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From: lou@hoxna.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.lang.misc,comp.edu
Subject: Re: How to teach computers
Message-ID: <843@hoxna.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 30-Jan-87 17:41:18 EST
Article-I.D.: hoxna.843
Posted: Fri Jan 30 17:41:18 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 31-Jan-87 16:00:26 EST
References: <2030@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu> <269@rabbit1.UUCP> <2980@gitpyr.gatech.EDU>
Organization: Bell Labs, Holmdel NJ
Lines: 31
Summary: Frankly, I find this approach boring.
Xref: watmath comp.lang.misc:219 comp.edu:74

In article <2980@gitpyr.gatech.EDU>, scott@gitpyr.gatech.EDU (Scott Holt) writes:
> 
> < Teach problem solving, analysis, etc. Then programming>

	Yeah, well, the problem I have with this approach is that :

A. It's no fun.  I know all the reasons why school shouldn't be fun,
and why discipline is good for ya' , but frankly, I got into computers
as a profession because of a programming course.  To me, the fascinating
part is making the machine do things, and I learned all the other stuff
only because it made it possible to make the machine do more.  If they'd
started me with 2 or 3 semesters of paperwork, *then* showed me a keyboard,
I'd probably have become a lawyer.

B.  I feel it's much harder to learn the theories, or at least 
learn them well, just on paper.  I feel that the basics of decomposition,
etc. , should be taught at the same time (concurrently) as basic
programming.  These skills are synergistic; the better you understand the 
theory, the better you program, but programming makes you understand the
theory better.  Teaching both at the same time steepens the learning curve.
Also, many people get more of a sense of accomplishment out of producing an
actual working program, no matter how trivial ( print*,'hello, world' :-)
then from passing exams.

> They will begin to see programming as a tool and not a discipline 

	I disagree with this sentiment - I am a p_r_o_g_r_a_m_m_e_r_, 
in the same sense as someone is a psychologist, or whatever.  It is too a 
discipline.

                                                      lou @ hoxna