Taking notes 24x7 posted by Andrew Hunt @ Mon, 12 May 2008 17:32:00 -0000

Andrew Hunt — Mon, 12 May 2008 17:32:00 -0000

I’ve had a couple of readers point out some neat gear for note taking:

Jeremy Sydik recommends the Zebra T3 series pens

Daniel Higginbotham is a fan of this small leather notepad wallet from Levenger

Enjoy!

/\ndy

Documenting is more important than documentation posted by Andrew Hunt @ Mon, 07 Apr 2008 23:51:40 -0000

Andrew Hunt — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 23:51:40 -0000

A dangerous statement, but it’s also a great truth. The opposite of a great truth, of course, is another great truth :-)

/\ndy

Dreyfus model? posted by Andrew Hunt @ Mon, 07 Apr 2008 23:50:20 -0000

Andrew Hunt — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 23:50:20 -0000

Richard,

Thanks for you posting—a couple of comments:

“the focus on Dreyfus seems like its weakest point”. I don’t necessarily disagree, but I’d like to point out that I’ve received a great many emails from folks who found this to be a great revelation. I agree with your assessment that his observations “comes down to applied common sense” but remember that much of this line of thought is brand new to many (most?) people.

I did read “On Intelligence” and was very, very impressed with it. I think he really emphasizes that everything is pattern matching—and prediction. I think that plays to the heart of your comment about “what I’m seeing isn’t matching what I’ve expected”.

Now here’s the question: I’m trying very, very hard to keep this book to a manageable size, under about 250 pages or so. I’m finding that quite difficult :-). This is such a vast area to explore, and every book I read has pointers to 20 other really interesting works and so on. So I have to be pretty ruthless in trying to stick to the tips of these icebergs, and also to keep the book very practical.

WIth that in mind, I don’t want to shortchange the reader either, so if you think I’ve really fallen short anywhere here do let me know.

/\ndy

Dreyfus model? posted by Richard Clark @ Sun, 06 Apr 2008 04:12:12 -0000

Richard Clark — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 04:12:12 -0000

Having just read the book, the focus on Dreyfus seems like its weakest point. His work (1), like so many popular items in education, comes down to applied common sense. It describes the apparent stages in a process without providing much insight in how those stages evolve. (I also stopped to read as much of Dreyfus’ published material I could get my hands on.)

I’d like to suggest a few things to fill in the gaps. The first is chapters 3 and 4 of Roger Schank’s “Virtual Learning” where he explains the roles failure plays in learning. (This will strengthen the explanation of a novice learner’s desire of rules and context ~~- to minimize failure -~~ and also lays out strategies for moving into self-directed learning and mastery.) The next is “On Intelligence” by Jeff Hawkins— a stunning examination of learning all the way down to the neural level. (Pay special attention to its explanation of trial and error, pattern matching, and how the hippocampus moderates learning.)

Etienne Wenger (in Communities of Practice), like Dreyfus, points to having many varied experiences as a road to mastery. But Wenger, like Schank, also refers to the need to construct and share explanations as key to learning effectively from those experiences.

There’s an interesting bit of educational research showing the key difference between someone who is proficient and someone is an expert is they both have about the same amount of knowledge but the expert has developed many “shortcut” connections between the pieces. These enable the seemingly magical “intuitive” leaps. (Unfortunately, I can’t recall the citation. I’ll have to ask a couple of colleagues.)

On a personal note, the best learning skill I’ve developed is also my best debugging skill—being able to recognize when what I’m seeing isn’t matching what I’ve expected and being willing to question/research the underlying belief. Technically, it’s a “metacognitive” skill, and there’s quite a bit of literature on metacognition and learning.

OK, hopefully I haven’t been too much of a nuisance and have supplied something useful. I’ve been teaching, learning, and designing instructional experiences for over 20 years and would be happy to help however I can. (I’m also a long-time reader of the pragprog books and an active software developer building simulations, decision support systems, instructional tools, etc.)

...Richard

(1) Note that Dreyfus doesn’t call his original work a “model”, but a “treatment of the phenomenology of skill acquisition” (see “A Phenomenology of Skill Acquisition as the basis for a Merleau-Pontian Non-representationalist Cognitive Science” available on Dreyfus’ web page.)

