Rereading Coding through Symmetry, Modularity, and Sequencing: How is Programming Thinking Formed
When we learn something,
the beginning is always 'understanding the structure.'
Dr. Park Mun-ho explains this process in three languages.
Symmetry, Modularity, Sequencing.
These three words are the way learners understand the world,
and the unique rhythm with which the brain processes information.
Learning to code
is not about memorizing syntax or functions.
These three principles
are the experience of actually starting to work in the mind.
Therefore, coding is not just a technical skill
but training to refine thinking.
Below,
we will explore how these three concepts come alive in coding learning,
and why developers repeatedly say,
"The moment I understand the code, the world looks like a structure."
1. Symmetry - Understanding always begins with creating 'pairs'
When we understand something,
the brain first creates a symmetrical structure.
Balancing left and right,
contrasting both sides,
and matching each other.
The same phenomenon can be seen in coding.
For example, a class always
forms a symmetry with the instances created in that class.
The method defining the behavior and
the call to execute that behavior
are placed on both sides of the symmetrical structure.
The moment you discover this structure,
the code is no longer a list of confusing symbols.
Inputs and outputs, requests and responses,
definitions and executions
begin to feel like mirrors reflecting each other.
Symmetry provides learners with a 'place.'
When you know where a concept is located,
and why they correspond to each other,
new information can settle in your mind.
Grasping the symmetrical structure of coding
is not about memorizing syntax
but establishing a coordinate system for information.
2. Modularity - The most fundamental technique for handling complexity
The world is complex.
Accepting this complexity as it is
is too burdensome for the brain.
So, we constantly
segment and bundle the world into small units.
This is modularity.
Programming is a prime example of modularity.
One action is bundled into a method,
multiple actions and states become classes,
and common abilities are extracted into modules.
Frameworks like Rails
extend this modularization principle to the extreme
by dividing one system into multiple roles.
The moment you understand modularity,
learners do not hesitate in front of complex structures.
Because they can handle it by dividing it into chunks
instead of trying to understand the whole at once.
Modularity is not just a technique to tidy up code.
It is a way of organizing thinking
and creating 'mental units' to deal with problems.
The difference between good developers and not-so-good developers
lies not in the amount of syntax knowledge
but in how well they can design and connect modules.
Modularity is synonymous with thinking ability.
3. Sequencing - Understanding is completed by following the flow
Once structures and chunks are created,
they must be placed within a 'flow.'
Information gains meaning as it moves through time.
Understanding this movement is sequencing.
When reading code,
we always ask the following questions.
"How will this code be executed?"
"Where does it flow if this condition is true?"
"When is this object created and when does it disappear?"
The order of method calls,
paths diverging in conditional statements,
temporal flow of loops repeating,
a series of processes where web requests move from controllers, models, views.
All of this falls within the realm of sequencing.
Understanding sequencing,
the code becomes not static text
but a moving structure.
Learners follow the flow
and feel the entire system come alive.
Sequencing is the final stage of knowledge.
If symmetry creates a framework,
and modularity creates chunks,
sequencing connects them into one organic flow.
Only when you can follow this flow
can you truly say, "I understand the whole."
Symmetry, Modularity, Sequencing are not simple learning methods
These three words
are naturally inherent
throughout the entire process of reading and writing code.
Without structure (symmetry), you cannot understand the code
Without modularity, you cannot handle complex systems
Without sequencing, you cannot understand the movement of the program
These three stages
not only explain the process of learning to code,
but also show how thinking becomes sophisticated through code.
Symmetry provides a coordinate system for understanding,
modularity creates units of thinking,
sequencing integrates those units into a flow through movement.
Ultimately, learning to code
is a process of training the brain in these three abilities.
And these abilities
affect not only development
but also
reasoning, creativity, and problem-solving in general
becoming fundamental intellectual tools.
Essence of Programming Learning
Learning to code
is not simply instructing the computer what to do.
It is
'structuring my thinking
and moving that structure through time.'
Connecting concepts through symmetry,
breaking down complexity with modularity,
and linking those pieces into a flow with sequencing.
In this process,
learners move beyond being mere users
and grow into individuals who can design the structure of the world themselves.
And this is the Power of Coding to Transform People
Code is not just a simple tool.
It is a new way of understanding the world and humans,
a form of learning that expands the mind.
Symmetry-Modularity-Sequencing
is
the most sophisticated framework
that enables this transformation.
When looking at coding through this framework again,
learners go beyond simple skill acquisition
and experience 'restructuring the structure of reasoning.'
And perhaps at that moment,
the exhilarating emotion
felt when first learning to code
will come rushing back again.