A thought I’ve been having is that the difference between a structured learning environment (like a course) and an unstructured learning environment (like a research internship) is that structured learning is really defined by what is said, whereas unstructured learning is really defined by the spaces between what is said, and by what you, the learner, fill those spaces in with.

I think this is why you have to be really careful about who you choose to learn from. It’s much easier for someone to imprint themself on you by subtly nudging you to think like them than it is for someone to succeed at telling you what to think.