Jabit

I teach programming to 3rd level students. I have 10 years experience as a programmer and feel both my knowledge and experience allow me to effectively teach the topic. However, I am somewhat haunted by the saying “Those who can do, those who can’t teach”. While I disagree with the saying, I do feel my teachings are negatively impacted on by the lack of experience I have in many of my teaching topics. As a successful programmer in industry, I knew all the latest and greatest technologies and techniques. When I joined academia these technologies and techniques advanced and, while I kept myself up-to-date in those that are relevant to my teachings, I lacked real world experience. Ideally I should work in industry for a period every year so that I can ensure my level of experience in these matters keeps apace with my level of reading. Unfortunately this is not possible. So I do the next best thing, I read the blogs of practitioners. This allows me to incorporate the “voice of the practitioner” in my teachings. I am lucky because there are a lot of bloggers out there that, as practitioners, blog about topics I teach. It allows me to critique my teaching material based, not on my own experience but, on the experience of others. Invaluable.