What does it mean to integrate? To me it now means to use and to hold deeply within you so that you can pluck it quickly from your mind when a problem is presented. Maybe you think you’re supposed figure it out as you go along but with out the basics as a foundation you will not be able to use the higher level concepts. You wont be able to go deeply into anything else. If you’re taking a class in trigonometry for instance you need to know that \(\frac{pi}{6}\) is \(30^\circ\) you can’t think that through you just need to know it. This means having memorized the basics. I know memorizing sounds like cheating or too much trouble but it’s not. It is the first step towards really learning. This goes for anything. I started learning Jiu Jitsu at 41. One of the first things I noticed is how much I needed to practice the most basic movements before I was able to do anything else.
So what does integration mean. It means storing and using the information. It means investing the time it takes to learn the thing well.
If you are a student and you are in a class that means that its not just about showing up to the class. It’s about doing the practice problems and doing some more. It is about going beyond what you learned to make it useful, interesting, impactful or just meaningful to you in some way. Its about seeing a pattern and being able to recollect it with ease in the future.
If you are on a project at work it not just about doing the tasks assigned to you it’s about knowing why the project is being undertaken. It’s about being able to do your task with ease if you ever had to do it again. It’s about knowing the what part your task plays in the whole and being able to see how different variations might fit into other projects.
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