Crossing The Canyon Of Cognizance: A Shared Adventure

Most of the four learning stages - unconscious incompetence, conscious incompetence, conscious competence and unconscious competence - are bridged by acquiring experience. But the gap between unconscious incompetence to conscious competence is where the most discomfort and discouragement occurs.

Helping new developers bridge the void ensures a vibrant, accessible community, and having visible members/mentors in each stage encourages newcomers' learning. This talk illustrates (literally!) how to help new colleagues build this bridge and prevent losing them in the what-do-I-even-Google abyss.

Given at Madison+Ruby 2015

Transcript

1. Crossing the
   Canyon of Cognizance:
   a Shared Adventure
   Madison Ruby 2015
   Pamela O. Vickers, @pwnela
   

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3. Jeff Atwood, @codinghorror
   blog.codinghorror.com/please-dont-learn-to-code
   “It assumes that more code in the world is an
   inherently desirable thing.”
   

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4. “It assumes that coding is the goal.”
   Jeff Atwood, @codinghorror
   blog.codinghorror.com/please-dont-learn-to-code
   

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5. “It puts the method before the problem.”
   Jeff Atwood, @codinghorror
   blog.codinghorror.com/please-dont-learn-to-code
   

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6. “It assumes that adding naive, novice,
   not-even-sure-they-like-this-whole-programming-thing
   coders to the workforce is a net positive for the world.”
   Jeff Atwood, @codinghorror
   blog.codinghorror.com/please-dont-learn-to-code
   

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7. “It implies that there's a thin, easily permeable
   membrane between learning to program and
   getting paid to program professionally.”
   Jeff Atwood, @codinghorror
   blog.codinghorror.com/please-dont-learn-to-code
   

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9. ⛔Do Not Learn to Code⛔
   • “It assumes that adding naive, novice, not-
   even-sure-they-like-this-whole-programming-
   thing coders to the workforce is a net positive
   for the world.”
   • “It implies that there's a thin, easily permeable
   membrane between learning to program and
   getting paid to program professionally.”
   

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13. not everyone should
    learn to code…
    

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14. anyone should be able
    to learn to code
    

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15. Crossing the
    Canyon of Cognizance
    

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17. View Slide

18. “Four Stages for Learning
    Any New Skill”
    Noel Burch
    

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19. unconscious incompetence
    “don’t know what you don’t know”
    

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20. Level 1
    The Dark & Foggy Forest
    

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21. conscious incompetence
    “know what you don’t know”
    

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22. Level 2
    The Valley before the Climb
    

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23. conscious competence
    “know what you know”
    

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24. Level 3
    The Steeply Sloping Ascent
    

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25. unconscious competence
    “don’t know what you know”
    

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26. Level 4
    The Hazy & Lofty Clouds
    

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27. The Dark & Foggy Forest
    Level 1
    

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32. Raven Covington, @_raven_io
    “As I began learning, I found that there is so
    much great content out on the internet. That's
    both awesome and overwhelming. It was
    difficult for me to chart my own path and
    figure out where to go next.”
    

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36. Level 4
    The Hazy & Lofty Clouds
    (unconscious competence)
    

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37. View Slide

38. drawing6>
    

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39. Level 5
    Vision Beyond the Clouds
    

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40. drawing5>
    

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41. ✨
    ✨
    ✨
    ✨ ✨
    ✨
    ✨
    ✨ ✨
    ✨
    ✨
    ✨
    ✨
    ✨
    ✨
    

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42. The Valley before the Climb
    Level 2
    

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43. (conscious incompetence)
    

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44. The Steeply Sloping Ascent
    Level 3
    

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45. (conscious competence)
    

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47. (conscious incompetence)
    (conscious competence)
    

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48. (unconscious competence)
    

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49. (reflective competence)
    

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56. Hi new Friends!
    How do I get across this canyon?
    Thanks,
    Tenderfoot
    

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59. “I want to really dig into
    programming but I am
    feeling a bit overwhelmed.”
    /u/Glothr
    

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60. /u/Glothr
    “I am absolutely lost in the amount of technical
    jargon…”
    

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61. “…worried about the mathematical aspects of
    programming.”
    /u/Glothr
    

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62. “I've struggled for most of my educational
    career…”
    /u/Glothr
    

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63. “…with anything beyond advanced algebra.”
    /u/Glothr
    

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64. “Can anyone give me some insight into what
    level of math I should be proficient in…”
    /u/Glothr
    

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65. “…if I want to go anywhere with
    programming?”
    /u/Glothr
    

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67. helpful redditor
    “The first thing you'll want to do is take a look at
    yourself.
    Do you like math?
    Do you like Logic problems?”
    

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68. helpful redditor
    “Are you good at breaking complex problems
    into parts?”
    

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69. helpful redditor
    “If you answered yes to one or more of these,
    keep reading, if that stuff sounds like a drag,
    please save yourself some time
    and look into something else!”
    

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70. helpful redditor
    “That is all that programming is, and if you
    delve deeper you will find just that.”
    

