Writing on tech-education, software engineering, engineering management and more
My primary interest is to provide value to tech educators. There are many facets to this, and I write about all of them. And some fun stuff...
13 Feb: Free Webinar + Q&A: Why Git matters
I'll be running a free webinar on 13 Feb. It's for anyone who is not quite clear on why Git is worth learning
Black Python Devs and Prelude supporting training in Ghana
I've got a lot of good news to start the year
Advice I often give to new programmers
I've spent a lot of time teaching people hour to be professional developers. Here is some of the advice I give again and again
On teaching beginners
Teaching beginner programmers is often way harder than teaching advanced skills. This is why.
Good intentions aren't quite enough
Why giving away free training is often very wasteful, and how I plan to adapt
High touch teaching - The algorithm
A recipe for success for teachers interacting directly with students
Problems with certifications
Certifications serve a purpose, but have a lot of problems
How I design workshops
Some things I think about while designing workshops for maximum learning
On speaking
I take conference talk preparation very seriously, with good results. Here is how I do it
Announcing Prelude
Consulting, training services and moonshots
Conference practices worth stealing
I've been to a lot of conferences lately, here are a few practices and mechanisms worth stealing (like an artist)
7. Different strokes for different folks
There is no ultimate way to educate or learn
Introducing the Guild of Educators
A place for educators to connect and grow
Personal announcement - Leaving Umuzi
Time for a new adventure
6. Small interventions with massive leverage - Part 2
Small and cheap learning interventions with outsized effects
5. Small interventions with massive leverage - Part 1
Small and cheap learning interventions with outsized effects
An HTMX success story
Porting from Django+React to a Django+HTMX based stack
Anatomy of a web app - Table of contents
Critical foundational knowledge for software devs of all shapes and sizes
4. The Learning Styles Myth
Survey for beginner devs
I'm doing a little research about how new devs find their way (or don't). I'd love it if you could share this
Conference flywheel
The conferences I've spoken at and how things have built up over time
3. Growth mindset
The magic ingredient for both learners and teachers
A framework for teaching code - Table of Contents
This is a work in progress, I'll update it as I go
1. Bloom's 2 sigma problem
How sage-on-a-stage teaching fails learners, and how we can do better
Becoming a master teacher
How assessing learners helps teachers grow
The Protégé effect
How you learn by teaching others. And applications at a code school
Unexpected glass ceilings for junior developers
Sometimes the things that hold a person back are not very obvious
Applying mastery-based learning in tech-ed
In a first principles approach to education system design, mastery-based learning would be among the first of the principles
A problem with code schools
Why some code schools focus on shallow familiarity
Developer skills mismatch
Junior devs struggle to get work, loads of people are getting laid off, yet companies struggle to find the dev talent that they need. This seems to be a worldwide phenomenon. What gives?
Broad and shallow vs narrow and deep
Advice on skill acquisition for early-career developers