20/01/2024, 19:09 Reddit Embed

desrtfx commented on post

In general, your post is very encouraging and nicely written.

It just irks me when people mix two distinct things (like you do as well):

learning a programming language

learning to program

The two items above are distinct and not the same in any matter. Especially
beginners often confuse learning a programming language (in syntax and
grammar) with learning to program (the actual, difficult part).

Sure, in order to be able to program, one needs both, a language and knowing
how to program.

Your order of things:

1. Learn syntax

2. Solve problems

3. Make stuff

is definitely not the worst approach, but it brings one major problem:

Learning out of context is more difficult than learning with relatable context.

If you just initially focus on the syntax, you learn without context - you memorize
and memorizing and programming don't go together. Memorizing kills
programming creativity because after having memorized the general syntax (which
up to a certain degree is a necessary evil), many beginners start memorizing
algorithms in the context of their current programming language - and here is
exactly where the problem lies. It doesn't make sense to memorize an algorithm in
a certain programming language - algorithms need to be understood on a
conceptual, abstract level independent from programming languages.

As an example:

In Java, you use a Scanner instance to obtain keyboard input, so people will write
something along:

Scanner keyboard = new Scanner([Link]);

// more code
[Link] 2/5
20/01/2024, 19:09 Reddit Embed
// more code

int value = [Link]();

A beginner might want to memorize the above snippet for later reuse.

Rather than memorizing the code, it is essential to understand what the code does
and why it does what it does in a certain way.

So, instead of memorizing the code, it is better to memorize:

When I need input from a keyboard, I need some object that can acquire that
input

When I need a certain value, I use one of the methods of the object above to
obtain what I need

This abstract concept transfers well across many languages. Once understood, all
that needs to be done is to translate the concept into the actual implementation
in the required language. Be it Java, C#, C++, or any other language.

Another example:

I want to iterate through an array:

for(int i = 0; i <= [Link], i++) {

// do something with myArray[i]
}

Again, the actual code is secondary. I only need to know that I need a way to
access each and every element in the array. How exactly I do that depends on the
language implementation.

This abstract or conceptual learning becomes even more important with data
structures and algorithms. It is hardly ever necessary to be able to recite the
implementation of any algorithm in any language, but it is very important to
understand the algorithm on a conceptual level so that it can be implemented in
any given language.

Your item #2: Solve problems is where most people drop out of programming.

Why?

Because solving problems requires to learn a different way of thinking - thinking in

algorithms or abstract thinking. This is a purely acquired and trained skill that
initially requires lots and lots of effort and is very hard. It definitely gets easier over

[Link] 3/5
20/01/2024, 19:09 Reddit Embed
time and with more practice.

Especially in this step, beginners often make one major mistake: They give up too
quickly ("I've been on that problem for half an hour and can't come up with a
solution") and resort to resources on the internet, which, in turn frustrates them
because often the solution is either very easy, or way over their head.

When I learned programming, there was no internet and there were hardly any
knowledgeable people around that could be asked, so I was forced to struggle
and find the solutions on my own. Often, it took days to come up with something
useful, but there was no other choice.

The internet with all its benefits has made people too much dependent and lots
less self-sustaining. Instead of really biting through a problem it is way easier to
fire up our good and essential friend, Dr. Google, and get the solution in a matter
of seconds. Then, they implement the solution without spending time to actually
understand it (copy-paste code monkey style) - which is a huge red flag. It is fine
to look at other's code, but only as a reference and help to understand it.
Especially beginners should write every piece of code on their own. This trains
problem solving and analysing skills.

I am definitely stating that the more and longer you struggle with a problem, the
better you will become as a programmer because you rely less on external
sources.

Another issue:

When attacking a new problem or task, beginners often directly rush to the
keyboard and start programming away. Again, this is the wrong approach. Before
even thinking about going near the computer, especially beginners should spend
considerable time to analyse the problem and to devise a solution on paper (not
necessarily in a real programming language). The time spent planning and
thinking about the task is not wasted, rather the contrary is the case. The better a
problem is analysed, the more time is spent on consideration, the better the final
result will be.

Again, back when I learned to program (before I bought my own computer),

access to computers was extremely limited. I could access our school's Apple ][
Europlus for two hours per week in a single session. So, the majority of my
programming was done offline - without access to a computer. I planned, I wrote
my code, I debugged the code in my mind, and then, when I was sure that it
would work and produce the desired output, I used my session to actually type in
the program. Most of the time, the programs worked without problems - besides
occasional syntax errors produced during typing.

IMO, learning to produce and trace code without a computer is an essential skill in
the toolbelt of a programmer. This way, again, a programmer becomes self-

[Link] 4/5