The Nine Consciousnesses posted by Kwan Hon Luen @ Fri, 04 Apr 2008 07:44:49 -0000

Kwan Hon Luen — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 07:44:49 -0000

It can mean that the Law/Rhythm of Life (or Buddhism) within ourselves (Human Beings), which permeates and resonates through the Universe, enpowers us to tap into deeper consciousness beyond our basic 5 senses.

Dreyfus model? posted by Anto Jurkovic @ Fri, 28 Mar 2008 07:10:05 -0000

Anto Jurkovic — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 07:10:05 -0000

Another book which could be checked is from Gary Klein, “Sources of Power”, The MIT Press.

It talks about decision making: firefighters, nurses, ... , and even software developers. And differences between experts and novices.

There is examples about software development group from AT&T in connection with Dreyfus model (chapter 10). See also chapters 7 and 11.

Next Chapter Please posted by Andrew Hunt @ Sun, 23 Mar 2008 23:57:31 -0000

Andrew Hunt — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 23:57:31 -0000

Heh heh. I love a captive audience :-)

You should see the email I’m getting as well. I might have to leave off the next chapter with a cliff-hanger, just to really turn up the heat!

I hope to have the next bit out tomorrow (Monday). A few features will slide to the next iteration.

Please email or post more feedback; topics you’d like to see me go into more deeply, topics that I’ve bored you with, etc.

thanks!

/\ndy

Next Chapter Please posted by Harris Syed @ Sun, 23 Mar 2008 20:46:52 -0000

Harris Syed — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 20:46:52 -0000

Business days or days. Come on Man! I am jonsing for more!

Next Chapter Please posted by Andrew Hunt @ Thu, 20 Mar 2008 00:35:53 -0000

Andrew Hunt — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 00:35:53 -0000

Well that clearly didn’t work :-) I should have the next bit ready in a couple of days, thanks for your patience!

/\ndy

Next Chapter Please posted by Marshall Rodriquez @ Wed, 19 Mar 2008 20:51:49 -0000

Marshall Rodriquez — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 20:51:49 -0000

Any new ETA on the update?

Dreyfus model? posted by Andrew Hunt @ Thu, 13 Mar 2008 01:21:25 -0000

Andrew Hunt — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 01:21:25 -0000

There’s work based on the model that has been tried and proven in the field, but outside of computer science or software engineering. Dr. Patricia Benner started the ball rolling in the field of nursing, and has published extensively on the subject. So it’s not so much a matter of “We all read that book and thought it was plausible” as it is “yeah, we’ve seen that too.”

If you’d like to read further about this subject, and on the successful application of this model over the last 20+ years, Dr. Benner is a good place to start.

Also, you state “in order to attain expertise one ought to, even has to, master these levels”. That’s not the case, and I hope I haven’t given you that impression. These are not skills to master, they are observations of your capabilities along a spectrum. The levels are not rigidly fixed; you don’t wake up on Tuesday as an Expert. It’s a long journey, and these are helpful roadsigns along the way, indicating where you are on the path, and where you’re headed.

Dreyfus model? posted by Michael Schuerig @ Wed, 12 Mar 2008 23:27:37 -0000

Michael Schuerig — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 23:27:37 -0000

Andy, I think these two cases are not comparable at all. TDD is put to the test if and when I try it and decide that it improves my productivity. If I find this not to be so, I can toss the practice again without qualms.

The five stages of skill acquisition in the Dreyfus model are understood as descriptive or normative. If someone claims that when acquiring a skill a subject passes through these specific, discernible stages as a matter of psychological fact, then I’d like to see proof that this is indeed the case. In other words, facing a theory I’d like to know whether it is true.

No matter what notion of truth one subscribes to, be it staunchly realist or flexibly pragmatist, there’s always more to it than “We all read that book and thought it was plausible”.

When you write “Use the Dreyfus Model on the road to expertise” you imbue the model with a normative force, beyond the plainly descriptive. In effect, you’re saying that the stages of the model are not only real, but in order to attain expertise one ought to, even has to, master these levels in the game of learning.

So, what do I want? I’m looking for some reasonable assurance that I’m not lead down a garden path. Inadvertently and with the best intentions, but still. By contrast, I have no misgivings whatsoever when someone says or writes “Look this is what I did and it worked out well for me. It may or may not for you. Make of it what you will.” This is providing experience, not giving advice.

