Tinkering is such an important part of learning. Some of the most effective tinkering happens at the point of discovery. Take JavaScript. I’m learning it right now. Going through a big reference book and learning about these little nuances of the language. With each discovery I can open Chrome, open the JavaScript console, and tinker with these concepts immediately.

Tinkering helps us explore an idea from multiple angles. We play around with it and learn what it can and can’t do. It’s like trying on a new pair of jeans to see how it fits… a little loose here, a little tight here. Before then you only understood the jeans with your eyes (how they looked) but now you understand them with your body (how they feel).

If this sounds a lot like “end of chapter exercises” you’re right… except for one critical difference: when you tinker, YOU create the exercise. Exercises belong to someone else; you’re doing someone else’s work. When you tinker, you own it.