Easier to Learn?
Is the crap way really the easier way to learn? According to more than one person it is, so does that make it true?
Personally, no I don’t think that you should teach yourself the wrong way and then, with the wrong information in hand, teach yourself the right way because what you learned first is going to get in the way of learning the second time around.
So why is it generally thought that the crap way is the easier way to go about it?
If you liked this article then why not subscribe to the feed?
On older posts comments are usually closed, so if you'd like to discuss this topic with me then please contact me.
#1
I think most people start of learning ‘the wrong way’ – they just don’t realize it! And once you’re entrenched in the messiness of (for example) bad HTML, it can be such a struggle to get out.
In time, if people have enough of an interest in the subject, they get better and re-learn some things. If not, then they don’t.
It’s not that crap is easier – it’s just that people don’t know any better until it’s too late, and then it’s hard to break old habits or bother to want to learn again. And that’s fine for some people. The people who want to learn more, then they go and figure stuff out!
#2
It bothers me that a lot of people seem to learn by copying and pasting chunks of code. It’ll take you so far, but it doesn’t require you to understand the actual grammar/principles of the languages beyond what’s necessary for a certain effect. Then when something goes wrong, it’s more difficult to know how to fix it.
The site discussed in your last entry is a good example. It had multiple head and body tags, its style sheet was linked incorrectly, the CSS positioning declarations were wrong, and the author still couldn’t understand why it wasn’t cross-browser compatible.
#3
I’ve learned by expirimentation, tutorials, help by friends, and such. We all start somewhere. Other people tend to use traces of other peoples coding. But it pisses me off when people try to “copyright” coding that they never wrote in the first place, you know? If you don’t do it yourself, you won’t learn that way.
#5
The thread which I’m assuming prompted you to write this popped up into referrals.. and all I can say is “WTF?!”. I quote: “Okay I looked at those two sites, and lissaexplains and pixelfx are SO much easier for newbies to understand.” ...if that is the case why do I get hundreds of e-mails each month saying “I tried to follow XYZ on pixelfx/lissaexplains/[insert other tutorial site here] but your’s was much easier!” If she cannot understand my tutorials, she’s in a very small minority.
Laziness is the problem. Pixelfx says “copy this code and tada!” – that’s not learning. Perhaps that’s why the person in question is having problems grasping the basics over at tutorialtastic – because the tutorials require you to read! * gasp *
#6
Although, I am not sure in what exact context you entry is written, but I guess it depends from person to person. Some people are not guided properly so I don’t think they should be blamed, but yes, if they refuse to learn or do it ‘the right way’ later, it’s their fault. Time and resources matter too, and if they are not at disposal people will think that crap learning is better than no learning at all.
Hi I'm Becky, often referred to as The Knitting Hillbilly and Pussybear, owner of this site and general nuisance. I'm a knitter, serial complainer, known whistle blower and I run the ever popular
Add to