Software development happens in your head. Not in an editor, IDE, or design tool. 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 tips to 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.

NOW IN BETA: 207/250 pages available.

Pragmatic Thinking and Learning: Refactor Your "Wetware"
Errata • Discussions
200 pages, Aug 2008
ISBN: 978-1-9343560-5-0

Buy Now

This title is currently available in Beta. Buy it now, and you'll be able to download successive releases of the PDF as the authors add material and correct mistakes. You'll get the final PDF when the book is finished.

If you buy the combo pack (Beta PDF + Paper Book) now, you'll get the Beta PDF now and the paper book when it's released on or about August 15, 2008.

 

About this Book

Programmers have to learn constantly; not just the stereotypical new technologies, but also the problem domain of the application, the whims of the user community, the quirks of your teammates, the shifting sands of the industry, and the evolving characteristics of the project itself as it is built.

We’ll journey together through bits of cognitive and neuroscience, learning and behavioral theory. You’ll see some surprising aspects of how our brains work, and how you can take advantage of the system to improve your own learning and thinking skills.

In this book you’ll learn how to:

  • Use the Dreyfus Model of Skill Acquisition to become more expert
  • Leverage the architecture of the brain to strengthen different thinking modes
  • Avoid common “known bugs” in your mind
  • Learn more deliberately and more effectively
  • Manage knowledge more efficiently

Contents and Extracts

Full Table of Contents
  • Introduction
  • From Novice to Expert: Use the Dreyfus Model on the road to expertise
  • This is Your Brain: Linear-mode and Rich-mode cognitive processing
  • Get in your Right Mind: Cultivating Rich-mode processes
  • Debug Your Mind: Recognizing and avoiding cognitive biases
  • Learn Deliberately: Practical techniques to learn more, faster, and more effectively
  • Gain Experience: See how to maximize learning from your experience
  • Working with Knowledge: Managing knowledge, attention, and context
  • What to do Tomorrow

About the Author

Andy Hunt is a programmer turned consultant, author and publisher. He co-authored the best-selling book “The Pragmatic Programmer”, was one of the 17 founders of the Agile Alliance, and co-founded the Pragmatic Bookshelf, publishing award-winning and critically acclaimed books for software developers.