When I learned to touch type in high school, we used an application
similar to "Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing" that drilled character
sequences into my muscle memory. I think there was a real advantage
to this approach over simply stumbling through the process of learning
to type. The application chose intentionally difficult sequences and
required that I practice those ones over and over again. The result
was that I could touch type the unusual sequences at nearly the same
rate as regular sequences, and my overall achievement in touch typing
was quite remarkable. (I have since lost my edge, as I now only type
at about 85 WPM).
This approach to learning seems very similar to what modern psychology
has identified as the way in which people become experts: Deliberate
Practice [1]. The idea is that expertise is not accidental and comes
through a designed learning process [2]. Some of the important
elements include:
1. Identifying specific elements that need to be improved and then
working intently on them.
2. A great deal of repetition.
3. Feedback.
I am fairly new to Vim and am interested in taking a disciplined
approach to learning how to navigate and modify code using its
powerful stateful approach to text editing. In particular, I want to
eventually learn how to refactor code without thinking too much about
what keys I'm pressing.
Are there any "Mavis Beacon Teaches Vim" type programs or plugins out
there that would help me accomplish this?
Thank you,
Duane Johnson
[1] (PDF) http://projects.ict.usc.edu/itw/gel/EricssonDeliberatePracticePR93.pdf
[2] http://www.openeducation.net/2008/11/02/deliberate-practice-%E2%80%93-where-self-reflection-work-ethic-and-ambition-meet/
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