That's a very interesting comment to me because I may be perhaps the opposite. I got a slow and frustrating start learning application development--I wasnt getting it. I felt I was following instructions on how to write esoteric insutructions and not understanding how it worked. I found the book Code by Petzold and read it. Then I discussed some of this with other developers and realized they were even more clueless than I was.
It seems some people love theory/understanding while some love building something practical/useful.
I learn best when I build something that illustrates the theory. Reading gives me a dim idea, but building something (and freely experimenting on the way) teaches me how it works.
I'm the opposite, and had to be persistent with searching for the right learning tools for programming, with the least terms and behaviours left undefined. If there are such things as 'learning styles', theoretical learners vs applied learners is the most intuitively clear distinction. However choosing a teaching and measurement paradigm that fits both without a lot of wiggling is not so intuitive...
It seems some people love theory/understanding while some love building something practical/useful.