Building Fluency in Data Analytics

Tool: Plectica

Design cheat sheets/ review cards tailored to the needs of users.

Datacamp provides useful cheat sheets for R and Python. While these cheat sheets are useful, I am designing custom cheat sheets using Plectica.

Talking about code

We use these sheets to build fluency in coding concepts. While learning a particular package (e.g., Tidyverse), we are building on prior knowledge. For example, my son has learned Python basics. We are building on programming basics from Python and a few R building blocks to learn about Tidyverse.

Mix and match building blocks

We learn new concepts and skills by combining familiar building blocks. For example, we have discussed the general structure of a function call:

variable name = function name (arguments)

By tagging functions in the list, we can draw learners’ attention to expected components in writing code. At the same time, the underlying structure is reinforced each time a new function is discussed.

Using Datacamp resources

A link to the cheat sheet provided by Datacamp is provided in the Plectica map.

Documenting learning

Custom designed cards are also a tool for documenting learning. They show concepts and skills being learned and practiced, and how those concepts and skills relate to prior knowledge.