Inventing theories, learning theories, and applying theories are all 3 different activities. When you’re in school, you spend a lot of time learning theories, you spend hardly any time inventing theories, and you spend some time applying theories (ex.: applying algebra in calculus class).
One way to get practice inventing theories: When a motivating example comes up in a textbook, shut the textbook and try to figure out how to solve the example on your own without reading further. (Or try to do the problems at the end of the chapter before reading it, etc. Credit for this idea goes to my 10th grade math teacher.)
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Inventing theories, learning theories, and applying theories are all 3 different activities. When you’re in school, you spend a lot of time learning theories, you spend hardly any time inventing theories, and you spend some time applying theories (ex.: applying algebra in calculus class).
One way to get practice inventing theories: When a motivating example comes up in a textbook, shut the textbook and try to figure out how to solve the example on your own without reading further. (Or try to do the problems at the end of the chapter before reading it, etc. Credit for this idea goes to my 10th grade math teacher.)