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Interesting study - I think it's a great idea! Though I disagree with the statement 'we do not actually learn much'. Most learning is very hard to condense int
by yathern 9y ago
Interesting study - I think it's a great idea! Though I disagree with the statement 'we do not actually learn much'.
Most learning is very hard to condense into a short note. For example, "Booleans have a toString method in JS" is a tiny factoid that, yes, is something that can be learned. But I think it is only a minor fraction of what is actually learned.
An tennis player may write down what they learn in a month, trying to get better at the game. But ultimately, much of the learning comes from understanding abstract patterns and building up a portfolio of experiences to draw reference to in real-time.
It's the same way with programming - if I work on a game, and use some engine - yes, I'll learn the API to that engine, and maybe some extra factoids about C# I didn't know. But the learning that does me the most good is the more abstract stuff - intuition about how to structure larger projects - how and when to start focusing on performance, rather than features. Stuff that doesn't really boil down to a one liner, and you may not even realized you learned until after the fact.
- joaomacp 9y agoBeautiful comment! It really lines up with my experiences. Especially the fact that "you may not even realize you learned until after the fact". Most skills I have, I cannot point to a specific point in time when I learned them, it's a really gradual process. You just have to pursue the things you want / like, and practice regularly. No point thinking about the big picture too much. It'll come.
- lwesley 9y agoAgree. Learning is more about building a web of interconnected idea, generating new insight, refining existing idea.
- stockkid 9y agoAuthor here. I agree. Some things we learn cannot be easily quantified. For example, the way I write code has changed compared to years ago. But I cannot put in words what it is that made me so. It makes me think maybe my tool is better suited for more obvious learnings. One applicable demographic would be beginner programmers because I remember that when I started coding I had to learn many obvious things such as API, language features, etc. And even seasoned programmers are always beginners at some things.
- jeroennoels 9y agoPeter Naur's "Programming as theory building" comes to mind: https://software-carpentry.org/blog/2016/10/programming-as-theory-building.html https://software-carpentry.org/blog/2016/10/programming-as-t...