rain for how long depends on who you are and where you are, and what you've got going on.
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!
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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
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.
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.
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:)
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.
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 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 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!
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.
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.
That's why all my RUclips 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.
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.❤
I'll basically do journaling on my own personal notes, and I'll use all sorts of different writing styles to help process my emotions, technical issues that I've been struggling with, etc. I don't write it with the intent of being a well formatted essay. A format that I do sometimes is to just write bullet points, but I also do another format that's to create many separate "article pages" of notes and linking them together, basically like a like, and then, I have different pages that might end up becoming canonical to me, others are merely indexes, etc. I just let it flow. If I want to expand on something in specific I can, if I want to drop it mid sentenc... There is no pressure to continue with something for whatever reason you may please, i.e.: You might be getting too theoretical, and you need more practice instead, and just thinking through it won't do enough. Because it's my f*cking notes. I rule the day. It's my lil' b*tch. If I want to fully grasp a topic, I won't just write about it, I'll do audio recordings to myself, I'll create entire indexes with references and to-dos, kanban boards, etc. I keep expanding on it like I wiki. Currently, I use Obsidian since it's easy to do linking. But you gotta have some momentum going. When it comes to some something, I've written about it many different times in many different ways, and it gets quite meta, I keep writing about my previous writings and the patterns in my thinking. If I don't write about my mindset at some point in time, what's going and so on, basically that moment in my life feels some sort of blank that I have very low precision of my thinking process, because our memory will keep fading away, different events and moments will blend in and then people wonder why they don't understand themselves and why they are a mess and can't express about themselves and things. Technically this is called "common place book"
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.
Due to my 1st through 4th grade teachers'excellence in teaching me phonics, spelling, and reading, my higher-grade teachers were able to do an excellent job teaching me writing, including writing essays. I very much love to write. The essay writing is very useful. It helps me contemplate and make logical decisions, write letters to newspaper editors, etc. Hmmm. I wonder if there is a book that I can buy and put in the Little Free Libraries in various cities.
@@dominicansmart13 , without giving too much of my personal information, I was taught in the USA, in a small public school, in a farming and rural area. The school was so small that we had 1 teacher for every 2 grades. My 1st and 2nd grade teacher started teaching before our state required teachers to have teaching certificates. My 3rd and 4th grade teacher was a lady who had been an Army sergeant, probably during WW2.
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!
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.
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.
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! 👍👍👍
I spent a lot of time summarizing physics and math for my university entrance exam and though it seems absurd for math, it did wonders for me. I re-realized this when writing my research proposal; whenever I feel lost, I return to it. Due to laziness, I have replaced it with lecturing other people, but I have almost no audience. Might as well go back to essay writing. Thanks for the video!
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.
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!
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.
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,
I'll often use the writing process to understand. Writing about a thing forces me to dissect the smaller elements of it and to understand how they fit and why.,
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.
It's so satisfying to write essays. I started in school, and it changed my life. If you read, you can write - and you should, you *should* write. Once you do this, you won't go back to just reading.
I like the book recommendation, "Uncommon Sense Teaching." I'll have to pick it up. This sounds an awful lot like the Feynman method. Richard Feynman basically said, to test your own understanding, teach it to someone else using analogies to make connections and simple language and barring that, write it down like you're trying to teach someone else. You'll discover the holes in your own understanding and fill them in quite rapidly. I've taught university level mathematics, and i can absolutely confirm that teaching or writing as though you're teaching is the best way to learn.
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.
In graduate school I learned the value of writing an essay well. Then I traveled to China and teach essay writing preparing students for college and other avenues in life. Yes, I teach classes online to small groups.
One of my primary school teachers recommended this kind of thing. She’d give a full letter grade of extra credit for any hand written copy of the Websters dictionary.
