# New learnings rarely start from zero
Every new knowledge that we are trying to understand will be based on top of an existing preconception (Hermeneutic circle) (Ahrens 48). Knowing this as a fact, we should not fear learning something new just because it sounds new. Our previous learning or existing skills are usually transferrable.
The transferability of a skill might not as straightforward as you'd like. You have to broken them down into smaller skills to see the transferable parts. When my 3-year-old was learning how to hold a pen, for example, the transferrable skill she got was from learning how to lace or thread. The transferable part was her fine motor skill.
We, software engineers, could pick up a new programming language easily when we want to. Design patterns are an example of what can be transferred from one programming language to another, even though they are not part of the programming language itself.
# References
Ahrens, How to Take Smart Notes (p. 48).
Every intellectual endeavour starts from an already existing preconception, which then can be transformed during further inquires and can serve as a starting point for following endeavours. Basically that is what Hans-Georg Gadamer called the hermeneutic circle (Gadamer 2004).
Scientific Secrets for Raising Kids Who Thrive Audiobook | Peter M. Vishton, The Great Courses | Audible.co.uk (opens new window) (Downloadable PDF p. 149).
Fitting the cylinders into the holes is an exceedingly simple task. But for 3-year-olds, the task exercises muscles that are important for fine motor control involved in writing.