Besides instruction, scaffolding and guidance, we learn most effectively by observation. Observing phenomena without narrative or notes, we label components ourselves. Many understand this intellectually, yet observation never becomes real.
Educational institutions claim to value process over product, yet structure themselves around products: portfolios, presentations, outcomes. The messy middle—where practitioners negotiate uncertainty, abandon directions, restart from oblique angles—remains hidden. Students encounter polished performances, then wonder why their attempts feel chaotic. They mistake fluent improvisation for certainty, never seeing calibration adjustments beneath awareness.
Observational learning operates through different temporal architecture. Tutorials compress decision-making into steps, implying linear progression. Pure observation reveals what tutorials conceal: expertise manifests not as superior decisions but as superior sensitivity to feedback. The programmer doesn't possess more knowledge