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Self Directed Learning

The Fundamental Cohort curriculum is broken up into topics that Sparkbox feels are important for all developers to have a foundational understanding of based on the type of work we do for clients. We don't expect each developer to become an expert in each area but instead to have a basic understanding that would aid in problem solving. Each topic will include a list of learning objectives to help identify the areas we would like folks to focus on.

There are multiple ways to work through this content…

  • Slow Pace: Deep dive into each subject and not move on until you feel that you have a foundational understanding of the topic.
  • Fast Pace: Skim through the content to get the general idea of a topic and then move on to the next. By quickly cycling through the content you'll loop back to each section multiple times picking up new content along the way.

You will most likely go through this content multiple times. When cycling through content a second time:

  • refresh yourself on the topic, revisit your notes/journal entries, go through flash cards
  • Each topic will have a deep dive list of videos, links, resources, exercises
  • Pair with someone on the topic

Biweekly Meetings

  • Group Discussions
    • Group discussions will be centered around a particular section in the curriculum.
    • It may not be related to what you are working on independently.
    • Eventually we will circle back and revisit topics.
  • Group/Pair Programming
    • From time to time, instead of a discussion, we'll use our time together to build something.
    • Depending on the group size we might split into breakout rooms.
    • The goal of each session will be to focus on:
      • Language skills
      • Progressive enhancement
      • Building efficiently
      • Problem solving
      • Thinking Accessibly

Journaling

"A learning or reflective journal is a steadily growing document that you write to record the progress of your learning. This type of journal is not simply a summary of the course material; it should also include your reactions to what you've learnt."

Where to Journal

Where your thoughts live is entirely up to you, it doesn't matter if they are public or private but should be sharable with the cohort leads. The most important thing is that they live in a place that is easily accessible.

  • Start a personal blog
  • Markdown files in GitHub
  • Applications such as: Notion, Obsidian, or Evernote
  • Good old fashioned paper and pencil

Frequency

Make a goal to journal at least once a week but if you learn something new or encounter an interesting problem make a note of it right away. Later on as you are writing your journal entry you'll be able to reflect on your new learnings with a fresh mind.

Not sure what to write? When reflecting try asking yourself the following questions:

  • What was the most interesting thing I have read for this topic?
  • What did I previously think was true, but now know to be wrong?
  • What have I changed my mind about as a result of this topic?
  • What is one thing I learned in this topic that I may be able to use in the future?
  • What am I still unsure about?
  • What would I like to learn more about?
  • What issues(s) interested me that I would like to study in more detail?