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From: adaworks@netcom.com (AdaWorks)
Subject: Re: Comparison of languages for CS1 and CS2
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Date: Fri, 14 Jul 1995 07:08:02 GMT
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Mr.H (mike@if.com) wrote:
: I think that the language used for CS1/2 students should hide as much
: as is necessary to get the basic concepts of algorithms and function
: based coding across to students.  

  On the other hand, I recall that the first programming language I and
  my colleagues at the time learned was machine code, followed closely
  by assembler.  We were all close to the hardware at that time, and the
  experience cause very few of us any permanent psychological damage.

  A case can be made for getting the students to understand how the low-level
  stuff works as early as possible.  They can appreciate the sissy high-level
  languages later.  :-)    :-)    :-)  (enough smileys?)

  Richard Riehle
  adaworks@netcom.com










When you get down to it, though the
: language certainly has an effect on the specifics of implementation,
: the syntax used to code a solution to a problem is immaterial... it's
: the conceptual approach that matters.  While in school myself, and later
: teaching C/UNIX to people with an existing technical background, I've
: found the biggest problems are in the approach to the problem and in
: a consistent misunderstanding of the most basic of algorithms.  Very
: often, these problems are directly related to people mistaking the
: syntax of a programming language for its semantics.  For that reason
: alone, run screaming from the building if someone mentions C or C++
: as a starting point... I code professionally in C and I've seen alot
: of C++, the syntax still screws me up periodically (not to mention
: that C++ isn't even a standard yet... why spend your time teaching
: a langauage that doesn't even properly exist yet?)

: IMHO, hide everything that you can when it comes to memory allocation
: and de-allocation.  Hide everything you can when it comes to the intricacies
: of implementation of the language itself.  Teach the conceptual role
: of the programmer, then fill in the detail of implementation over the
: next two years of study.

: --
: -------------------------------------------------------------------
: -- Mr.H - mike@mrhappy.if.com                                    --
: -- All opinions expressed herein are my own... right?            --
: -- "Things are more like they are now than they have ever been." --
: --    - Gerald Ford                                              --
: -------------------------------------------------------------------
-- 
                                             adaworks@netcom.com
