@maltzj
@maltzj
3
Learning takes those
inputs and makes them
automatic
3
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@maltzj
Growing the "T": Learning
for Breadth and Depth
Jonathan Maltz
@maltzj
5-10-19
AUTHOR DATE
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@maltzj
@maltzj
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@maltzj
@maltzj
Broad base of skills
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@maltzj
@maltzj
Broad base of skills
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@maltzj
@maltzj
Broad base of skills
Deep in one
particular area
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@maltzj
Knowledge vs. Skills
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@maltzj
@maltzj
K. Anders Ericsson
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@maltzj
@maltzj
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@maltzj
@maltzj
Knowledge (noun): awareness or
familiarity gained by experience of a
fact or situation
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@maltzj
● Kubernetes is a container orchestrator
Knowledge examples
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@maltzj
● Kubernetes is a container orchestrator
● Jenkins pipelines can be written in a scripted or
declarative syntax
Knowledge examples
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@maltzj
● Kubernetes is a container orchestrator
● Jenkins pipelines can be written in a scripted or
declarative syntax
● Giving tech talks involves organizing information
and telling a story
Knowledge examples
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@maltzj
@maltzj
Skill (noun): the ability to do
something well
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@maltzj
● Operating a kubernetes cluster
Skill examples
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@maltzj
● Operating a kubernetes cluster
● Writing a Jenkins Pipelines
Skill examples
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@maltzj
● Operating a kubernetes cluster
● Writing a Jenkins Pipelines
● Ability to organize your ideas and tell a story in a tech
talk
Skill examples
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@maltzj
@maltzj
Knowledge != Skills
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@maltzj
@maltzj
Practice!
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@maltzj
@maltzj
Purposeful
Practice!
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@maltzj
● Take skill you want to learn
Practicing Purposefully
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@maltzj
● Take skill you want to learn
● Create an exercise which forces you to push that
Practicing Purposefully
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@maltzj
● Take skill you want to learn
● Create an exercise which forces you to push that
● Get feedback on that
Practicing Purposefully
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@maltzj
Action Results
Take an
action
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@maltzj
Action Results
Get Feedback
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@maltzj
@maltzj
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@maltzj
@maltzj
Knowledge -> Skills
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@maltzj
Action Results
Mental Model
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@maltzj
Action Results
Get Feedback
Mental Model
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@maltzj
@maltzj
Single-Loop
Learning
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@maltzj
Let's talk about "The
T"
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@maltzj
@maltzj
Broad base of skills
Deep in one
particular area
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@maltzj
@maltzj
Broad base of skills
Deep in one
particular area
@maltzj
Action Results
Get Feedback
Mental Model
Get Feedback
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@maltzj
@maltzj
Broad base of skills
Deep in one
particular area
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@maltzj
@maltzj
Stuff that may
impact you.
Upcoming trends. No
skill
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@maltzj
@maltzj
Stuff you
occasionally use.
Less skillful, enough
knowledge to get by
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@maltzj
@maltzj
Stuff you use every day
(skillful, specific
knowledge)
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@maltzj
@maltzj
Practice
opportunities
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@maltzj
@maltzj
Hermann
Ebinghaus
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@maltzj
@maltzj
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@maltzj
@maltzj
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@maltzj
@maltzj
Foundational
Principles
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@maltzj
● Short cycle time = good
Foundational Principles
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@maltzj
● Short cycle time = good
● Conciseness = good
Foundational Principles
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@maltzj
● Short cycle time = good
● Conciseness = good
● Complexity = bad
Foundational Principles
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@maltzj
@maltzj
What problem does
this solve?
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@maltzj
● 1 / 2 Broad resources
○ Looking for frequency of terms
○ Software engineering daily / Software
Engineering Radio
Broad knowledge
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@maltzj
● 1 / 2 Broad resources
○ Looking for frequency of terms
○ Software engineering daily / Software
Engineering Radio
● Broad conferences (Goto, QCon, etc)
○ Lunchtime=besttime
Broad knowledge
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@maltzj
@maltzj
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@maltzj
@maltzj
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@maltzj
@maltzj
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@maltzj
@maltzj
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@maltzj
● 1 / 2 Broad resources
○ Looking for frequency of terms
○ Software engineering daily / Software
Engineering Radio
● Broad conferences (Goto, QCon, etc)
○ Lunchtime=besttime
● Distant co-workers
Broad knowledge
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@maltzj
@maltzj
"Should I be
using this?"
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@maltzj
● 1 / 2 Domain-specific content
○ Devops Weekly/Data Eng
Weekly/Last week in AWS
Domain-Specific Knowledge
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@maltzj
● 1 / 2 Domain-specific content
○ Devops Weekly/Data Eng
Weekly/Last week in AWS
● Domain specific conferences
○ DevopsDays!
○ Pycon
○ O'Reilly Data Conf
Domain-Specific Knowledge
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@maltzj
@maltzj
"How can I master
this?"
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@maltzj
@maltzj
Practice!
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@maltzj
@maltzj
3 Things
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@maltzj
@maltzj
1. Invest in
Foundational
Principles
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@maltzj
@maltzj
2. You don't need to
know everything
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@maltzj
@maltzj
3. Purposeful
Practice!
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@maltzj
@maltzj
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@maltzj
● Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise
● Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
● Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
● A Five Stage Model of Directed Skill Acquisition
● Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve
Resources