The right tutorial

How should the textbook be written correctly? The answer is standard:
- first, the subject of the science being studied;
- then the principles and methodology;
- then the main sections;
- then subsections of each section;
- and at the end practical details.

This order is considered classical, and the textbook written in this way is exemplary.

In my article, I intend to prove that a good textbook is written strictly backwards. And good textbooks in IT all the more. No wonder there is "Hello, World!"

Suppose, for clarity, that some talented discoverer is entrusted with the study and description of a tree, such as an apple tree. How will the discoverer begin to study the apple tree? From the trunk? From the branches? No, of course, he will start the study with apples. Apples are tasty and healthy. Moreover, quickly end.

Having enjoyed apples, the discoverer goes to the leaves. He then realizes that the leaves are preceded by buds and the apples by flowers. Moreover, apples appear in place of pollinated flowers, and behind the leaves, which receive more light, the stem grows stronger and turns into a branch.

Feel what I'm getting at? The discoverer himself does not study science in the order in which he then expounds it. But let's continue.

Turning to the branches, the discoverer begins to understand how important they are, that beneficial substances flow along them in both directions, that the important meaning is hidden in branching, and that the branches are the basis for the growth and fruiting of the whole tree. After some time, the discoverer goes to the base - to the trunk. The trunk seems interesting and very important to him. It is in the trunk that all the power of the tree is hidden.

And now, having studied the apple tree from all sides, the discoverer starts writing a textbook and starts it with ... the trunk! Students at a loss: What interesting things can be in the trunk? Well, log and log. And the discoverer to them: Teach-Teach, the trunk is the foundation! Believe me, I already know that I ate so many of these apples in my lifetime! Students can only envy the discoverer.

Then students begin to learn branches, and science bothers them. By the time of the transition to the kidneys and leaves - causes negative emotions. Flowers are not encouraging. The long-awaited apples are clearly associated with boredom.

Why did it happen?

Students were immediately stripped of the joy of the discoverers. They were given a dry theory. Students were not interested in the end result, they did not give them the opportunity to independently find generalizations. The discoverer deprived students of historicism of the study of science. This order is a bad textbook. He brings formalism, not a lively interest.

What comes before: theory or practice?

It used to be practice. Based on practice, a theory arises. The ability to analyze and create theories based on practice is an important quality for a person of intellectual labor. And it seems that textbook writers are in a hurry to set out the theory ahead of practice. Just in case, so that no one suspects their lack of ability to generalize.

Perhaps scientists value their own theoretical research so much that they rush to start it? But this also brings up a formal attitude towards science. Students begin to adjust the practice to the existing theory.

Examples of good tutorials

Textbooks on specific programming languages ​​traditionally begin with a proposal to display “Hello, World!” And everyone who has had to learn them this way knows how much easier the understanding of the language is. Immediately you begin to understand the syntax, a desire appears to be cut into philosophy. Although the classical writing of textbooks, the conclusion to the screen should have been studied almost in the last turn.

Another example of a good tutorial: a practical parser guide . For 5 short lessons you feel that you know the language.

Many English textbooks are good, as Western writers aim for quick practical results.

Examples of bad textbooks

The worst textbook, and at the same time very common, I would call the instructions for using the elevator. It is simply amazing how much you need to hate all the users of this gadget to write such terrible things.

There are quite a few bad Russian textbooks. I would not want to give specific names - people tried after all. They are bad because they try to duplicate manuals by themselves, and do not lead the student behind them.

Take, for example, drupal. There are many sites, but not a good textbook. Remember the recent discussion “I love Drupal” - “I do not like Drupal”? There Alex wrote - you can’t solve the problem - you suffer, then you decide - you rejoice. And if there were one good textbook, there wouldn’t be a problem.

This is a traditional situation in the IT field - we are already used to looking for everything in manuals, and mostly in English. And when a Russian writer undertakes to write an IT textbook, he does not know how to build it correctly. On the one hand, it is a tradition to build a textbook according to the classical plan (after all, I want everything to be like an adult would). On the other hand, information is drawn from various manuals that are structured by type. On the third hand - the tradition of starting with “Hello, World!” As a result, the writer is completely lost and writes as necessary. Type - as it turns out, and structured.

How to write a textbook

1. Start with the details, with the most interesting. For example:
- write a textbook on how to make a pie - start with the preparation of glaze;
- write a jQuery tutorial - start with useful and interesting examples.

2. Do not forget about the historicism of science. Remember stories related to research, both funny and tragic. Let students learn romance, feel dialectics.

3. Generalizations, principles, methodology, leave last. Give students the opportunity to try to shape them themselves, and in the end let them compare their findings with yours. Do not deprive them of the joy of analytics. For example:
- write a JavaScript tutorial - leave programming paradigms at the end of the book. Have students take practice first.

4. Let's get as much practice as possible. This is especially important for the IT industry. People need practical solutions. A theory is also needed, but without practice it is dry.

5. The textbook must have a detailed index (thanks for the svart hint ).

Are all classic textbooks really bad?

Classics and history must be loved and respected. Textbooks written according to the classical plan are an excellent method of codifying science. With their help, you can quickly study the subject, it is convenient to search for some articles. But it is very difficult to captivate a student with science in a classical way. It is necessary to distinguish between the codifier and the textbook.