What should a novice learn when starting to learn photography? Theory or practice?

Let’s start with aperture, shutter, focal length, and sensitivity, then learn to steady the camera, and then composition. Take a look at the books published by the New York School of Photography to learn about photography ideas and increase your appreciation. Don’t use automatic gear, think more about what happened before you clicked the shutter; rely less on post-processing, talk less about cameras, and buy and sell cameras less.