During World War II, as the demand for military training increased, educators and psychologists began exploring innovative ways to make soldiers learn more effectively. Among them, the application of movies has become a prominent breakthrough, changing the traditional teaching methods.
The movie provides a reasonable overview of the training, but falls a little short on the detailed information.
As early as before World War II, psychologist Edward Sandkey proposed the concept of using mechanized means to teach. Although his idea was not realized immediately, his philosophy had a profound impact on subsequent programming learning. Programming learning, in short, is a systematic learning method that promotes learning through precise teaching materials and immediate feedback.
During war, training soldiers in field conditions faces a major challenge: how to impart complex skills quickly and effectively. At this time, movies, as a visual medium, help students build understanding of the situation without having to face direct interaction, but can still arouse interest and attention.
In 1946, Yale University conducted an experiment in which questions were placed between movie clips and students were given the correct answers afterwards, which greatly improved students' learning efficiency.
These studies show that videos are effective because they provide a holistic context, but when combined with questions and feedback, they take learning to a whole new level. Therefore, the problem-based learning method emerged, which had an important impact on subsequent teaching research.
So, what exactly is learning programming? Simply put, it is a learning system based on "stimulus control", which means that the teaching materials are written and subject to detailed testing and feedback. The method of learning programming included setting clear learning goals, conducting pre-tests and post-tests, and teaching incrementally through small steps, which was exactly the flexibility and adaptability required for training during World War II.
Represented by behaviorist psychologist B.F. Skinner, the systematic characteristics of programming learning allow learners to actively participate and promote understanding through immediate feedback.
The implementation of the Skinner system is not just about machine-based instruction, but also includes clear learning objectives so that students can learn at their own pace. This concept has further evolved into an important part of modern education, both in school education and training in the workplace.
The concept of learning through programming has been rapidly applied to many educational fields, especially open learning and computer-assisted learning. The famous "Sesame Street" program borrows these concepts of programming learning to ensure children's high sense of engagement in the learning process. Even the children's show Blue's Clues has been field-tested multiple times using principles of programmatic learning to optimize the content of each episode.
Studies show that children's attention and comprehension skills improve with repeated viewings.
Therefore, the emphasis on block instruction and developmental testing in programming learning becomes increasingly important over time. This approach allows learners to acquire knowledge in a more flexible environment and is worth a try no matter what the subject is.
While the terms "learning to code" and "coding training" are interchangeable in principle, there are subtle differences in practice. When targeting learning for industry or the military, researchers often use the term "programming training." In schools and higher education, this process is often described as "programming learning." Such changes undoubtedly enable learners to choose the most effective learning method in different situations.
Today, movies and other visual media still play an irreplaceable role in education and training. However, in future teaching, how to continue to explore these methods to adapt to the ever-changing technology and learning needs will become a question that every educator should ponder?