The strange thing is, I have never had any problem understanding the wind side of the E6B at all.
I have a background in maritime navigation. To set a course while compensating for current, what we would do is draw, from whereever we were, one hours worth of "current" on the map. Also from our present location we would draw the line that we would want to sail over the ground. From the end of the "current" line, we would measure a length equal to our speed through the water, back to the line we wanted to sail. This gives you the famous triangle of velocities and with that the heading to steer and the speed across the ground. (Boy, I wish this forum would do pictures!)
When starting in aviation I tried to do the same thing on my aviation map but quickly realised that both aircraft speed and wind speed ("current") are an order of magnitude higher than a typical ships speed and current, and would quickly take your drawing off the map. So you use the E6B for the exact same thing, but the E6B is designed so that your triangle of velocities will always fall within the boundaries of the E6B:
The rotating thingy on top is going to contain the wind, with line from the dot you place, to the center representing the wind vector. Your present position is the "zero point" on the sliding thingy. You rotate the rotating thingy so that your intended track lines up with the centerline of the sliding thingy and you slide the sliding thingy so that your true airspeed matches with the beginning of your wind vector (the dot). Your triangle of velocities will now be from the zero point (bottom of the sliding thingy) to the dot your place (representing your true heading & true airspeed), then to the center of the rotating thingy (representing the wind vector), then to back to the zero point on the sliding thingy (this line represents your true track & groundspeed). Very easy to see if you take the whole E6B (both the rotating and the sliding thingy, and the housing, and rotate it so that the N is on top. Put it on your map and you can see what you're doing.
Note: I know there's also the reverse way of doing things, where the wind vector goes from the center to the dot instead of the other way around. Same principle applies, just a slightly different technique. Use whatever your FI told you to.
And the other side is indeed just a circular sliderule with a few common markings for typical aviation calculations. If you don't know how a sliderule works, then make a list of the common aviation calculation numbers, and use a regular pocket calculator. Nothing magic about the E6B in this respect.
Now I only have to find an E6B which contains the specific gravity for Jet-A in addition to Avgas, then I can use it for everything!