Complex sentence: Higher-order programming is a style of programming that exploits the theoretical ability to use functions as values; it is usually instantiated with, or borrowed from, models of computation like the lambda calculus which make heavy use of higher-order functions.
Split into simpler sentences: Higher-order programming is a style of computer programming that exploits the theoretical ability to use functions as values. It is usually instantiated with, or borrowed from, models of computation like the lambda calculus which make heavy use of higher-order functions.