- Ceora Ford - Learning Tips Every Developer Should Know
Ceora Ford is a software engineer based in Philadelphia who is currently learning Python and Cloud. She is also a learner advocate at Egghead.io. During the summer, she teaches at Kode With Klossy and BSD Education.
Ceora has failed at learning plenty of times in the past; she wrote an article about the mistakes she made in her first-year learning to code. She has done a lot of research on this topic. This talk is a combination of her research and personal experience.
- The technology industry is always changing, so there's always something new to learn.
- You will gain better foundational knowledge.
- You will waste less time.
- You will retain information for the long term.
- You will become a better teacher.
Focus on one topic at a time to gain in-depth knowledge. There are so many technologies to learn, and it can be tempting to learn them all at the same time.
Focus on a few learning materials at a time. Don't bog yourself down with using too many resources. This could lead to not making any meaningful progress and not having a substantial grasp of the information.
Learn in a distraction-free zone. Turn off notifications on your phone and put phone across the room. Listen to white noise playlist on YouTube.
It is the workflow of working or studying for 25 minutes and taking a 5-minute break.
What makes the Pomodoro Technique so special?
It helps us tackle procrastination. Having a 5-minute break at the end of the work session tricks your brain into looking forward to a reward. This technique helps us deal with procrastination, which is a huge barrier to getting things done.
It creates focused and productive study sessions, which can help you get more in-depth knowledge in less time.
Take short breaks during study sessions to help your brain synthesize information in the background. Adding some light physical activity into your breaks, like taking a short walk, leaves a positive impact on your brain.
Don't skip out on sleep to get more studying done and avoid cramming materials. Our brain does so much work in the background while we are sleeping, which is very beneficial. Get enough rest for how many hours that works for you, but do not miss out on sleep.
- Only highlight key information.
- Put information into your own words to help you truly understand what you are learning. Do not just copy and paste.
- Handwritten notes over typed. This is a preference from Ceora, but do what works for you.
- Use illustrations and metaphors to bring abstract topics to a human level that is more relatable.
- Use active recall to retain information better by repeated testing in different time intervals.
- Do what works for you in terms of learning style.
Make a direct application of what you're learning by building projects. Building a small project is an excellent way to start and to gain momentum. Small projects are less intimidating as they can be built over time.
Be active in learning by coding along with the video course you are watching to retain information much more. Learning by doing is a powerful technique.
- Write articles about what you are learning and post it on your blog or on DEV.
- Live coding. Stream while you code on platforms like Twitch.
- Share what you're learning on social media like on Twitter through #100DaysOfCode.
- Try to solve hard problems.
- Take a break.
- Try again.
- Ask for help on Stack Overflow or Tech communities on Twitter.
Practice consistently. Start small by coding 30 minutes a day or for 3 days a week.
Try #100DaysOfCode challenge, which helps you build a habit of coding every day and helps you hold yourself accountable, in addition to having a supportive community.
- 5 Mistakes I Made My First Year Learning to Code
- Learning to Learn- Get the Most Out of Learning with These Resources
Thanks goes to these wonderful people (emoji key):
 Carmina Edrozo 🖋 |
 Lauro Silva 👀 |
This project follows the all-contributors specification. Contributions of any kind welcome!