tips for improving our learning process
Addy Osmani shared some tips about
improving learning process, and I’d like to share with you all.
he is author of some great free books about javascript, such as
Essential JS Design Patterns.
* Be self-aware: how do you learn best? Do you learn best from documentation,
step-by-step tutorials, hands-on approaches or with a visual aid? Do your
best to modify how you learn to suit your personal preferences. If you can’t
find a knowledge resource in your format of preference, don’t be afraid to
ask if someone would be willing to do it in another form. Perhaps an author
of an existing resource wouldn’t mind doing a video or podcast on the same
topic, especially if the material is still fresh in their minds.
Set learning goals: what are you hoping to get out of learning something new?
Is there a particular weakness you’re trying to address? Define upfront what
it is you’re hoping to do better or be better at by the time you’ve completed
your experience. If this means setting learning “milestones” on a personal
GitHub project, go for it.
Practice: Once you’ve completed a learning experience, create opportunities
to apply what you’ve learned asap. This will help refine your abilities. Some
developers try to find opportunities at work where they can apply what
they’ve learned whilst others create sample projects or tutorials using what
they’ve learned to share with the community.
to apply what you’ve learned asap. This will help refine your abilities. Some
developers try to find opportunities at work where they can apply what
they’ve learned whilst others create sample projects or tutorials using what
they’ve learned to share with the community.
Do knowledge transfers: If possible, see if you can work with someone with a
skill you wish to develop further. Maybe you can offer to teach them more
about an area they’re weak in in return (e.g “I’ll teach you about LESS if
you teach me about Node”)
Don’t be afraid to ask questions: The most knowledgable people are often
those who weren’t afraid to say “I don’t understand this. Can you explain?”.
Asking questions is an easy way to gain more knowledge. It can be uneasy at
first, but it’s always useful to get other peoples perspectives on topics.
those who weren’t afraid to say “I don’t understand this. Can you explain?”.
Asking questions is an easy way to gain more knowledge. It can be uneasy at
first, but it’s always useful to get other peoples perspectives on topics.
Experiment: Try out new things, even if you find them uncomfortable at first.
It’s amazing how much we can learn from our mistakes as well as our
successes.
Evaluate: We often play around with code and create new things without ever
really stopping to evaluate just how much we’ve really learned. Remember to
make time out to ask yourself “What did I learn from this?”, “What worked?”
and “What didn’t work?”
really stopping to evaluate just how much we’ve really learned. Remember to
make time out to ask yourself “What did I learn from this?”, “What worked?”
and “What didn’t work?”