Stood at the bottom of a mountain looking up
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My ACCU 2010 conference presentation on software developers learning. The talk synopsis was: How to get up to speed with new technology, fast. The fun thing about software development is that there's always something new to learn, something new to do, and a new way to stretch your capabilities. A software developer should never stand still. If you stand still, you stagnate. The more senior you get, the more pressure there is to be able to pick up new technologies and hit the ground running. However, its hard work to move onto new pastures and be immediately effective. Starting with any new technology is like standing at the bottom or a huge mountain, and looking up at the summit. You're not sure how far away it is, let alone how to get up there. In this talk, we'll explore how to start climbing, and how to make sure your ascent is as fast and effective as possible. And we'll see how to ensure you don't fall off on the way up. We'll consider how to quickly get up to speed with new technologies, new languages, new environments. And we'll investigate the winning approaches and attitudes that'll help you reach the summit.
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Stood at the bottom of a mountain looking up
- 1. ACCU 2010 stood at the bottom of a mountain Mountain looking up Pete Goodliffe pete@goodliffe.net
- 2. stood at the bottom of a mountain looking up pete goodliffe Pete Goodliffe A programmer, a columnist, an author, a teacher. Someone who cares about code. www.goodliffe.net goodliffe.blogspot.com @petegoodliffe
- 3. stood at the bottom of a mountain looking up pete goodliffe Pete Goodliffe A programmer, a columnist, an author, a teacher. Someone who cares about code. www.goodliffe.net goodliffe.blogspot.com @petegoodliffe
- 4. stood at the bottom of a mountain looking up pete goodliffe talk synopsis How to get up to speed with new technology, fast. The fun thing about software development is that there's always something new to learn, something new to do, and a new way to stretch your capabilities. A software developer should never stand still. If you stand still, you stagnate. The more senior you get, the more pressure there is to be able to pick up new technologies and hit the ground running. However, its hard work to move onto new pastures and be immediately effective. Starting with any new technology is like standing at the bottom or a huge mountain, and looking up at the summit. You're not sure how far away it is, let alone how to get up there. In this talk, we'll explore how to start climbing, and how to make sure your ascent is as fast and effective as possible. And we'll see how to ensure you don't fall off on the way up. We'll consider how to quickly get up to speed with new technologies, new languages, new environments. And we'll investigate the winning approaches and attitudes that'll help you reach the summit
- 5. stood at the bottom of a mountain looking up pete goodliffe why?
- 6. stood at the bottom of a mountain looking up pete goodliffe we can software constant always get fun development learning better
- 7. stood at the bottom of a mountain looking up pete goodliffe
- 8. stood at the bottom of a mountain looking up pete goodliffe (there it is)
- 9. stood at the bottom of a mountain looking up pete goodliffe plan of attack ‣ preliminaries: the facts of life ‣ what to learn ‣ how to learn ‣ conclusions
- 10. stood at the bottom of a mountain looking up pete goodliffe plan of attack ‣ preliminaries: the facts of life ‣ what to learn ‣ how to learn ‣ conclusions
- 11. » The Facts of Life « The prologue
- 12. LEARNING:. We all do it ‣ Software developers should be perennial students. all humans are ‣ Some people do it better than others ‣ Some people do it more than others Here are some keys ‣ Our profession requires that we constantly learn to help us improve
- 13. LEARNING:. is frightening ‣ It’s hard work ‣ It’s extra effort ‣ Change is good ‣ Learning is good LEARNING:. is difficult ‣ The problem is getting worse ‣ There is always a new new thing ‣ Increase in code size ‣ More legacy code ‣ Increased inter-connectedness ‣ Career progression → increased expectations
- 14. 10,000
- 15. 10,000 expe rt 8,000 s ho w s p ot entia l 4,000 also- ran
- 16. 10,000 expe rt = 10 years * 3 hours
- 17. = hard work
- 18. » The Facts of Life « Categorising knowledge
- 19. everything there is to know
- 20. everything everything you you’ve forgotten don’t know know
- 21. “ Reports that say that something hasn't happened are always interesting to me, because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns - the ones we don't know we don't know. And if one ” looks throughout the history of our country and other free countries, it is the latter category that tend to be the difficult ones. Donald H. Rumsfeld February 12, 2002 Department of Defense News Briefing
- 22. everything you know you don’t know everything you everything you know don’t know everything you don’t know you don’t know everything you’ve forgotten
- 23. everything everything you you know you know well don’t know everything you know everything everything you you don’t know a bit know you don’t know everything In the actual presentation, this jumble makes perfect sense. you’ve forgotten Here are Animations, more keys dontchaknow... to help us improve
- 24. everything everything you you know you know wellBeware of the « » don’t know Four levels of incompetence everything everything you you don’t know a bit know you don’t 1.Conscious incompetence know 2.Conscious competence 3.Unconscious competence 4.Unconscious incompetence everything you’ve forgotten Here are more keys to help us improve
- 25. » The Facts of Life « The ethics of learning
- 26. study is not something that a teacher does to you it is something you do
- 27. study is not something that responsibility a teacher does to you it is something you do
- 28. professionalism
- 30. “ Learning is like rowing upstream: not to ” advance is to drop back. Chinese proverb
- 31. Learning: You’ve either got to, or you ought to.