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72. “People with a math background
    did fine, of course…””
    Sarah Mei, @sarahmei
    sarahmei.com/blog/2014/07/15/programming-is-not-math
    

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73. Sarah Mei
    “…but people with a heavy language background
    often did better.”
    

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74. Sarah Mei
    “…and I finally figured it out.
    Programming is not math.”
    

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75. helpful redditor
    “…if that stuff* sounds like a drag, please save
    yourself some time and look into
    something else!”
    *math
    

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78. Tenderfoot,
    Haven’t you heard of a bridge?
    Later,
    NinjaCoder10x
    

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81. “Why are experienced
    programmers so hostile
    toward beginners?”
    /u/Epsilon1472
    

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82. /u/Epsilon1472
    “It's usually assumed that I
    haven't done my own research,
    which is never the case.”
    

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83. “For every helpful reply, it seems like I'll get
    4-5 useless replies attempting to
    call me out for my own laziness.”
    /u/Epsilon1472
    

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84. ❤❤
    

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85. Tenderfoot,
    Haven’t you heard of a bridge?
    Later,
    NinjaCoder10x
    

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87. Hi Tenderfoot,
    Are you asking how to
    build a bridge?
    Best,
    pizzapartypuppy
    

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88. ❤❤❤❤
    

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89. Asking the ✨Perfect Question✨
    

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90. • The Golden Rule: Imagine You’re Trying to Answer
    the Question
    Asking the ✨Perfect Question✨
    

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91. • The Golden Rule: Imagine You’re Trying to Answer
    the Question
    • Provide enough context
    Asking the ✨Perfect Question✨
    

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92. • The Golden Rule: Imagine You’re Trying to Answer
    the Question
    • Provide enough context
    • Frame the problem
    Asking the ✨Perfect Question✨
    

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93. • The Golden Rule: Imagine You’re Trying to Answer
    the Question
    • Provide enough context
    • Frame the problem
    • Provide sample code and data
    Asking the ✨Perfect Question✨
    

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94. • The Golden Rule: Imagine You’re Trying to Answer
    the Question
    • Provide enough context
    • Frame the problem
    • Provide sample code and data
    • Take time to write something articulately
    Asking the ✨Perfect Question✨
    

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95. Providing the ✨Perfect Answer✨
    

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96. • The Golden Rule: Imagine You’re Receiving the
    Answer
    • Provide enough context
    • Frame the solution
    • Provide sample code and data
    • Take time to write something articulately
    Providing the ✨Perfect Answer✨
    

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97. View Slide

98. Hello,
    I’ve just found this canyon and would like to
    cross it. I don’t know how wide or how deep it
    is, but I see that some of you have made it
    across. Can you tell me what you did in order
    to get there? I would like to build a bridge,
    but I’m not sure what materials to use.
    <3
    Tenderfoot
    

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100. Hi Tenderfoot!
     Crossing the canyon is super easy!
     All you need to do is grab your
     foo and then bar the baz.
     (Make sure you don’t baz the
     bar or else the foo will bazizzle.)
     See you soon!
     mechanical_keyboard_kid42
     

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114. EASY, RIGHT?
     

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115. Seven Months Later
     Sara Simon, @sarambsimon
     blog.turing.io/2015/01/29/seven-months-later/
     

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116. Sara Simon
     “Trying to understand something […] without
     having the vocabulary to speak coherently
     about it is a lost cause.”
     

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117. Sara Simon
     “By building fluency, you allow connections to
     fall naturally into place. Then, with fluency,
     you’ll be able to do incredible things.”
     

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118. View Slide

119. View Slide

120. Hi Tenderfoot!
     Crossing the canyon is super easy!
     All you need to do is grab your
     foo and then bar the baz.
     (Make sure you don’t baz the
     bar or else the foo will bazizzle.)
     See you soon!
     mechanical_keyboard_kid42
     

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121. View Slide

122. Installationception
     

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124. Horrible Exchanges in
     “Mentoring” History
     

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125. • Difficult Question:
     Horrible Exchanges in
     “Mentoring” History
     

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126. • Difficult Question: 

     

     “How do I get RVM installed on my 1995
     ThinkPad?”
     Horrible Exchanges in
     “Mentoring” History
     

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127. • Difficult Question: 

     

     “How do I get RVM installed on my 1995
     ThinkPad?”
     • Horrible Answer:
     Horrible Exchanges in
     “Mentoring” History
     

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128. • Difficult Question: 

     

     “How do I get RVM installed on my 1995
     ThinkPad?”
     • Horrible Answer: 

     

     “Get a new Macbook Pro”
     Horrible Exchanges in
     “Mentoring” History
     

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129. Horrible Exchanges in
     “Mentoring” History
     

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130. • Difficult Question:
     Horrible Exchanges in
     “Mentoring” History
     

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131. • Difficult Question: 

     

     “I’m having issues installing ______ on my
     Windows/Linux machine. Any ideas why?”
     Horrible Exchanges in
     “Mentoring” History
     

