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Boot Camp (bootcamp) learning
Boot camp learning has a range of meaning and possible descriptions. In its pure sense, it refers to a high intensity, physically demanding fitness camp – commonly associated with induction or development in military training or in some instances associated with corrective services.
More recently, the term has been used to describe an intensive introduction to an aspect of IT – notably teaching coding skills. A ‘boot camp’ refers to either a condensed and intensive timeframe where the focus is solely on the one topic, or it may refer to a sequenced program over a number of weeks – but where the focus is similarly highly intense and targeted on the development of a specific skill or understanding. In this way, it has also been used to describe intensive workshops in connection with executive development or any other business focused intensive boot camp learning programme.
In the context of this listing, boot camp learning is used to describe an activity that is highly focused, intensive and with specific learning outcomes in mind. It might refer to learning experiences that are mental, intellectual or physical.
More detail:
The use of the term ‘boot camp’ is on the rise. It captures the need to dedicate intensive time to learning one particular skill or grow capacity in specified ways. A quick search of the web will find boot camp learning used in very broad ways. People attend meditation boot camps, property investment boot camps, programming boot camps. Singularity University offers intensive training programs over a multi-week timeframe, but as with other boot camps, focused on a targeted, intensive development program.
The following description of boot camp learning comes from
In all cases, you stop what you’re doing, travel to a place, surround yourself with teachers and students, and go deep on the topic. The upside to learning this way is obvious. It takes hours to get into creative flow. Deliberate practice — which is a structured way to learn something — requires sustained attention. In an always-on and distractible culture, the rare act of deep immersion can produce differentiated insights.
Formal schooling is the anti-boot camp model. You study many different topics at once - it’s a constant balancing act. As David Brooks once noted, to be an excellent student you have to train yourself to not let yourself become too interested or immersed in any one thing.
Examples:
Arduino Bootcamp: Learning Through Projects
7 tips for better bootcamp learning
Web resources:
What’s Right For You: Bootcamp or Self-Learning?
Application:
The term boot camp has a wide range of applications. Boot camp learning is used to describe the physically-demanding intensive experiences referenced to help accelerate mindset shift in learners who may have struggled in more traditional schooling contexts. It is also used to describe the short term, highly intensive boot camp learning experiences designed to enable learners to become proficient in a targeted skill (e.g. a coding workshop).
Boot camp learning is one of the 25 learning methodologies in the Learnlife learning paradigm toolkit. Learn more about the different ways to engage learners through the different learning methodologies.