4 ms·

It can help to know that "paying attention to", "noticing", or "seeing" also has a large component of "ignoring", "filtering", or "pulling attention from." Whe

It can help to know that "paying attention to", "noticing", or "seeing" also has a large component of "ignoring", "filtering", or "pulling attention from." When I started writing JavaScript I had a hard time noticing missing semi-colons. All of the syntax was new and so my attention was overwhelmed. Everything was new, surprising, salient. Later after I'd read thousands of lines of JavaScript most of it was boring, routine, and unsurprising. It no longer demanded any part of my attention. Lower level filters had edited it out of my vision. Only the surprising, off, or "wrong" things remained, such as missing semi-colons. This process of becoming familiar with what correct looks like is active learning. Also, just like any other set of knowledge, it is hierarchical. You first see the bark, then the trees, then eventually the forest. Each level takes time. As an educator and mentor understanding the normal progression of building this hierarchy of understanding is key to helping someone grow in their understanding. You don't jump right to the forest (scalable architectures) when they are still preoccupied by bark (basic syntax).

chrisweekly 10y ago
Yes, this. It takes practice. Advanced chess players presented with an unfamiliar arrangement of pieces on a board can reliably distinguish between actual/plausible mid-game states and semi-random "impossible" positions. There's a progression from rules and mechanics to openings and tactics to strategy and style. Same goes for music, programming, sports... really any skill or body of knowledge I can think of.
throwanem 10y ago
I'd be curious to hear opinions on the value in this context of automatic linting as performed by flycheck, et al. I've heard the argument made that it serves as a crutch which prevents junior devs from learning to "just see syntax errors", but that sounds to me like the same kind of argument about electronic calculators that older folks made when I was young, and I can't say I've ever seen much sense in that one, either. But perhaps my perspective is simply lacking.

chrisweekly 10y ago

Yes, this. It takes practice. Advanced chess players presented with an unfamiliar arrangement of pieces on a board can reliably distinguish between actual/plausible mid-game states and semi-random "impossible" positions. There's a progression from rules and mechanics to openings and tactics to strategy and style. Same goes for music, programming, sports... really any skill or body of knowledge I can think of.

throwanem 10y ago

I'd be curious to hear opinions on the value in this context of automatic linting as performed by flycheck, et al. I've heard the argument made that it serves as a crutch which prevents junior devs from learning to "just see syntax errors", but that sounds to me like the same kind of argument about electronic calculators that older folks made when I was young, and I can't say I've ever seen much sense in that one, either. But perhaps my perspective is simply lacking.