Introducing variables to novice programmers

Before we look at ways to introduce aspects of variables, let us examine the range of information a
programmer will need to fully understand variables in three simple examples. A simple score that
might be used in a quiz or game, a user input word such as a name that could be used to personalise
almost any project and a variable that changes within a loop.

Aspects a novice programmer needs to comprehend to understand variables

Variable to collect a score Variable to hold and use text Variable iterating through a
input by the user loop to count
Variable consists of a name and a Variable consists of a name and a Variable consists of a name and a
value value value
When a value is linked to a When a value is linked to a When a value is linked to a
variable, we call it assigning variable, we call it assigning variable, we call it assigning
Variables are named after their Variables are named after their Variables are named after their
role role role
In most textual languages there In most textual languages there In most textual languages there
are naming conventions are naming conventions are naming conventions
In many textual languages there In many textual languages there In many textual languages there
are reserved words a programmer are reserved words a programmer are reserved words a programmer
can’t use when naming variables can’t use when naming variables can’t use when naming variables
Values are assigned to variables Values are assigned to variables Values are assigned to variables
at the beginning of an algorithm at the beginning of an algorithm at the beginning of an algorithm
or program. This is called or program. This is called or program. This is called
initialisation initialisation initialisation
In some text-based programming In some text-based programming In some text-based programming
languages the type of variable languages the type of variable languages the type of variable
value has to be decided and stuck value has to be decided and stuck value has to be decided and stuck
to to to
In many programming languages In many programming languages In many programming languages
the programmer has to decide if the programmer has to decide if the programmer has to decide if
the variable is local or global the variable is local or global the variable is local or global
Number values can be assigned to Text values can be assigned to Number values can be assigned to
variables variables. These are strings of variables
In most text-based programming characters which include text, In most text-based programming
languages further divided into digits and symbols languages further divided into
floats or integers floats or integers
Read the name get the value. Read the name get the value. Read the name get the value.
Variables can be used in place of Variables can be used in place of Variables can be used in place of
numbers in any part of an string values in any part of an numbers in any part of an
algorithm or program algorithm or program algorithm or program
Number values can be retrieved Variables can be assigned by the Number values can be retrieved
from variables, combined using user through a keyboard input. from variables, combined using
mathematical operations and the Some languages automatically mathematical operations and the
results can be stored back in store the most recent keyboard results can be stored back in
variables. input in a variable called variables.
“answer”.
The value stored in a variable can
be repeatedly changed each time
through a loop
Red are issues related to most text-based programming languages

Purple is an issue with block-based programming languages

Variables consist of a name and a value
Variables have two parts (1) a name which we can use to refer to them in algorithms and programs
and (2) a value. In the past I have often referred to this as like a box with a label on the side and
objects inside. The concreteness of this analogy appealed to me because pupils can put real objects
into a box to increase the value and take away physical objects to decrease the value. However, as
soon as you try to move into negative numbers the analogy falls apart. You also inherit other box-
like traits such as their ability to accept lots of different types of objects at the same time, where a
variable will only accept one type of object at a single time. A better, more universal introductory
analogy is the whiteboard.

my_num name

4 value

Variables are like whiteboards

Whiteboards easily display a variety of different types of values such as numbers, strings (numbers,
text, punctuation etc) and True and False. Unlike the values put into a box which often couldn’t be
seen, a whiteboards variable value is clearly visible1.

When a value is linked to a variable, we call it assigning

When I used the box variable example, I often used lots of box language. Values were inside the
variable/box, the variable contained a number or word. I now use the word ‘assign’ right from the
start. ‘Assign’ has no unwanted connotations, it implies something linked to something else but that
this might not always be the case. A value may be linked (‘assigned’) to a variable at a given point
but at some point, the value might change.

Variables are named after their role in an algorithm or program

Many of my younger users have not really encountered a variable in Maths yet but if they have then
their variables will have been letters rather than a description of what it represents. Encouraging
pupils to name variables sensibly after the role they take is important. It makes their algorithms and
programs much more comprehensible and aids the finding of errors (bugs). For the novice
programmer, their language understanding is far in advance of any programming logic
understanding so readability is important. So, if a variable is used to collect a user’s score then
‘score’, ‘points’ or ‘total’ would be good names. If there are multiple scores, we need to keep track
of then ‘player_score’ or ‘users_points’ are good names because they further refine what the
variable is being used for. Good habits are also important in naming variables. Text-based
programming languages won’t allow multiple words in the name so using examples that link the
words helps to encourage good practice. My thanks to Jane Waite for the use of the underscore
example. In our normal writing we rarely use an underscore for anything else, so it makes multiple
word variables stand out in an algorithm.

