Felienne Hermans

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since Mar 22, 2021
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Recent posts by Felienne Hermans

Flashcards are a really good way to quickly memorize things, including syntax. That's really my top tip form the book (although of course there is a lot more stuff there that is useful)
2 years ago

Charles O'Leary wrote:It sounds as if this is a "Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything"-like book tailored to programmers?  I struggled with applying those principles to programming in a meaningful way (especially one that could allow those memories to be very quickly accessed within the confines of let's say a 90 minute Java 11 real or mock certification exam).  So, I really look forward to your new book release.  Thanks for taking on this work.



yes that sounds about right! It is basically an introduction to cognitive science book for programmers
2 years ago
It is not entirely the same, but research (that I talk about in my book) shows that if you can learn a natural language that predicts your skills in learning programming too.
2 years ago

Tim Holloway wrote:

Junilu Lacar wrote:
Comments that explain why the code is written in a certain way are most helpful.



That happens to be exactly what I argue in the book!

2 years ago
The tools in the book are language agnostic, but the harder a programming language is, the more useful they will be. So it is not necessarily about the language itself, but about how well you master it. I know Python a lot better than I do JavaScript so I need more help with the latter, but not because it is inherently hard(er).
2 years ago
Great question! Changing a mindset is hard and the book will certainly help you to understand why it is so hard. But if you know why it is so hard, it will help you and others change!
2 years ago
Lovely questions Margaret!

* Does your book discuss cognitive changes that come with aging and how those changes can impact technical learning ?  

Not specifically, although we talk a lot about how to learn new languages and how to approach that (which is more likely to happen later in life)

* What was the age range of the study subjects you used for this book ? & Did you have a balance of men / women in the study?

We cover many studies in the book, both my own and those by other researchers. Most are done on adults but we have a few on kids too (kids are my own area of expertise most)

Were there markers such as how fast teen and young adult programmers pick up new languages versus middle age and older programmers (+60) learning new languages ?

* Are your methods helpful to all age programmers ?

Yes! The book explains that learning as a kid is not so different form learning as an adult.

* Are there different methods based on brain development ( i.e. for pre-teens or early teens still growing)?

See above, they're not so different.

* Have you studied programmers who have issues like dyslexia ?

No but it woulld be a great topic to dive into!
2 years ago
Do you mean speed reading of code or of text?
2 years ago
Nothing with French specifically, just meant that as a stand in for "learning another language"
2 years ago
Great question Akash! The book has extensive info on documentation, but the most important thing is to take the reader of the code along in your thinking. Like why is there a certain field on this class, rather than only "what does it represent".
2 years ago
Great question! I think most languages are hard to learn, each in their own way. It also depends on what you want to do. Like Python might be more useful for data analysis, C++ less so.

I am most excited about my own language Hedy See www.hedycode.com If uses a lot of cognitive concepts I talk about in the book as well, like lowering cognitive load.
2 years ago
Hi all!

Super excited about my book promotion! Let me know if I can answer any questions.
2 years ago
Hi all!

I am looking forward to my book promo end of April.

Felienne
3 years ago