Compare that to “Use the Dreyfus Model of Skill Acquisition to become more expert” and “Leverage the architecture of the brain to strengthen different thinking modes”. These have at their core factual claims about the workings of the mind and brain. And these claims serve as the starting points for how to make the best use of mind/brain. Having good reasons to assume the foundational claims are valid would greatly increase my confidence in the implications.

Dreyfus model? posted by Andrew Hunt @ Wed, 12 Mar 2008 01:07:34 -0000

Andrew Hunt — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 01:07:34 -0000

What would you want a “rigorous scientific test” to tell you, exactly?

Has test-driven development been put to a rigorous scientific test? Does it provide you value anyway?

Dreyfus model? posted by Michael Schuerig @ Tue, 11 Mar 2008 18:27:43 -0000

Michael Schuerig — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 18:27:43 -0000

I’ve read the Dreyfus book about 20 years ago and from what little I remember, their model of developing skill and expertise is largely anecdotal. As far as I am aware, which admittedly doesn’t say very much, the model with its distinguishable levels has never been put to a rigorous scientific test.

Notwithstanding, the Dreyfus model meme has gained some currency in geek culture—more due to its replicative prowess than its uncertain validity, I’m afraid.

Next Chapter Please posted by Andrew Hunt @ Mon, 10 Mar 2008 15:41:36 -0000

Andrew Hunt — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 15:41:36 -0000

I’m planning on releasing the next chapter this Friday, with any luck :-)

thanks,

/\ndy

Next Chapter Please posted by Harris Syed @ Mon, 10 Mar 2008 13:33:11 -0000

Harris Syed — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 13:33:11 -0000

Any updates on the schedule for the next chapter. I am just dying to read more. It has been a very interesting book so far.

Using the Brain to Help You Learn posted by Tim Hardy @ Fri, 07 Mar 2008 14:38:29 -0000

Tim Hardy — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 14:38:29 -0000

I’m enjoying the book so far, thank you, which is written with the clarity and elan I’ve come to expect from Pragmatic Programmer titles. I suspect, however, that I’ll find more use from the later so far unwritten chapters. I’m possibly not your target audience since I’m predominantly an R-mode person (one who loved those “horrid English classes” so much that he did a degree in the subject) and bought it looking to improve my L-mode thinking. More on this in another post perhaps.

Meanwhile, I thought I’d share some tips on memory: inspired by chapter 2.2. My apologies in advance for a long post; if I had more time I would make it shorter.

People who believe they have bad memories are wrong.

I firmly believe that we remember everything to which we pay attention. Recall is the difficult part. It’s not a bad memory, it’s just badly organised.

Many people with alleged bad memories actually have difficult paying attention. If you weren’t really listening when you were told something then the brain just sticks it in a large unsorted bin of data, along with all the information from those other missing hours of your life when you were zoned out on workaday tasks. Finding something in there takes time and effort. Generally we give up in disgust and just look the fact up, like the hobbyist who cannot find anything in his cluttered tool collection and ends up buying a new hammer every time he needs one.

Recall is improved by comprehension – by understanding something we relate it to what we already know and in doing so provide the brain with pointers (pun intended) to the new knowledge. If you make an effort to understand something when you first encounter it, the brain will do the filing for you. No need to buy a new hammer: you know it will be right there in the hand tools section.

Recall is also reinforced by repetition. Using knowledge reinforces the paths in the brain to it. This is one way in which biological systems are crucially different to mechanical ones.

As you note in the book, the brain can also go off searching in the background for you. This is the default behaviour if we don’t look up the fact externally. Think of the brain spooling a search thread that comes back and wakes you up three days later when it finds the information. More importantly, when we do this, the path to that information is reinforced. The next time we want to remember this fact, we’ll find it more quickly.

Deliberately cultivating this is a way of getting the brain to help you to remember.

When you have the luxury of not needing to know something immediately, don’t look it up. Enjoy that “it’s on the tip of my tongue” sensation for a while and throw related thoughts and words at it. For example, imagine struggling to recall the name of the male lead in Wall Street. You know, that guy who was in all those films in the eighties. Whatshisname. He was in that one with Sharon Stone. And that one with Kathleen Turner. Looks a bit like… Perhaps the memory has just been misfiled. By throwing related knowledge at the brain you give it suggestions of where to look. Now let go and relax. The thread has been spooled: the answer will pop into your head some time in the next few days. And the next time you want to talk about Michael Douglas, you’ll remember his name instantly.

