Some people experience their dojos fizzle out and people stop coming after a few times. We don’t think this is because people find the dojo unhelpful or that they don’t need it. Like any community there needs to be a core of more committed people who turn up to every meeting.
The ParisDojo made a rule that if a meeting was arranged, and noone came, then that was the last meeting. period. The idea was to foster a sense that it was everyone’s responsibility to keep it going. Self organization.
The next step to take should always be as small as possible.
If we proceed in very small steps, chances are that we can keep the next step trivial. BabySteps combined with RhythmOfTestFirst really boosts productivity.
When writing unit tests your tests should focus on one unit, typically a class, only. This unit is usually refered to as Unit Under Test, UUT, so when talking about object oriented testing CUT, Class Under Test, is a notion to be aware of.
If I want to learn Judo, I will enroll at the nearest dojo, and show up for one hour every week for the next two years, at the end of which I may opt for a more assiduous course of study to progress in the art. Years of further training might be rewarded with a black belt, which is merely the sign of ascent to a different stage of learning. No master ever stops learning. If I want to learn object programming… my employer will pack me off to a three-day Java course picked from this year’s issue of a big training firm’s catalog. Nuts to that – acquiring coding skills is not an instant gratification process. – LaurentBossavit
One important rule about the Dojo is : At the Dojo one can’t discuss a form without code, and one can’t show code without tests. It is a design training place, where it is acknowledged that “the code is the design” and that code without tests simply doesn’t exist.
The master can’t be a master of every forms. I feel quite at ease with recursive functions and list processing e.g. but I think I don’t know how to create even a simple web app. Fortunately, while it’s the first time they really deal with “tail-recursion” some practionners here have done professional web apps for years !
Check the locations of the dojos at: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=116400871369678060090.000453a8d6ee3a6d3b8fe .
Please update or add Dojo in the map if not there and fill out the list:
A while ago I ( JonJagger ) attended several coding dojos. I enjoyed them but noticed it often took a long time to install the necessary compilers onto some of the laptops. It occurred to me that it should be possible to run a code-dojo entirely within a browser - write your code and tests inside a simple web-based editor, submit everything to the server whenever you like, the server would run your tests for you and return the outcome - green if they all passed, red if some failed, yellow if there was a syntax error. As I thought about it I realized that this format also offered several extra possibilities. For example, if someone had to leave early and take their laptop with them, another laptop could instantly substitute for it. So I’ve written a server! It’s called CyberDojo .
When Dave Thomas introduced the idea of code katas it was in the context that in order to get better at something, you need to practice. Raw talent only gets you so far. Various theories of learning (particularly those proposed by Dr K. Anders Ericsson) suggest that DeliberatePractice over a long period of time is at the heart of attaining expertise.
DeliberatePractice is not the same as experience gained while doing your job. It is when you actually seek out experiences that will stretch your skills just the right amount, and give you feedback that enables you to learn. I think that it takes a great deal of self discipline to sit down by yourself and try to do a code Kata, and it can be difficult to get good quality feedback without someone else present or at least available to review your code afterwards.
managing software developers is 20% technology and 80% sociology.
A DojoAttendee is someone who turns up to a dojo meeting. They should come with the intention of both learning something and contributing to the learning of the group. This may involve
…
When I first talked to LaurentBossavit about the ParisDojo , he had an idea about writing a book about it that would help people to set up a regular dojo. The book would be small, light and easy to read, pragmatic and helpful. I am attracted by the idea of having something in print that would be relatively static and authoratative, as a complement to the more interactive material this wiki. To start with, I was just thinking of contributing some material to this website and get some feedback.
The DojoModerator is not a MasterProgrammer or CodingSensei . They are also there to teach and learn, just like any other DojoAttendee . The DojoModerator aims to enable group learning to occur, by promoting idea exchange, and curtailing unproductive discussions and activities.
If the group knows each other well in other contexts, eg they work together daily, it can be easier to perform this role if you are an outsider.
Someone needs to take care of the practical details, ie things like
It seems to work well if one person is responsible for ensuring these things are done.
It seems to me that somehow the people at the dojo need to choose good Kata exercises to work on that are at the right level for the group. This is where I envision a KataCatalogue being helpful. The group also needs to decide who should present PreparedKata solutions and when to have RandoriKata meetings. The ParisDojo is, by all reports, very self organized on these points, and we’d like to hear more about how that works please :-)
DojoRoles : DojoOrganizer and DojoAttendee
I have difficulties to make a clear distinction between the roles of attendee and organizer, perhaps because in Paris we are a self-organized group since the very beginning. – PhilippeBlayo
Philippe, the FloripaDojo is getting self-organized now, so I can tell you there’s a clear distinction between the roles (i. e. organizers are involved before/after the sessions and attendee contributes only during the sessions). However, I also believe these definitions are useless since they don’t contribute with the dojo itself ;) – IvanSanchez
Rules the DojoModerator should explain to dojo participants at the start, which may make your meeting run more smoothly.