Writing has always been known to be an effective tool for memory: it helps to see ideas on a page, flesh out ideas, and see the need for more clarity etc. Engaging as many senses as possible in any activity is the smartest step to real learning. This is because we are actually engaged…interested, so that naturally moves learning forward. When life is taken in sections rather than seeing the big picture and how things connect, everything gets bogged down. People that walk around talking to themselves and writing and rewriting seem eccentric but that is a natural and engaged learning process. I can’t imagine less of an effective learning environment than sitting at a desk in a quiet, drab room. Humans deserve more joyful interaction than that.
‘In this video/essay…’ 😂😂😂 as a person who learned to write essays - how to begin an essay was engrained in my noggin… ❤ Peterson wrote textbooks so I’m sure he’ll know a thing or too about writing. As writer he’s probably very… verbose.. lol but I’ll use this w/ my kid’s homeschooling soon… I think it will help with reading comprehension. Also, Rewriting text is super helpful for those struggling w/ adhd and dislexia! David Goggins spoke about rewriting a text book in order to pass a course.
Very interesting content as always ! I look at the top of that hierarchy as discovery, which is to say that once you've gotten so comfortable with the materiel via the previous steps you're mind is now well positioned to come up with a brand new idea that builds upon or connects the ideas you were just playing with. But since the chances of actually creating something new are slim, it can be looked at as discovering something new. The mindset seems to me to be exactly the same tho.
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.
Narration is a mainstay of classical education. In Charlotte Mason's method, the youngest children begin learning by narrating back to the teacher the story they just heard, but in their own words, before they begin the writing process
I have similar results from chewing the fat with AI bots. Helps me gather my thoughts, question my thoughts, and see new perspectives. You quickly find how intertwined (ooh! poetry) everything is.
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 have been noticing recently the relatively high number of thoughts that occur to me connecting information learned long ago to information I'm learning now which are based on essays I wrote 30 years ago when I was last in university, or in the several years before that. It seems my recall is best with those, and things I use regularly, and next best is those things where I had an emotional connection. Anything else is a lot harder to recall, if I can at all.
Essay writing in all my classes was a major part of my university studies. Also one word answers were forbidden and were required to write it out within a few paragraphs.
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.
I experienced this in my senior year of college. I had to write a final paper that integrated several courses I had taken (and gotten A’s) in. It was a struggle. But the lightbulb went on and I really understood some of it for the first time.
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.
If you want to learn a subject, teach it. Even in your imagination, imagine trying to convince a skeptic, a serious point or fact or logic that you missed...Now logically write down your thought or doubts. You are on your way.
excellent video, production and editing. your style is great-interesting but not abrasive. sometimes I find myself unwilling to start writing, even though I know writing is thinking. it's nice to have an external nudge. one small unrelated tip: invest in Izotope RX 10 or 11, and use the mouth de-click filter
Not only does it help you to learn, but it also helps you to solve difficult problems. Write about the problem and the solution filters through to you.
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 ❤
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.
All these RUclips 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.
@@watcheronly71, you should have made a RUclips.
Thanks @@watcheronly71!!!
Might be interesting to try doing a first draft in that format and see if it happens faster
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.
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 spend a lot if time, too much time, scrolling through RUclips 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 hioe youll do it. How is it going?
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...
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.
Totally agreed, I did a Masters Degree some years ago and learned more from the essays I wrote than anything else.
I wrote an essay on gas and instead of helping me become a thinker, it made me into a stinker 😷
@@skippy6086 Wow! That is such deep thinking.
@@michellewentworth9862 thanks 💪
@@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 🤤🤤
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.
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.
While I don't write essays, I would have to agree that even when I write a reply on different topics on RUclips, 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.
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.
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!
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!
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
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!!!!
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.
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
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)
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.
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.
I am surprised you didn't mention Roberto 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.
I had to write essays every Thursday during high school. Helped a lot.
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.
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.
@@vandelayindustries5814 The same rain can be a blessing to some and a curse to others.
The rain that waters your garden can wash away topsoil left bare by a shady business or govment dept. That same rain can cause a flash flood that kills. Or makes home renters with a leaking roof cry.
The same sun that melts wax and gives you a sun tan can give the next person sun burn and skin cancer.
There are at least two sides to every story. Even rain.