Since we don’t always have the luxury of time, you can artificially provoke this process by regularly reviewing new knowledge, testing yourself by trying to recall the key facts – then letting go and seeing if the brain can find the information itself. This takes a degree of faith: it’s very hard to resist the temptation to just look up the answer. But it does work. Don’t, however, rely too much on it either and put off studying your new topic until the answer springs to mind. It may well be that you hadn’t really understood the matter in the first place or simply weren’t paying enough attention. Take your failure to recall in a timely manner as a spur to greater concentration next time you hit the books. If you’re someone for whom this will not ruin a good night’s sleep, then try it late evening: the process will keep running while you sleep. If you’re a more anxious type, then try recalling the information on your commute into work where you cannot look it up. Either way, the trick is to get the brain’s processes working for you, refiling and reviewing your knowledge so that it’s there for you when you need it.

The Nine Consciousnesses posted by Michael Bedward @ Fri, 07 Mar 2008 04:40:36 -0000

Michael Bedward — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 04:40:36 -0000

Certainly I would think that the precept of the inter-connectedness of all things leads to greater open-mindedness and an enthusiasm for seeking metaphors, methods and knowledge from everywhere.

Although I know little about Buddhism, I also believe that leaving behind one’s ego and stubborn attachment to one’s current ideas removes obstacles to creativity, problem solving and the sharing of knowledge.

Organic Impediments posted by Michael Bedward @ Fri, 07 Mar 2008 04:20:57 -0000

Michael Bedward — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 04:20:57 -0000

parenthood :)

In Chapter 2 the reference to the nurses case study seems redundant posted by Harris Syed @ Thu, 06 Mar 2008 19:08:22 -0000

Harris Syed — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 19:08:22 -0000

You seem to be repeating yourself when you map in the nurse scenario and map it to how the same is true for programmers.

I think if you stick with just the programmer and maybe if you really want move the nurse specific case study to an appendix it would work better.

The Nine Consciousnesses posted by Kwan Hon Luen @ Tue, 04 Mar 2008 09:00:39 -0000

Kwan Hon Luen — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 09:00:39 -0000

Suggest (if this is good content) to include The Nine Consciousnesses. Info found at http://www.sgi-uk.org/index.php/buddhism/9thconsciousness

Organic Impediments posted by Mark Hutchinson @ Mon, 03 Mar 2008 14:46:25 -0000

Mark Hutchinson — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 14:46:25 -0000

I think it would be helpful to mention some organic impediments to efficient Wetware performance and Wetware reshaping/toning.

sleep deprivation
vision

programming as the glass bead game posted by Michael Bedward @ Fri, 22 Feb 2008 14:25:49 -0000

Michael Bedward — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 14:25:49 -0000

Andy said:

I had a group of friends once where we developed a similar game. We’d try and see how long you could carry on a conversation strictly using movie quotes, song lyrics, literary quotes, etc.

I know people who can do that just with quotes from Douglas Adams… Actually, I’m one of them.

Michael

programming as the glass bead game posted by Andrew Hunt @ Thu, 21 Feb 2008 15:11:35 -0000

Andrew Hunt — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 15:11:35 -0000

Not at all! Long posts are always welcome.

I read The Glass Bead Game a few years ago, and yes, I agree. Parts of it really resonated with me—I had a group of friends once where we developed a similar game. We’d try and see how long you could carry on a conversation strictly using movie quotes, song lyrics, literary quotes, etc. Some many years later there was a Star Trek episode that effect, where an alien race befuddled the universal translator because they always spoke in metaphors, using their shared cultural references as source material.

Patterns and metaphor is what it’s all about.

/\ndy

programming as the glass bead game posted by Michael Bedward @ Thu, 21 Feb 2008 04:29:44 -0000

Michael Bedward — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 04:29:44 -0000

I’m an ecological researcher and a self-taught programmer. I spend a good deal of my time puzzling out how to model the complex dynamics of plant and animal populations in changing environments, and then how to implement those models as software.

When I heard about Andy’s new book I thought – YES ! For me, the intellectual challenge and perennial pleasure of programming is that it IS learning. I mean this in many senses… learning about the problem that forms the context for a given project; learning how to best use the features and design philosophy of a particular language; learning another language (and another, and another…); and above all, learning how to learn.

