Pragmatic thinking and learning refactor your wetware

244 Pages·2014·21.459 MB·English

by  Hunt, Andrew

What people are saying about
Pragmatic Thinking and Learning
This book will be the catalyst for your future.
➤ Patrick Elder
Agile Software Developer
By following Andy’s concrete steps, you can make your most precious asset—your
brain—more efficient and productive. Read this book, and do what Andy tells you
to do. You’ll think smarter, work better, and learn more than ever before.
➤ Bert Bates
Cocreator of Head First, Brain Friendly Books
I’ve always been looking for something to help me improve my learning skills, but
I’ve never found anything as effective as this book. Pragmatic Thinking and
Learning represents the best way to help you become an expert learner, improve
your skills, and teach you how to improve your work efficiency by learning fast
and easily.
➤ Oscar Del Ben
Software developer
This is an accessible and insightful book that will be useful to readers in many
fields. I enjoyed reading it!
➤ Dr. Patricia Benner
Professor and Chair, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University
of California, San Francisco
I love books that explain that context matters. This book does—and helps you
understand why. From the Dreyfus model (a source of many “aha’s” for me) to
explaining why experiential training works (the wall climbing story), Andy writes
with humor and with tact so you can learn from reading and organize your own
thinking and learning.
➤ Johanna Rothman
Consultant, author, and speaker
Finished reading the beta last night. I loved this talk at NFJS (and the herding
racehorses one), and to have it in book form—spectacular. All of this material has
really changed my life!
➤ Matt McKnight
Software developer
This has been fun, and I’ve learned a lot—can’t ask for more than that.
➤ Linda Rising
International speaker, consultant, and object-oriented expert
Pragmatic Thinking & Learning
Refactor Your Wetware
Andy Hunt
The Pragmatic Bookshelf
Raleigh, North Carolina
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information (including program listings) contained herein.
Our Pragmatic books, screencasts, and audio books can help you and your team create
better software and have more fun. Visit us at https://pragprog.com.
The team that produced this book includes:
David J Kelly (layout)
Janet Furlow (producer)
Ellie Callahan (support)
For sales, volume licensing, and support, please contact [e-mail].
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Copyright © 2008 The Pragmatic Programmers, LLC.
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted,
in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
without the prior consent of the publisher.
Printed in the United States of America.
ISBN-13: 978-1-934356-05-0
Encoded using the finest acid-free high-entropy binary digits.
Book version: P9.0—May 2014
For my wife and children, and for everyone who becomes what they think.

Contents
1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Again with the “Pragmatic”? 3
Consider the Context 4
Everyone Is Talking About This Stuff 6
Where We’re Going 6
Next Actions 9
Grateful Acknowledgments 10
2. Journey from Novice to Expert . . . . . . . . 11
Novices vs. Experts 12
The Five Dreyfus Model Stages 15
Dreyfus at Work: Herding Racehorses and Racing Sheep 21
Using the Dreyfus Model Effectively 26
Beware the Tool Trap 32
Consider the Context, Again 35
Day-to-Day Dreyfus 36
Next Actions 37
3. This Is Your Brain . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Your Dual-CPU Modes 40
Capture Insight 24x7 44
Linear and Rich Characteristics 47
Rise of the R-mode 54
R-mode Sees Forest; L-mode Sees Trees 58
DIY Brain Surgery and Neuroplasticity 59
How Do You Get There? 61
Next Actions 61
4. Get in Your Right Mind . . . . . . . . . . 63
Turn Up the Sensory Input 63