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132. • Difficult Question: 

     

     “I’m having issues installing ______ on my
     Windows/Linux machine. Any ideas why?”
     • Horrible Answer:
     Horrible Exchanges in
     “Mentoring” History
     

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133. • Difficult Question: 

     

     “I’m having issues installing ______ on my
     Windows/Linux machine. Any ideas why?”
     • Horrible Answer: 

     

     “Because everything is harder on Windows/
     Linux.”
     Horrible Exchanges in
     “Mentoring” History
     

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134. • Difficult Question:
     

     “I’m having issues installing ______ on my
     Windows/Linux machine. Any ideas why?”
     • Horrible Answer:
     

     “Because everything is harder on Windows/
     Linux.
     Don’t do this.
     Horrible Exchanges in
     “Mentoring” History
     

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135. • Difficult Question:
     

     “I’m having issues installing ______ on my
     Windows/Linux machine. Any ideas why?”
     • Horrible Answer:
     

     “Because everything is harder on Windows/
     Linux.
     Instead:
     Horrible Exchanges in
     “Mentoring” History
     

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139. drawing2>
     

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140. Hi friend,
     Sorry, what is a foo?
     I can’t seem to find one.
     Sorry to ask so many questions,
     Tenderfoot
     

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141. Hi Tenderfoot!
     Oh goodness, did I say a foo? I
     meant to say a norf.
     Have a great day!
     mechanical_keyboard_kid42
     

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142. foo != norf
     

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143. How’s it going?
     Did that work for you?
     

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144. View Slide

145. View Slide

146. 1) grab your foo
     2) bar the baz
     

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147. 1) grab your foo
     2) bar the baz
     norf
     

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155. Hello friends!
     I have successfully barred the baz!! I have a
     step of my bridge now. Thank you so much!
     What do I do now to finish my bridge?
     Thanks again,
     Tenderfoot
     

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156. View Slide

157. Hi Tenderfoot!
     Great news!
     Now just keep at it! You have to
     bar a lot of bazzes to finish building
     your bridge across this canyon.
     See you soon!
     mechanical_keyboard_kid42
     

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158. View Slide

159. View Slide

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161. View Slide

162. “Is it ok if I'm successfully going
     through code academy lessons
     while not fully understanding some
     of them?”
     /u/MathTheUsername
     

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163. /u/MathTheUsername
     “…it’s not quite clicking yet.”
     

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164. /u/MathTheUsername
     “…it will be correct,
     but I'll not understand why it worked.”
     

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165. /u/MathTheUsername
     “Should I just keep going…?”
     

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166. View Slide

167. View Slide

168. (unconscious incompetence)
     (conscious incompetence)
     

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169. “…I didn't realize how easily
     you can type something wrong
     and break your program.”
     Raven Covington, @_raven_io
     

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170. “I was missing a comma or something.”
     Raven Covington, @_raven_io
     

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171. Learn Code the Hard Way
     Zed Shaw, @zedshaw
     

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172. Zed Shaw
     “ …keep at it. Force yourself.
     

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173. Zed Shaw
     “At first, you will not understand anything.”
     

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174. Zed Shaw
     “BANG”
     

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175. Zed Shaw
     “your brain will snap and you will suddenly ‘get it.’”
     

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176. View Slide

177. “BANG”
     

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183. Crossing the
     Canyon of Cognizance
     

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184. Crossing the
     Canyon of Cognizance:
     Pioneer Expansion Pack
     

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190. Institutional Barriers for
     Women of Color at Code Schools
     Stephanie Migdalia Pi Herrera, @pi_inthecloud
     Model View Culture
     

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191. Stephanie Migdalia Pi Herrera
     “Prospective and current students need to be able
     to see people like them…”
     

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192. Stephanie Migdalia Pi Herrera
     “…at every level of these organizations,
     from boardrooms to HR”
     

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193. Stephanie Migdalia Pi Herrera
     “The value of this kind of presence is immeasurable.”
     

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194. View Slide

195. “We are here, and we want to
     get caught coding while black.”
     Dominic M. Liddel, @dominicmliddell
     Model View Culture
     

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196. View Slide

197. On Heroes
     Ashley Nelson-Hornstein, @ashleynh
     blog.ashleynh.me/on-heroes
     

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198. View Slide

199. Ashley Nelson-Hornstein
     “Having visible examples of people that look like you
     in an aspirational professional field is powerful.”
     

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200. Ashley Nelson-Hornstein
     “By merely existing, these examples prove there is an
     achievable pathway to that field.”
     

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204. View Slide

205. Y’all saw
     Anika’s talk,
     right?
     

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212. Thank you.
     

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213. Special thanks to Tam Vo,
     illustrator & pioneering bridge
     builder extraordinaire.
     @tamiam
     
     
     

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214. Stay in touch:
     

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215. Pamela O. Vickers
     @pwnela (everywhere)
     Software Engineer at Blue Bottle Coffee
     Co-organizer of Rails Girls Atlanta
     

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