I’m tempted to translate this meta-question as follows:

Which media help people mediate their thoughts about mediated thoughts?

At this level of generality it is really hard to say anything non-obvious. I’d want to ask more questions.

• What does “functional capability” mean?
• What are some examples of “reflective or contemplative media”? How are they different from any other media?
• What are the actual topics? Understanding Indian cooking requires very different skills than understanding Gödel's incompleteness theorems.
• What counts as understanding? What counts as clarity of thought?
• Who are the people? What do they want? How much time do they have?

When I am trying to understand something, I do several things.

1. I read/watch multiple sources on the same topic.
2. I discuss the topic with knowledgeable friends.
3. I read about the history of the topic.
4. I look into the etymologies of the key words.
5. I read what (if anything) non-westernized cultures have said about the topic.
6. I try to find analogies involving tangible material things. The more analogies I can find, the better my understanding feels.
7. I try to draw diagrams, if possible.
8. If the topic is an activity or technique, I try it out for myself. Failure is a great teacher. No amount of passive media consumption substitutes for active practice.
9. I try to explain the topic to other people. For me, trying to explain something is the best way to identify holes in my own understanding.
10. If I’m not making progress, I temporarily give up and return to it later.

Typically I do these things over and over, in various orders.