In the lecture “How to Learn a Programming Language in 25 Minutes” from the “Java Frameworks Day” conference, Kharkiv, Ukraine, November 2015, I shared my strategy for quickly and effectively learning a programming language. At that time, Scala was an emerging language with promise.
Each day, I dedicated 25 minutes to learning Scala using the Pomodoro technique. This allowed for periods of intense focus, interchanged with breaks for relaxation. This balanced approach optimally engaged both brain hemispheres, preventing cognitive overload. Ispired by Barbara Oakley’s “Learning How To Learn” course.
Anki software, facilitating the spaced repetition technique, played a significant role in this process. I explain how spaced repetition works, how it helps to save time, and constantly keeps you in the context. Also I highlighed the importance of discipline to avoid the accumilation of “learning debt”.
I also share some nuances of using this method for mastering technical subjects and explain the concept of “Katlets” – a term I coined to define the bits of knowledge, inspired by the Kata concept of skill mastery and the word “котлета” (“côtelette”) meaning something easily digestible.
The lecture is in the Russian language.