Where have you gleaned the most knowledge; in school, in experience, or in media?

Direct experience, by far.

In terms of the amount of sheer information encoded in the brain, I’d bet that the majority of that happens by age 5, and virtually all of that is acquired experientially. It’s not knowledge in the sense of facts, but it’s the essentials of how to communicate, make sense of the world, operate a body, get along with others. That all has to be learned, and it represents an incredibly prodigious amount of information, all from experience.

Personal research on subjects of interest actually. If I had to pick one of those, I’d say books.

I’ve learned the most from personal experience, and from books. If something interests me, I read about it and learn more.

I learned a little bit in school. I say a little bit, because knowing how to solve for X, an atom looks like a smurf’s ass, and reading Beowulf hasn’t really added much to my life.

With them pretty much only teaching how to pass the damn state test in schools now, instead of real, useful information, you don’t gain much actual knowledge in school anymore. At least, that’s my opinion.

I think all three. College really opened my eyes, experience taught me some tough lessons, and I pick up a lot of stuff from books.

Experience. Knowledge of how to deal with people, how to deal at work, how to do just about anything comes to me through doing, not observing. Reading about sex wasn’t educational until I fumbled around with a girl. Learning at work was from doing.

Wisdom is wisdom, no matter how come by.

And that, I learned from a sci-fi novel. ^_^

Seriously, though, I couldn’t say where I learned the most… I do read a lot of books, but I also watch documentaries, and of course I’ve been alive so there are life experiences…

Is knowledge of how to start a fire (life experience) more important or more useful than the knowledge that it is folly to count your chickens before they hatch (folklore) or the knowledge of how to touch-type (school system) or the knowledge of the various types of edible native plants in my area (books)?

All knowledge is useful, and I couldn’t measure what is more so.

On my own. Through being interested and curious I sought out things. But experience you don’t necessarily seek out, and I’ve gleaned much from it as well.
Was it Twain who said “I never let my schooling interfere with my education”?

I have to say all three.

In education. I’m still bloody in it – having just signed up for a degree with the Open Uni.
But the experience you can get from the school of life is way different.

Early in life it was school and independent reading. In adolescence and young adulthood it was conversation and reading. In later life, which is most of my life, it has been personal experience by far, with a smattering of school now and then, and a dash of conversation comfirmed by reading references.

All of the above. None of them exist or are experienced in a vacuum. Everything we learn overlaps and is absorbed with previous knowledge.

Where have you gleaned the most knowledge; in school, in experience, or in media?

~Definitely on my second year of experience. (a77hole mode off)

Depends on what you want to learn. I actually learned a lot during my time at Uni – they have ways there to stimulate your curiousity about areas of knowledge you would have otherwise probably never even heard of. If you play it right, balance work and play, you’ll learn a lot about life just talking to people inbetween / after classes – you know, socialize lol. Really though it’s no cliche that you learn all your life, and that almost anything can be turned into a learning experience.

My own experience. Whether that be life experience or my own primary research. I may read a lot about a topic, but it is really cemented when I either carry out the activity myself or engage with those who have on a one-to-one basis.

Personal experience definitely.

I don’t think I learned much in school. I mean, I got really good grades and graduated and everything, but really didn’t absorb a thing. I couldn’t apply that knowledge to life, because I hadn’t lived long enough yet. I have learned a lot from books, but not textbooks. I remember struggling so hard to pass my typing class, but a few years into an office job and I was typing 80 with no mistakes. And I wasn’t even working at it – it just came with experience.

Personal experience and personal study outside of a school setting.

The School of Life, definitely.