Learning: A developers perspective

Learning is important in making any ecosystem sustainable.

I introduced the Dreyfus model for skill acquisition to help the audience become self aware of their current skill level.
Then I built on that to introduce deliberate practice, which is a systematic, purposeful and feedback dependent kind of learning.

Transcript

1. LEARNING A developers perspective
2. Opara Prosper GitHub Campus Expert @GitHub Education Open Knowledge Advocate @FreeCODEacdemy @opara_proser oparaprosper79@gmail.com
3. What We’d Cover • This talk is not focused on “What learning is”, but touches the “how of learning” as a developer • We’d cover the Dreyfus model for skill acquisition • We’d build on that to discover what deliberate learning is
4. Why Learn? • To remain relevant in the ecosystem you need to keep learning. • To be able to produce more than you consume. • To move from one skill level to another. • To actualize your goals for learning to code. • To become more valuable and make more money
5. WHERE ARE YOU NOW?
6. Dreyfus model • Novice • Advanced beginner • Competent • Proficient • Expert
7. Novice • The novice has little/NO experience practicing the skill • Depends a lot on context free rules – Recipe’s • Don’t necessary want to learn, but more focused on achieving a goal
8. Advanced Beginner • This guys have some experience practicing • They depend less on recipes but cannot troubleshoot • They don’t love a lot of thoery or going through the basics alot
9. Competent • They have more experience practicing the skill • They can troubleshoot and leverage on past experience • Can take on novel(New) problems and figure them out, because they do not depend on recipes • The are resourceful and have initiative • They need SOME MORE EXPERIENCE
10. Proficient • This guys are “advanced competent” because they have the some more experience. • They can self-correct – reflect on their mistakes, detect a fault and make corrections. • Instead of recipes, proficient practitioners work with maxims in the correct context. Maxim’s - are proverbial, fundamental truths that can be applied to the situation at hand.
11. Experts • This guy’s are the BOSS • They work with intuition • They have a large database of experience they can draw from and apply in any given context.
12. Differentiating Factor EXPERIENCE
13. How to gain experience LEARN BY DOING (Deliberate Practicing)
14. Deliberate Practice • Deliberate practice is PURPOSEFUL • Deliberate practice is SYSTEMATIC • Deliberate practice demands unbroken concentration • Deliberate practice thrives on FEEDBACK
15. Unbroken Concentration • Have a fixed time each day for deliberate learning • Beware of Network Tools – Use them but avoid getting addicted • Avoid distraction from family & friends NB: It’s easier said than done, but dare to DO! Constant practice is the key...
16. Recommended Resources • Pragmatic Thinking and learning by Andy Hunt • Deep work by Cal Newport
17. THANK YOU!