Saw a kid at the library in Boise just clicking through a Python tutorial without typing anything

He was watching a video about for loops but never opened the editor to try the code himself. Isn't the whole point to get your hands dirty and make mistakes? How do you convince a total beginner that they have to actually type the code to learn it?

3 comments

3 Comments

kelly.nora26d ago

Read a study that called this "tutorial hell" and @lindas30 has a point about watching first, but you really do have to type it to make it stick.

lilys8219d ago

That study nailed it with the tutorial hell name. Watching a whole series first is just putting off the hard part. The notes don't matter if your hands never touch the keyboard. The learning happens when you hit a wall and have to fix it yourself.

lindas3026d ago

Ever think maybe he was just taking notes first? Some people need to watch the whole thing before they feel ready to try. The hands on part comes next, if they ever start at all.