> They had underlying conceptual models This is so important for every STEM subject. Ideally, having working mental models of [computers, processes, the nature

> They had underlying conceptual models This is so important for every STEM subject. Ideally, having working mental models of [computers, processes, the nature] should be the goal of education. Besides that, i observed really good natural language skills in people, who are good at programming. I guess, this ability (to write good code), complements conceptual understanding. In some papers you can observe, that the authors master the concepts, but their code looks like written by a novice.