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Too many developers struggle with their object oriented programming skills. Concepts like abstraction, single responsibility principle, unit testing, refactoring, architecture and SOLID seem out of reach. You wonder how you can grasp the concepts. You buy books. You attend conferences. You go out of your way to try and learn. Nothing works. You feel stuck.
When I sat down to write Mastering Object Oriented PHP, I recognized that people needed an easy to understand resource. They needed to be able to read the book, understand the material and be able to use it. But books have an inherent flaw, and one that I think needs to be addressed.
I also quickly realized that not everybody learns easily through books. In fact, lots and lots of people struggle with books.
Educational science tells us there are three kinds of learners:
My book is great for people who are visual and sometimes even auditory learners. But it’s a challenge for anyone who learns through hands-on interaction. But I don’t want to leave people out simply based on how they learn.
For someone like me, I actually learn best in two different ways. For non-technical topics (e.g. the “soft” programming topics like caching theory or abstraction principles) I learn best through hearing someone talk. In fact, conference talks on these topics are great for me.
Yet for technical topics I learn best by actually getting my hands dirty. I need to write the code, manipulate the code, work on the code, break the code and fix it again. I have to get involves.
The truth is that hands-on learning experiences are really hard to find, especially in programming. Books are not designed to be hands-on, and conference sessions or keynotes make hands-on learning difficult.
Taking a class is a challenge too. Often they’re offered during the work day, and people can’t take the time to go. They might be at a community college or local university that’s inconvenient to reach. And at $100 to $750 or more per credit hour, they’re too much money for too little practical experience. Plus, they’re still full of lecture and reading, and too little hands-on.
For people who learn by doing, they can feel as though they are lost. They feel that there’s something wrong with them because of how they learn. They are challenged by conventional teaching methods.
This week, I am announcing a new project that I’m working on. It’s called The Object Oriented PHP Masterclass.
The Object Oriented PHP Masterclass is a hands-on course for PHP developers who want to move from mediocre to master in the object oriented programming world.
This intensive two week class is designed to help students of all learning types be able to master object oriented PHP. With written materials, videos and a hands-on code base to refactor, students will have an opportunity to read, listen and practice.
The class is truly innovative, because students will work together to refactor a code base that is full of flaws and problems. They will immediately practice the skills they’re learning. As an instructor I will review their work and offer pointers.
The goal of the class is to make each and every student an object oriented PHP master. This class is specifically designed for students that want to improve their careers, boost their knowledge, and write better code.
Make no bones about it: this class is going to be hard. It’s boot camp for object oriented PHP. It will require dedication. But at the end, you’ll be able to look and work with object oriented PHP in a way that you have never been able to before.
To keep the quality of the class high, I’ll be limiting enrollment to 25 students.
You deserve to have the focus of your instructor. In this class your patches will be reviewed and you’ll receive tips and hints to help make your object oriented development better. I will work with you to help you achieve your goals. But to do this, the class has to be limited to only 25 students.
Beginning in March you’ll be able to register for The Object Oriented PHP Masterclass. I’ll be announcing details to the class launch list towards the end of February. This launch list is the only way you’re going to get advanced notice of registration. If you miss out on this class you will regret it, so make sure you’re signed up!
If you purchase Mastering Object Oriented PHP before the class registration opens, you’ll recieve a sweet discount on the class registration fees. Plus, you’ll receive a special head start on registering for the class. If you haven’t picked up your copy of Mastering Object Oriented PHP, make sure you get it today to receive the special class discount!
The class will be limited to 25 students, but there are already over 900 on the mailing list. If you want to get your seat, make sure you sign up for the mailing list today. Registration opens in March. I may not offer this class twice, so you’ll want to make sure and get a seat this time around! When you sign up, you’ll receive Developer Weekly, which will give you weekly actionable tips to help you be a better software developer.
Note: if you’re signed up to receive Developer Weekly, you’ll already receive notification about this class. No need to sign up again.
Brandon Savage is the author of Mastering Object Oriented PHP and Practical Design Patterns in PHP
Posted on 2/5/2013 at 7:00 am
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