[bink]

I'm trying to imagine this teaching method being used in other disciplines.

Don't know how to drive? Watch me and memorize what I do.

Don't know how to play chess? Watch me and memorize what I do.

Don't know how to swim... etc.

Though there are some jobs where you absolutely must watch someone before you even attempt to do it yourself (e.g surgery), it's not typical and probably not needed for something like programming where you can view the source. And it'll certainly prolong the learning process compared to having people do it themselves.

[Asooka]

But isn't that exactly the first step in how humans learn? I mean, first you watch someone drive, then you get shown diagrams and explanations on how to control the car, then you get into a teaching vehicle with an instructor - one that has a steering wheel and pedals for the instructor that can override yours in case you make a mistake on the road, finally once you're proficient enough, you take an exam and (hopefully) get your driver's license. Similarly for chess - a big part of learning chess is reading analyses of games that already happened, i.e. watching people play the game with some explanation. Swimming (or any sport) as well - the instructor shows you the motions, then you do it slowly until you get the hang of it, then get let in the deep end of the swimming pool, etc.

[lamontcg]

But these are people who already "know how to drive" in principle, they are presumably just not driving well.

The solution to that isn't to have the instructor drive them to the store and back. The right way to approach that is to have the instructor watch them drive and give them tips and feedback in real time. Observe and correct. With programming then they're running the keyboard themselves and they're the ones actually doing the work, which is going to reinforce the learning in a way that just watching isn't going to (similar to how note-taking helps to reinforce memory and learning in lectures).

This takes a whole lot more patience though since you can't just sit down at the computer and start bashing keys yourself but have to "use your words" and requires some ability to instruct.

And I've done quite a lot of this kind of mentoring at my last job and this was the approach I've most often taken.

Where I found it more useful to drive the keyboard myself was in sessions where I was working on solving problems that were at my level where I didn't know the solution. That way they could watch my entire thinking process as I figured it out in "real time" and see where I went down avenues that didn't work out and how I thought about finding the right solution, along with the workflow that I used.

I wouldn't expect anyone to be able to replicate that after they were done watching me, that is more to show where there's more room to climb.

[darkerside]

There seems to be a total lack of awareness of the task relevant maturity ladder here https://medium.com/@ameet/task-relevant-maturity-aff122fb535...

The manager's options are more nuanced then either you do it, or I do it for you.