Is it raining, yes or no or not yet. Where, how much, how does it impact various people, animals, activities, etc in the area. How much rain for how long depends on who you are and where you are, and what you've got going on.
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
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!
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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
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.
Content was persuasive, but must admit I was most impressed with the sheer quality of this video, editing, script and presentation. Well done
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.
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.
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:)
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.
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.
Every educational video I watch is sponsored by Brilliant.
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.
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!
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 love that i learn more about learning than python from you which is good as python is no use to 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.
That's why all my RUclips 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.
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.❤
I'll basically do journaling on my own personal notes, and I'll use all sorts of different writing styles to help process my emotions, technical issues that I've been struggling with, etc.
I don't write it with the intent of being a well formatted essay.
A format that I do sometimes is to just write bullet points, but I also do another format that's to create many separate "article pages" of notes and linking them together, basically like a like, and then, I have different pages that might end up becoming canonical to me, others are merely indexes, etc.
I just let it flow. If I want to expand on something in specific I can, if I want to drop it mid sentenc... There is no pressure to continue with something for whatever reason you may please, i.e.: You might be getting too theoretical, and you need more practice instead, and just thinking through it won't do enough.
Because it's my f*cking notes. I rule the day. It's my lil' b*tch.
If I want to fully grasp a topic, I won't just write about it, I'll do audio recordings to myself, I'll create entire indexes with references and to-dos, kanban boards, etc. I keep expanding on it like I wiki. Currently, I use Obsidian since it's easy to do linking. But you gotta have some momentum going.
When it comes to some something, I've written about it many different times in many different ways, and it gets quite meta, I keep writing about my previous writings and the patterns in my thinking.
If I don't write about my mindset at some point in time, what's going and so on, basically that moment in my life feels some sort of blank that I have very low precision of my thinking process, because our memory will keep fading away, different events and moments will blend in and then people wonder why they don't understand themselves and why they are a mess and can't express about themselves and things.
Technically this is called "common place book"
Are you Steve Mould in disguise? Same mannerisms, similar voice, similar facial structure... Also bloody edutaining!
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.
Due to my 1st through 4th grade teachers'excellence in teaching me phonics, spelling, and reading, my higher-grade teachers were able to do an excellent job teaching me writing, including writing essays.
I very much love to write. The essay writing is very useful. It helps me contemplate and make logical decisions, write letters to newspaper editors, etc. Hmmm. I wonder if there is a book that I can buy and put in the Little Free Libraries in various cities.
May I asked where you studied or what type of school?
@@dominicansmart13 , without giving too much of my personal information, I was taught in the USA, in a small public school, in a farming and rural area. The school was so small that we had 1 teacher for every 2 grades.
My 1st and 2nd grade teacher started teaching before our state required teachers to have teaching certificates.
My 3rd and 4th grade teacher was a lady who had been an Army sergeant, probably during WW2.
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!
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.
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.
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! 👍👍👍
I spent a lot of time summarizing physics and math for my university entrance exam and though it seems absurd for math, it did wonders for me. I re-realized this when writing my research proposal; whenever I feel lost, I return to it. Due to laziness, I have replaced it with lecturing other people, but I have almost no audience. Might as well go back to essay writing. Thanks for the video!
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.
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!
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.
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,
Captivating second by second. You have a welcomed ability to communicate. Your balance of tempo and tone allows for greater clarity. Thank you.
I'll often use the writing process to understand. Writing about a thing forces me to dissect the smaller elements of it and to understand how they fit and why.,
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
It's so satisfying to write essays. I started in school, and it changed my life. If you read, you can write - and you should, you *should* write.
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.
It's so satisfying to write essays. I started in school, and it changed my life. If you read, you can write - and you should, you *should* write. Once you do this, you won't go back to just reading.
I like the book recommendation, "Uncommon Sense Teaching." I'll have to pick it up. This sounds an awful lot like the Feynman method. Richard Feynman basically said, to test your own understanding, teach it to someone else using analogies to make connections and simple language and barring that, write it down like you're trying to teach someone else. You'll discover the holes in your own understanding and fill them in quite rapidly. I've taught university level mathematics, and i can absolutely confirm that teaching or writing as though you're teaching is the best way to learn.