- 32. stood at the bottom of a mountain looking up pete goodliffe plan of attack ‣ preliminaries: the facts of life ‣ what to learn ‣ how to learn ‣ conclusions
- 33. stood at the bottom of a mountain looking up pete goodliffe plan of attack ‣ preliminaries: the facts of life ‣ what to learn ‣ how to learn ‣ conclusions
- 34. your knowledge portfolio the pragmatic programmer
- 35. problem domain technology ? new codebase
- 36. problem domain ‣ Users ‣ Domain knowledge ‣ Who are the experts? technology ‣ Programming language ‣ Library ‣ Framework/API ‣ Software tools ‣ Build system ‣ Issue tracker new codebase ‣ Architecture ‣ Design ‣ Structure ‣ Idioms ‣ How to build ‣ How to run tests ‣ Development practices
- 39. new technology technical skills how to work with others how to learn the “leftfield”
- 40. ‣ What is the next big new technology thing? ‣ Different language technical skills paradigms ‣ New tools how to work ‣ Libraries with others ‣ Frameworks how to learn the “leftfield”
- 41. ‣ How to read code new technology ‣ How to write technical technical skills documentation ‣ How to manage how to work software projects with others ‣ New techniques and methodologies (TDD, how to learn BDD, code generation, lean) the “leftfield”
- 42. ‣ How to understand new technology others ‣ How to communicate technical skills ‣ How to listen (and understand) how to work ‣ Understand the with others customer how to learn the “leftfield”
- 43. ‣ That’s why you’re new technology here! ‣ New learning technical skills techniques how to work with others how to learn the “leftfield”
- 44. ‣ Foreign language new technology ‣ Musical instrument ‣ Martial art technical skills ‣ New branch of science how to work ‣ Art with others ‣ Philosophy ‣ Spirituality how to learn the “leftfield”
- 45. stood at the bottom of a mountain looking up pete goodliffe plan of attack ‣ preliminaries: the facts of life ‣ what to learn ‣ how to learn ‣ conclusions
- 46. stood at the bottom of a mountain looking up pete goodliffe plan of attack ‣ preliminaries: the facts of life ‣ what to learn ‣ how to learn ‣ conclusions
- 47. → apprentice → journeyman → master → → shu → ha → ri →
- 48. dreyfus model cone of learning expert proficient competent advanced beginner novice
- 49. dreyfus model expert proficient competent advanced beginner novice
- 50. novice have no knowledge (yet) want results (fast) have no experience need rules can’t judge rules
- 51. advanced beginner some experience some learning explicit knowledge can break free from rules a little will get quickly stuck know where to get answers can't focus out irrelevant details
- 52. competent mental model made associations formed understand relative importance of aspects can approach unknown problems thi go s is plans methodical routes od pla a to into problems be ce
- 53. proficient beyond competency understand big picture frustrated by novice simplifications can correct previous errors & reflect on experiences maxims focus on important issues tacit knowledge
- 54. expert the pinnacle there are very few have authority interlink skills can teach others have intuition naturally see an answer
- 55. where are you? how far up the mountain?
- 56. how high do you want to go?
