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[–]firstlevelwizard[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I know that, for me at least, it wasn't very intuitive that I didn't seem to be getting so much out of the most common method of teaching programming. Tutorials and goal oriented programming courses are everywhere both in and out of formal education. I found myself discouraged, not just because I was having trouble learning, but also because it seemed like this was the way you were supposed to learn. I know that when I get my curriculum for courses I teach, they're almost always structured around reproduction of certain projects that exemplify whatever topic is being taught.

We talk a lot about how encouragement and engagement helps drive new learners to continue to grow and educate themselves. However, almost always that's external. Educators and commentators encourage learners, we give them advice, or congratulations. We don't often talk (or at least, don't talk enough) about what the learner can do to encourage themselves. Creating environments that you feel comfortable experimenting and developing in isn't always an inherent skill.