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 love channels like this. Suggestions that would only work for people who didn't need help to begin with.
In graduate school I learned the value of writing an essay well. Then I traveled to China and teach essay writing preparing students for college and other avenues in life. Yes, I teach classes online to small groups.
I was stuck with an algo to detext patterns in stock movement, but I spent 1 day putting pen to paper and figured it out.
Jordan Peterson really helped me gettint some sh*t done every so often.
Still working on it but glad this man gets the recognition he deserves.
One of my primary school teachers recommended this kind of thing. She’d give a full letter grade of extra credit for any hand written copy of the Websters dictionary.
8:11 the mirror’s title format is “why I” then go with a contradictory opinion
So good to see you! You taught me Python years ago! Yay!
11 mins went past in a blink of an eye. I subscribed.
Writing has always been known to be an effective tool for memory: it helps to see ideas on a page, flesh out ideas, and see the need for more clarity etc.
Engaging as many senses as possible in any activity is the smartest step to real learning. This is because we are actually engaged…interested, so that naturally moves learning forward.
When life is taken in sections rather than seeing the big picture and how things connect, everything gets bogged down.
People that walk around talking to themselves and writing and rewriting seem eccentric but that is a natural and engaged learning process. I can’t imagine less of an effective learning environment than sitting at a desk in a quiet, drab room. Humans deserve more joyful interaction than that.
‘In this video/essay…’ 😂😂😂 as a person who learned to write essays - how to begin an essay was engrained in my noggin… ❤ Peterson wrote textbooks so I’m sure he’ll know a thing or too about writing. As writer he’s probably very… verbose.. lol but I’ll use this w/ my kid’s homeschooling soon… I think it will help with reading comprehension. Also, Rewriting text is super helpful for those struggling w/ adhd and dislexia! David Goggins spoke about rewriting a text book in order to pass a course.
Very interesting content as always ! I look at the top of that hierarchy as discovery, which is to say that once you've gotten so comfortable with the materiel via the previous steps you're mind is now well positioned to come up with a brand new idea that builds upon or connects the ideas you were just playing with. But since the chances of actually creating something new are slim, it can be looked at as discovering something new. The mindset seems to me to be exactly the same tho.
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.
Narration is a mainstay of classical education. In Charlotte Mason's method, the youngest children begin learning by narrating back to the teacher the story they just heard, but in their own words, before they begin the writing process
I have similar results from chewing the fat with AI bots. Helps me gather my thoughts, question my thoughts, and see new perspectives. You quickly find how intertwined (ooh! poetry) everything is.
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 have been noticing recently the relatively high number of thoughts that occur to me connecting information learned long ago to information I'm learning now which are based on essays I wrote 30 years ago when I was last in university, or in the several years before that. It seems my recall is best with those, and things I use regularly, and next best is those things where I had an emotional connection. Anything else is a lot harder to recall, if I can at all.
Essay writing in all my classes was a major part of my university studies. Also one word answers were forbidden and were required to write it out within a few paragraphs.
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.
I experienced this in my senior year of college. I had to write a final paper that integrated several courses I had taken (and gotten A’s) in. It was a struggle. But the lightbulb went on and I really understood some of it for the first time.
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.
If you want to learn a subject, teach it. Even in your imagination, imagine trying to convince a skeptic, a serious point or fact or logic that you missed...Now logically write down your thought or doubts. You are on your way.
excellent video, production and editing. your style is great-interesting but not abrasive. sometimes I find myself unwilling to start writing, even though I know writing is thinking. it's nice to have an external nudge. one small unrelated tip: invest in Izotope RX 10 or 11, and use the mouth de-click filter
Not only does it help you to learn, but it also helps you to solve difficult problems. Write about the problem and the solution filters through to you.
What a dammed fine video - 11 minutes well spent.
Can you make video on how essay writing can help subjects which are more mostly hands-on, like Maths and Programming?