Learning Hour - Definition
A Learning Hour is a short training session for a group of software developers led by a technical coach. They are designed to take about an hour, so you can fit them into your ordinary schedule alongside your other development work. You can do them remotely or in person.
A learning hour comprises several activities, and is usually structured using the “4C” model from Sharon Bowman’s book “Training from the BACK of the room”. In practice this means there will normally be four sections:
- A “Connect” activity to get everyone warmed up and thinking about the topic.
- An explanation of a new “Concept” and often a coding demo to illustrate it.
- A “Concrete Practice” coding exercise so everyone can try out a new skill or approach.
- A “Conclusions” discussion or reflection.
A learning hour will usually have some specific learning goals, that is, things that participants should better understand or be able to do more fluently afterwards. There is an ambition in the Samman society to make greater use of the Green Path model of behaviour change and skill acquisition when designing learning hours and setting learning goals.