When learning comething new from IT, I make my first steps with tutorials, but then I try to read the information that the experts use. For example for a new programming language, I try to read the official API reference. Or for something about HTML / CSS / XML / XSLT, I try to read the W3 specification.
Even if I am not able to understand the new thing yet, I do the tutorials, but I try to find the words from tutorials in the reference. Soon it “clicks” and I see the correspondence between how the tutorial says it and how the reference says it.
The idea is that the reference was made by experts, while the tutorials could be made by anyone, so it is better to be able to read the reference when possible. Also the reference contains everthing, while tutorials are limited, so using the reference gives more freedom.
Obviously, being an expert in other programming languages helps me a lot here, because many concepts are the same. But if I were teaching students, after the very basics I would try to teach them the reference-reading skills, and from that point on they could explore on their own.
When learning comething new from IT, I make my first steps with tutorials, but then I try to read the information that the experts use. For example for a new programming language, I try to read the official API reference. Or for something about HTML / CSS / XML / XSLT, I try to read the W3 specification.
Even if I am not able to understand the new thing yet, I do the tutorials, but I try to find the words from tutorials in the reference. Soon it “clicks” and I see the correspondence between how the tutorial says it and how the reference says it.
The idea is that the reference was made by experts, while the tutorials could be made by anyone, so it is better to be able to read the reference when possible. Also the reference contains everthing, while tutorials are limited, so using the reference gives more freedom.
Obviously, being an expert in other programming languages helps me a lot here, because many concepts are the same. But if I were teaching students, after the very basics I would try to teach them the reference-reading skills, and from that point on they could explore on their own.