Optimizing for Learning (SRECon Americas 2019)

The talk is about the most powerful observability system SREs have at their disposal: the human mind! I draw from cognitive science to discuss how we can improve how we learn and store information about our systems in our brains in order to respond better to incidents and anomalies. It's a talk broken into four parts: preparing to learn, gaining knowledge, building mental models, and enabling a team to learn well together.

Transcript

1. Optimizing for Learning Logan McDonald SRECon Brooklyn March 27, 2019
2. , I’m Logan! @_loganmcdonald
3. ✨Emily Griffin✨ @emilywithcurls
4. story time!
6. expert intuition
7. expert intuition is NOT magic.
8. expert intuition is achievable.
9. - John Allspaw, “Monitoring Considerations” “one of the most powerful context-sensitive incredibly adaptive anomaly-detecting and responding agents in the world”
10. preparation gaining knowledge mental models learning together
11. preparation gaining knowledge mental models learning together
12. the nature of the field
15. problem solving is easier with constraints
16. Dickerson Hierarchy Of Site Reliability
 Google SRE Handbook
17. hierarchies of learning
18. Robert Gagné’s hierarchy of learning
19. 1. Signal learning 2. Stimulus-response learning 3. Chaining 4. Verbal association 5. Discrimination learning 6. Concept learning 7. Rule learning 8. Problem solving
20. 1. Signal learning 2. Stimulus-response learning 3. Chaining 4. Verbal association 5. Discrimination learning 6. Concept learning 7. Rule learning 8. Problem solving
21. preparation gaining knowledge mental models learning together
22. students reading a textbook over and over learning
23. low-stakes testing
24. to learn, retrieve
25. don’t google it … yet!
26. to learn, struggle
27. delayed retrieval and interleaving
29. memory palaces
31. preparation gaining knowledge mental models learning together
32. mental models
33. The Frillfin Goby
34. storytellers
35. how do we build mental models?
36. events
 
 patterns
 
 structure
37. observability
38. reflection
39. incident reviews
40. beyond singular mental models
41. preparation gaining knowledge mental models learning together
42. mnemonic convergence
43. cultural memory
46. growth mindset
47. “Emphasizing natural intelligence takes it out of the child’s control, and it provides no good recipe for responding to failure” - Carol Dweck
48. psychological safety
49. psychological safety faster incident response
51. In summary: Prepare! • Use Constraint Satisfaction Problems • Lean on the hierarchies of learning
52. In summary: Study! • Low-stakes test • Practice retrieval • Delay and interleave • Use the Leitner Boxes • Build memory palaces
53. In summary: Abstract! • Build Frillfin Goby- level mental models • Events -> Patterns -> Structure • Observe and reflect • Experience different types of systems
54. In summary: Learn together! • Embrace cultural memory • Have a growth mindset • Build psychologically safe workspaces
55. Thanks! @_loganmcdonald