See also WhatIsCodingDojo
TODO
This page is intended as a list of Kata exercises that people have tried at their Dojo meetings, which links to more detailed descriptions of each Kata.
Algorithmic
Game Modeling
Math Oriented
String manipulation
Specific Technologies
Refactoring legacy code & Design Principles
Design Principles
This page should serve as a template explaining the format to use when describing the Kata exercises in the KataCatalogue .
About this Kata
Difficulty: (easy/medium/hard)
Good for teaching: (something from the list on LessonsLearned )
Related Katas: (ones to do before or after this one, similar ones)
Here you can mention the origins of the Kata, and perhaps people of note who have performed it.
Problem Description
This section should give a summary of the problem to be solved, in such a way as to intrigue the reader and attract them to attempt it. All the facts necessary to complete the Kata should be included.
Following the success of a similar workshop at XP2009, I would like to announce the programme for a workshop at XP2010.
“Test Driven Development: Performing Art”
(Workshop organizer is EmilyBache )
who which Kata language/tools DaniloSato & HugoCorbucci KataSudokuVerifier Smalltalk Johannes Brodwall & Ivar Nilsen the Java EE spike kata Java EE Marcus Ahnve & Jimmy Larsson KataTennis Ruby & RSpec ThomasNilsson & Andreas KataTexasHoldEm C++
Test Driven Development is a skill that needs time and practice to master. The aim of these PreparedKata is to demonstrate excellence in the use of Test Driven Development, and to result in some high quality code. This will be for the benefit of the many programmers attending the conference, who can come along and witness high quality code being written using TDD, and get a chance to ask questions and provide feedback. It will also benefit the performers who will be exposed to useful feedback from a discerning audience, and have the chance to show off their considerable skills.
Many people around the world have been running coding dojos for several years now. This page is a collection of some of the lessons these people have learnt from their experiences.
These lessons use an approximation of the criteria listed in the book “Lessons learned in Software testing” (Kaner, Bach, Pettichord). A lesson should be:
Have an overarching aim for what you are trying to learn. You can learn things like this at a dojo:
This is a variant of PingPong that works well with TimeBox . The idea is that you switch pairs using TimeBox . But as long as a pair is within its timebox you pass the keyboard each time one of the following things happen:
Using this schema to switch driver made the TimeBox pairing more fun and involving for the persons pairing than if PingPong was used in the TimeBox (i.e. only switching after failing tests).
Pragmatic suggestions for how you host a coding dojo event.
See the following 5 min how to video to run your first coding dojo (or what you can expect if going to a dojo): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gav9fLVkZQc
A mechanism for switching the pair at the keyboard when doing a RandoriKata
Does this actually work? I havn’t tried it myself but I heard someone describing it. I think they said that it makes people tend to write too big tests and not take BabySteps so they can stay at the keyboard longer. Can anyone comment? – EmilyBache
A mechanism for switching the pair at the keyboard when doing a RandoriKata
Someone has done some preparation before the meeting and comes ready to present a full solution to the Kata in question.
By some means the group decides on a Kata to work on, perhaps the DojoOrganizer suggests one. No-one need have prepared anything much before the meeting.
To work on prepared Kata online, you can use the cyber-dojo platform.
an (anti-pattern, is it one?) mechanism for switching the pair at the
keyboard when doing RandoriKata
In my experience, this mechanism is an anti-pattern.
Mine too, I have seen this grind a dojo to a halt as people haul the design back and forth in competing directions. –MattWynne
[TestDrivenDevelopment](/TestDrivenDevelopment) is a way of working, or
a process for writing code. You work is paced in BabySteps and your progress is assured by frequently writing and running automated tests. Coding proceeds in an extremely focused and productive rhythm:
1. Write a test for a new function. The test should fail.
2. Write code until the test passes.
3. Refactor until the code is suitable for continued development
4. Goto 1.
A tool for automated testing of code written in any language, by means
of comparing plain text output. Invented by GeoffBache .
see http://texttest.org .
A mechanism for switching the pair at the keyboard when doing a
Definition
A Coding Dojo is a meeting where a bunch of coders get together to work on a programming challenge. They are there to have fun and to engage in DeliberatePractice in order to improve their skills.
The ParisDojo focuses on coding in front of others, most often something from scratch, in a very short amount of time (1 to 1.5 hours). They use various languages, various tools, various exercise formats. They consider the outcome of an exercise successful when it is completed within allocated time AND audience can repeat the exercise at home by themselves.
### General