ShuHaRi cover image
Instructional Design

ShuHaRi

Explore the Shu-Ha-Ri learning stages to enhance your software development skills.

Martin Fowler
Aug 22, 2014 • 2 min read
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Intermediate
Competency Development
Development Practices
Knowledge Sharing
Learning and Development
Software Development

Summary

Discover the Shu-Ha-Ri model, a framework for learning techniques in software development. This approach guides learners through stages: starting with precise imitation, moving to understanding principles, and culminating in personal innovation. Ideal for software developers and Agile practitioners, this model helps tailor learning to one's current level of understanding, promoting effective skill acquisition. Explore how this method can enhance your learning journey.

Takeaways

  • Shu-Ha-Ri emphasizes learning through stages: imitation, understanding, and innovation.
  • Tailor teaching methods to the learner's current stage for effective skill acquisition.
  • The model applies broadly, including in software development and Agile practices.
  • Shu-Ha-Ri is a way of thinking about how you learn a technique. The name comes from Japanese martial arts (particularly Aikido).
  • Shu-Ha-Ri was introduced as a way of thinking about learning techniques and methodologies for software development by Alistair Cockburn.
  • The Shu-Ha-Ru learning technique involves three stages where a student first masters a task, then the task's underlying principles, and lastly creates his own approaches and adapts to what he has learned.

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