- 58. “ Effort is one of the things that gives meaning to life. Effort means you care about something, that something is important to you and you are willing to work for it. ” Carol Dweck Social Pyschologist Self-theories: Their role in motivation, personality and development (1999)
- 59. attitude
- 60. attitude Responsibility Continuous learning Hunger Curiosity Humility Self-belief
- 61. » How to learn « Learning tools Learning processes Plans
- 62. The ? Ultimate Learning Machine
- 64. » the user’s manual «
- 65. » Maintenance « Use the correct fuel * Amino acids from protein- rich food (meat, fish, cheese) * Vitamins/minerals (B, sodium, potassium, calcium, omega-3) * Keep hydrated Keep running smoothly * Avoid stress * Adequate rest
- 69. Left brain Right brain PCI Control Interconnect Bus Person
- 70. Left brain Right brain PCI Control Interconnect Bus Person
- 71. Left brain Right brain * Verbal * Non-verbal * Rational * Non-rational * Analytic * Intuitive * Linear * Spatial * Logical * Relational * Temporal * Perceptive * Symbolic * Holistic * Single-threaded * Multithreaded * Synchronous * Asynchronous PCI Control Interconnect Bus Person
- 72. Left brain Right brain the trick: harness both sides PCI Control Interconnect Bus Person
- 73. listen: m usic describe The Ultimate twiddle Learning doodle/d raw Machine meditate
- 74. » multimode learning «
- 75. practice practice is not a noun
- 76. practice practice is not a noun deliberate practice katas dojo
- 77. “ Tell me, and I will forget. Show me, and I may remember. Involve me, ” and I will understand. Confucius
- 78. TDD L test driven learning ‣ Planned study ‣ How will you know you’ve successfully learnt? ‣ Repeated test and recall ‣ Not repeated study ‣ Real experience aids recall ‣ If you can’t demonstrate it, you don’t know it
- 80. your notes cpu cache your reference materials books, notebooks, web, etc swap space where to get more info new downloads; not processed yet future input
- 82. networking
- 83. networking pair programming study groups e mentoring giv dge wle kno back teaching write articles so find m discuss lea eon rn e t fro o m
- 84. be less afraid of your ignorance so find m lea eon rn e t fro o m
- 85. build a mental map
- 86. build a mental map
- 87. a hierarchy of knowledge retrieval
- 88. plan your learning what you need to know test & use knowledge 3rd stage knowledge 2nd stage knowledge 1st stage knowledge what you know
- 89. mind maps
- 90. always question ‣ Question what you’re learning ‣ Question this talk! ‣ Ask why? ‣ Beware of the obvious ‣ Unlearning ‣ Question your preconceptions
- 91. learn from your mistakes
- 92. stood at the bottom of a mountain looking up pete goodliffe plan of attack ‣ preliminaries: the facts of life ‣ what to learn ‣ how to learn ‣ conclusions
- 93. stood at the bottom of a mountain looking up pete goodliffe plan of attack ‣ preliminaries: the facts of life ‣ what to learn ‣ how to learn ‣ conclusions
- 94. you are here (enjoy the view)
- 95. attitude ‣ It’s your responsibility ‣ Learn deliberately
- 96. goals ‣ Live to love to learn ‣ Take responsibility for your learning ‣ Learn one language per year ‣ The Pragmatic Programmer ‣ Scratch an itch ‣ Learn an interest, do some open source ‣ Read at least one book every two months ‣ Build a mental map and brain cache ‣ Try to use both sides of your brain ‣ Deliberate Practice & Exercise ‣ Learn from others ‣ Teach others ‣ Apply knowledge cautiously
- 97. stood at the bottom of a mountain looking up pete goodliffe Pete Goodliffe pete@goodliffe.net
- 98. stood at the bottom of a mountain looking up pete goodliffe over to you ‣ When were you last in a situation that required learning? ‣ How did you approach it? ‣ How successful were you? ‣ How quickly did you learn? ‣ How could you have performed better? ‣ Did you learn, then work, or learn as you worked? ‣ Which do you think is most effective?
- 99. stood at the bottom of a mountain looking up pete goodliffe references ?
- 100. stood at the bottom of a mountain looking up pete goodliffe references 10,000 hours Outliers. The Story of Success. Malcom Gladwell. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 978-0-316-01792-3. Chapter 2. The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance. K. Andrew Ericsson, Raly Th. Krame and Clemens Tescho-Romer. The last man who knew it all Influence: Science and Practice. Robert B. Cialdini. Pearson Education. ISBN-13: 978-0321011473 Four levels of incompetence Maslow’s Four Stages Of Learning. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_stages_of_competence Unskilled and Unaware of It: How Difficulties in Recognizing One's Own Incompetence Lead to Inflated Self-Assessments Justin KRUGER, David DUNNING. Psychology, 2009, 1, 30-46 Knowledge portfolio The Pragmatic Programmer. Hunt, Thomas Shu Ha Ri See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuhari Dreyfus Model of Skills Acquisition See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreyfus_model_of_skill_acquisition Stuart E. Dreyfus; Hubert L. Dreyfus (Feb 1980), A Five-Stage Model of the Mental Activities Involved in Directed Skill Acquisition, Storming Media Effort/Importance of self-belief Dweck, Carol S. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Ballantine Books, 2007. Carol Dweck Self-theories: Their role in motivation, personality and development (1999)
- 101. stood at the bottom of a mountain looking up pete goodliffe references Left/Right brain Lateral specialization in the surgically separated hemispheres. R.W. Sperry. In Neurosciences Third Study Program. F. Schmitt and F. Worden (Eds.), Cambridge: MIT Press 3:5-19 (1974). Exocortex See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exocortex Mind maps The Mind Map Book: How to Use Radiant Thinking to Maximise Your Brain’s Untapped Potential. Tony Buzan and Barry Buzan. Pliume, New York, 1996. This amused me: http://lifehacker.com/288763/a-beginners-guide-to-mind-mapping- meetings
- 102. stood at the bottom of a mountain looking up pete goodliffe references this really is marvellous
- 103. stood at the bottom of a mountain looking up pete goodliffe Pete Goodliffe pete@goodliffe.net