Struggling...

Hi Leon,

You are not alone. I really wish @Dave McFarland would redo all the courses done by Andrew Chalkley for JavaScript. No offence to Andrew but I follow and understand Dave WAY better.

I watched Andrews courses and could follow along...sorta. Then it got to the point that I had no idea what was going on anymore and rewatching the courses didn't help, it was like he was teaching JavaScript to people who just needed a refresher on JavaScript...so I had look for JavaScript training elsewhere. I am so glad that Dave made the beginning course because it has really re-enforced my understanding of the basics.

Again, I mean no offence to Andrew at all, but yeah I wish/hope Dave redoes those videos.

-Shawn

I am not saying it's Andrew's fault per se, maybe it's the way the course is laid out but there have a lot of complains about this course over the past couple of years it has been up. This is why I am saying I would like to see a different teacher redo these videos.

The way things are presented and displayed were extremely confusing to me. Maybe it will be different on my second run though now that I have experience and I am much more comfortable with the basics and maybe it's just me and how I learn but I did not enjoy Andrew's class. Like I said in my last post, it feels to me like he is teaching a refresher course to people who already have a good grasp of javascript and programming in general.

Again I want to be clear that this is not a dis to Andrew I have not taken any of his other classes and they my completely rock, but his teaching style in these videos just does not jive with me apparently.

I am curious though. You said it feels like there a step missing between the basic course and this one. What would you like to see to close that gap?

-Shawn

So Jonathan, you're saying I shouldn't rely on the presented material to learn the subject?

I joined treehouse to learn the subject by watching the videos and following the exercises.

If I have to then learn by relying on the docs and trial and error, I don't need treehouse.

Also, the basics didn't prepare me for the intermediate at all, which is a fundamental issue.

Learning code is really a struggle... The key is to not rely on one source of information i.e. treehouse alone..

•always read the teachers notes. (yes, click and read the content of the links)

•check around the questions asked even if the video was clear for you.

•when needed stop and pause the video and analyze the code.

•if the MDN doesn't give a clear-cut explanation search for it in blogs or places like stackoverflow.

eg. the innerText vs textContent don't just be satisfied with copy and pasting the code provided in the teachers notes, search around for references. http://perfectionkills.com/the-poor-misunderstood-innerText/ http://www.kellegous.com/j/2013/02/27/innertext-vs-textcontent/

•read refresher js and jq articles like this one: http://jqfundamentals.com/chapter/javascript-basics

•look up quick js tutorial videos like this one: https://www.youtube.com/user/learncodeacademy/playlists

**And this is the most important part**

Learning code is less about reading, studying, following guides and tutorials but more of applying, practicing and doing it yourself in real projects, if not imaginary... That's why Treehouse focuses on a project-first, hands-on approach... so you can not only follow along, but recreate and alter it yourself afterwards.

Cheers :)

It would be interesting to see how you get on when you redo this course, as that was my plan too.

Re missing step...not sure as I don't know what I am missing if that makes sense. I think maybe:

• A more involved look at functions as that really threw me a lot during the course

• Break the course down into smaller chunks eg traversing/selecting/

• Not such a complicated app to work on as that made it more confusing

I am not a stupid person and I struggled with this course, so I am glad I am not alone!

Hope they redo the course (either Andrew or Dave) as Andrew seems like a cool guy. I tend to agree that this course sort of makes him look bad, although I feel it's undeserved.

Your not alone with being confused when trying to learn JavaScript. I dabbled in it a while back and only learned enough to cause a headache to someone else having to make changes to anything I did. I am currently on the Front End track and found JavaScript to still be tricky no matter which instructor is presenting the material. I find myself slowing the video or playing it back to make sure I have a good grasp on the material. If I am still not grasping the concept, what has helped me is to pause the video, then read the entire documentation page on the method or event being discussed. I then attempt to update the code on my own, rewind the video focus on the instructors comments and solution before making any corrections to my code if they are needed. This helps me to 1) make an attempt based on my understanding of the JavaScript required and 2) shows me where I went wrong and why.

JavaScript is one of those languages that takes practice. HTML is pretty straight forward without as many variables and rules to remember. CSS gets a bit more complex but still fairly manageable with moderate practical applications. JavaScript though... even the name tosses an extra Capital letter in the middle to toss you off your game when typing it, lol. It takes a fair amount of repetition and practical application to be able to retain and understand. Start with simple projects like from Dave's basic training. This time go back and apply Andrews 4P outline to Dave's projects. Select a project then: Prepare, plan, perform, and perfect it. Only this time try to do it from memory, the MDN documentation and browser console testing. Only review the videos unless you are absolutely stuck and the community is unable to help. Then if you have succeeded there, try adding tweaks... say the Random Number Generator. Set that up as a 20 sided die rng. If x rule applies then the dragon is slain, or the princess is in another castle.

There are also a fair amount of short workshops in the library that may be helpful. I have 7 of them bookmarked at the moment. You may also consider perusing the JavaScript community. You might see course projects other people are working on. You may see problems other learners are encountering and how they were fixed and why the solutions were chosen. You might be able to help others out with understanding material which will build confidence. These courses teach you the basics, but require further practice and application to truly ready yourself for live real world application. If you are feeling lost rather than push forward it may be better to take a couple of steps back and make sure you have a solid grasp of what has been presented so far to build a solid foundation.

I hope this helps in someway.

As a side note, I believe the missteps throughout the course were a learning tool. They show how easy it can be to make a mistake and how to use console to recognize the mistake and test the correction before updating the source. I also feel that it shows that JavaScript is an ongoing learning process for even the most advanced.

Did you take the Dave's basic course? I am just curious because if so I am following the same path you are.

I am not sure it is Andrew at fault here - this course would have been a stuggle no matter who presented, I feel.

There are a lot of umms and errrs from Andrew and a few mistakes which he makes on the course, but overall I think he does ok.