My favourite metaphor for programming is The Glass Bead Game. I first read this Herman Hesse novel when I was about 20 and going through my search for the meaning of everything phase. Nearly thirty years on the image of the Game still resonates.

In the Glass Bead Game the player or players build patterns of symbols, which represent facets of knowledge drawn from music, design, literature, philosophy, mathematics… As the pattern develops, connections between disparate fields emerge and, on a highly abstract level, some sense of ‘oneness’ of all artistic and intellectual knowledge is reached.

What better metaphor for programming ? The common grammar of a programming language, and the conventions of pseudo-coding, form bridges between separate disciplines. In my own ecological work I have been able to draw on ideas, approaches and algorithms in musicology, astronomy, linguistics, econometrics, political science, epidemiology to name just a few. The technical literature of many of these fields is often a closed book to me, or at least one that would require much study of each field’s specialized language and conventions. But program code provides a key.

The other aspect that I love about programming, and one that I’m looking forward to reading about in Andy’s book, is that it is like watching your mind work. Looking back on your own old code (gulp !) is like looking at a journal of how you understood and approached problems. Comparing code written in a variety of languages lets you pick out the common threads, habits and constraints of your own thinking. Learning a new language is an opportunity to keep your thinking fresh, to find new angles, and (it seems from current neurological understanding) to actually restructure the ways you think.

Er, I see I’ve gone on a bit here :) I hope that’s not out of order in these forums.

Michael

Recent Posts in Pragmatic Thinking and Learning: Refactor Your Wetware | Pragmatic Forums

Taking notes 24x7 posted by Andrew Hunt @ Mon, 12 May 2008 17:32:00 -0000

Documenting is more important than documentation posted by Andrew Hunt @ Mon, 07 Apr 2008 23:51:40 -0000

Dreyfus model? posted by Andrew Hunt @ Mon, 07 Apr 2008 23:50:20 -0000

Dreyfus model? posted by Richard Clark @ Sun, 06 Apr 2008 04:12:12 -0000

The Nine Consciousnesses posted by Kwan Hon Luen @ Fri, 04 Apr 2008 07:44:49 -0000

Dreyfus model? posted by Anto Jurkovic @ Fri, 28 Mar 2008 07:10:05 -0000

Next Chapter Please posted by Andrew Hunt @ Sun, 23 Mar 2008 23:57:31 -0000

Next Chapter Please posted by Harris Syed @ Sun, 23 Mar 2008 20:46:52 -0000

Next Chapter Please posted by Andrew Hunt @ Thu, 20 Mar 2008 00:35:53 -0000

Next Chapter Please posted by Marshall Rodriquez @ Wed, 19 Mar 2008 20:51:49 -0000

Dreyfus model? posted by Andrew Hunt @ Thu, 13 Mar 2008 01:21:25 -0000

Dreyfus model? posted by Michael Schuerig @ Wed, 12 Mar 2008 23:27:37 -0000

Dreyfus model? posted by Andrew Hunt @ Wed, 12 Mar 2008 01:07:34 -0000

Dreyfus model? posted by Michael Schuerig @ Tue, 11 Mar 2008 18:27:43 -0000

Next Chapter Please posted by Andrew Hunt @ Mon, 10 Mar 2008 15:41:36 -0000

Next Chapter Please posted by Harris Syed @ Mon, 10 Mar 2008 13:33:11 -0000

Using the Brain to Help You Learn posted by Tim Hardy @ Fri, 07 Mar 2008 14:38:29 -0000

The Nine Consciousnesses posted by Michael Bedward @ Fri, 07 Mar 2008 04:40:36 -0000

Organic Impediments posted by Michael Bedward @ Fri, 07 Mar 2008 04:20:57 -0000

In Chapter 2 the reference to the nurses case study seems redundant posted by Harris Syed @ Thu, 06 Mar 2008 19:08:22 -0000

The Nine Consciousnesses posted by Kwan Hon Luen @ Tue, 04 Mar 2008 09:00:39 -0000

Organic Impediments posted by Mark Hutchinson @ Mon, 03 Mar 2008 14:46:25 -0000

programming as the glass bead game posted by Michael Bedward @ Fri, 22 Feb 2008 14:25:49 -0000

programming as the glass bead game posted by Andrew Hunt @ Thu, 21 Feb 2008 15:11:35 -0000

programming as the glass bead game posted by Michael Bedward @ Thu, 21 Feb 2008 04:29:44 -0000