Pragmatic Thinking and Learning

Pragmatic Thinking and Learning

Released October 2008
Publisher(s): Pragmatic Bookshelf
ISBN: 9781934356050

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Book description

Software development happens in your head. Not in an editor, IDE, or designtool. You're well educated on how to work with software and hardware, but what about wetware--our own brains? Learning new skills and new technology is critical to your career, and it's all in your head.

In this book by Andy Hunt, you'll learn how our brains are wired, and how to take advantage of your brain's architecture. You'll learn new tricks and tipsto learn more, faster, and retain more of what you learn.

You need a pragmatic approach to thinking and learning. You need to Refactor Your Wetware.

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Table of contents

  1. Pragmatic Thinking & Learning
    1. For the Best Reading Experience...
    2. ​
    3. ​
    4. Table of Contents
    5. What people are saying about Pragmatic Thinking and Learning
    6. Chapter 1: Introduction
      1. Again with the “Pragmatic”?
      2. Consider the Context
      3. Everyone Is Talking About This Stuff
      4. Where We’re Going
      5. Grateful Acknowledgments
    7. Chapter 2: Journey from Novice to Expert
      1. Novices vs. Experts
      2. The Five Dreyfus Model Stages
      3. Dreyfus at Work: Herding Racehorses and Racing Sheep
      4. Using the Dreyfus Model Effectively
      5. Beware the Tool Trap
      6. Consider the Context, Again
      7. Day-to-Day Dreyfus
    8. Chapter 3: This Is Your Brain
      1. Your Dual-CPU Modes
      2. Capture Insight 24x7
      3. Linear and Rich Characteristics
      4. Rise of the R -mode
      5. R -mode Sees Forest; L -mode Sees Trees
      6. DIY Brain Surgery and Neuroplasticity
      7. How Do You Get There?
    9. Chapter 4: Get in Your Right Mind
      1. Turn Up the Sensory Input
      2. Draw on the Right Side
      3. Engage an R -mode to L -mode Flow
      4. Harvest R -mode Cues
      5. Harvesting Patterns
      6. Get It Right
    10. Chapter 5: Debug Your Mind
      1. Meet Your Cognitive Biases
      2. Recognize Your Generational Affinity
      3. Codifying Your Personality Tendencies
      4. Exposing Hardware Bugs
      5. Now I Don’t Know What to Think
    11. Chapter 6: Learn Deliberately
      1. What Learning Is…and Isn’t
      2. Target SMART Objectives
      3. Create a Pragmatic Investment Plan
      4. Use Your Primary Learning Mode
      5. Work Together, Study Together
      6. Use Enhanced Learning Techniques
      7. Read Deliberately with SQ3R
      8. Visualize Insight with Mind Maps
      9. Harness the Real Power of Documenting
      10. Learn by Teaching
      11. Take It to the Streets
    12. Chapter 7: Gain Experience
      1. Play in Order to Learn
      2. Leverage Existing Knowledge
      3. Embed Failing in Practice
      4. Learn About the Inner Game
      5. Pressure Kills Cognition
      6. Imagination Overrides Senses
      7. Learn It Like an Expert
    13. Chapter 8: Manage Focus
      1. Increase Focus and Attention
      2. Defocus to Focus
      3. Manage Your Knowledge
      4. Optimize Your Current Context
      5. Manage Interruptions Deliberately
      6. Keep a Big Enough Context
      7. How to Stay Sharp
    14. Chapter 9: Beyond Expertise
      1. Effective Change
      2. What to Do Tomorrow Morning
      3. Beyond Expertise
    15. Appendix 1: Photo Credits
    16. Bibliography
      1. You May Be Interested In…

Product information

  • Title: Pragmatic Thinking and Learning
  • Author(s):
  • Release date: October 2008
  • Publisher(s): Pragmatic Bookshelf
  • ISBN: 9781934356050