So, as I think I said earlier, I've been reading Pete McBreen's Software Craftsmanship, and jolly good it is too (despite what Messrs Cozens and Sugalski would have you believe).
Anyway, just now I opened my copy of Christopher Alexander's A Pattern Language; the original, architectural collection of design patterns, and I found the following:
83. Master and ApprenticesA wise chap Christopher Alexander, and nobody writes patterns as well as him and his team. One of the things that most of the programming Design Pattern folks seem to have missed in the way they present their patterns is the 'specificness' of Alexandrian patterns. Alexander's patterns are small, across one or two A5 pages, but if they work at all (and they don't work as Alexander intended them to work sadly) it's because of this clarity and focus combined with the interplay of patterns of varying scale.
. . . The Network of learning in the community relies on the fact that learning is decentralized, and part and parcel of every activity -- not just a classroom thing. in order to realise this pattern, it is essential that the individual workgroups , throughout industry, offices, workshops and work communities, are all set up to make the learning process possible. this pattern, which shows the arrangement needed, therefore helps greatly to form SELF-GOVERNING WORKSHOPS AND OFFICES (80) as well as the NETWORK OF LEARNING (18).
The fundamental learning situation is one in which a person learning by helping someone who really knows what he is doing.
[detailed discussion omitted, buy the book already]
Therefore: Arrange the work in every workgroup, industry, and office, in such a way that work and learning go forward hand in hand. Treat every piece of work as an opportunity for learning. To this end, organize work around a tradition of masters and apprentices: And support this form of social organization with a a division of the workspace into spatial clusters -- one for each master and his apprentices -- where they can work and meet together.
Arrange the workspaces as HALF-PRIVATE OFFICES (152) or WORKSPACE ENCLOSURES (183). Keep workgroups small, and give every group a common area, a command meeting space, and a place where they can eat together -- COMMON AREAS AT THE HEART (129), COMMUNAL EATING (147), SMALL WORK GROUPS (148), SMALL MEETING ROOMS (151) . . .
Re:Wax On Wax Off
pdcawley on 2002-03-26T11:45:59
Indeed so. In the body of that pattern (and in his other learning related patterns) Alexander cites some research in this field. His basic conclusion is that the 'push' of education is very much inferior to the 'pull' of learning for actually imparting useful knowledge.
If you haven't already picked up a copy of A Pattern Language I really can't recommend it highly enough. Now, if he'd just get The Nature of Order out of press and onto the shelves...