Values are assigned to variables at the beginning of an algorithm or program.

This is called initialisation
Initialisation is important for all objects in an algorithm or program. Where will the characters be at
the start of the game? What value will the score have before the quiz starts? What number will we
start with when we start to count? Encouraging novice programmers to think about this in their
planning improves their projects and leads to less frustrations in the programming and execution
stages. Initialising all variables is essential in many programming languages so teaching this early
establishes good practice.

We can assign different types of data to variables

For the novice programmer it is enough for them to know that we can assign numbers or strings
(digits/text/punctuation) to a variable. You will notice in my examples above that we only need to
know about one of these to create each project. We can reduce the cognitive load by starting with
just one type at a time. At some point in their learning journey we want them to understand that
variable can have different types of data assigned but only ever one type at a time. Maybe we can
cover this when they encounter an example that uses a different type from the introductory
example.

Is it best to start with number examples or string example for novices?

In an online discussion on Twitter, Jens Mönig, lead programmer of Snap! (an advanced block-based
programming environment) mentioned that they prefer using textual values for novices because of
the fear of maths. I think there is value in this reason but have also noticed some younger and less
literate pupils prefer number examples because there is less to write. If we choose to assign
numbers for our introductory examples let us keep to low values for our demonstrations to keep any
maths phobic students onside and to reduce cognitive load and if we choose textual values let us
keep writing to a minimum for those who find writing a chore. I am with Jens on this one and think
the text examples are slightly simpler, but you will know your class better than we do.

Read the name get the value

It is easy to forget that many novices won’t understand this unless it is explained and demonstrated.
When we read an algorithm and we get to a variable we read the name but should act on the value.
When a program gets to a variable it also reads the name and acts on the value.

Text example

Assign Florence to variable called best_friend

Say Hello best_friend

When we follow this algorithm we would say

Hello Florence

We read the name but act on the value

Number example

Assign 3 to variable called my_num

Stand up
Bow my_num times
Sit down
Wave my_num times
Say my_num

When we follow this algorithm we would

Stand up
Bow 3 times
Sit down
Wave 3 times
Say 3

We read the name but act on the value

We know that the harder we are forced to think about something then the more it will be likely to
make it into our long-term memory, so after acting out the teacher’s everyday algorithms with
variables a great next step is to write their own. This also helps the teacher to spot any pupils who
have faked understanding by copying their classmates’ actions earlier.

Year 4 pupil creates an everyday algorithm with a variable called LaLa

Well done if you spotted that the name doesn’t follow the naming convention. Spotting something
like this can be a great opportunity for a brief next-steps to improve their work conversation.

Pause to consolidate and explore

Having worked with many primary classes introducing variables in many contexts it can be tempting
at this point to plough on and cover changing a variable using maths or a loop or user input into a
variable. In my opinion, exploring the basics inside a programming language like Scratch or Python is
often more useful even if it is only for a short period of time. Pupils give the everyday action
algorithms a real context and application.

An easy first step uses text assigned variables in say or think commands or exploring all the ways you
can replace number values using a variable.

These are great opportunities for formative assessment questions. What is the value of your
variable? What have you named your variable? Why did you name it that? When the program gets
to that variable what will it read and what will it act on? Why have you chosen to initialise the
variable with that value?

Some variables can be changed using mathematical operations at any stage in

the algorithm or program
Fortunately, the very name ‘variable’ implies ‘changeable’ which gives you a chance to introduce
how some variables can be constant (not changing) and others can be variable.
The simplest introduction, that I have discovered so far, involves roleplay using everyday algorithms
whilst tracking the changes using the whiteboard variable.

Assign 5 to variable called my_num my_num

Stand up 5
Bow my_num times
Subtract 2 from my_num my_num
Say my_num 3
Sit down
Wave my_num times
Add 1 to my_num my_num
Say my_num 4

When we follow this algorithm we would

Assign 5 to variable called my_num

Stand up
Bow 5 times
Subtract 2 from my_num
Say 3
Sit down
Wave 3 times
Add 1 to my_num
Say 4

Pupils enjoy writing their own examples and challenging their neighbours to act them out.

This is great for introducing the basic concept on changing a variable using maths, but it doesn’t
encourage pupils to think about variables that change in real contexts. Shuchi Grover2, a computing
education research scientist from Stanford University has worked with collaborators (Nicholas Jackiw
& Patrik Lundh of SRI) for some great research results exploring variables in a pictorial story context
with middle school pupils before coding in Scratch. Pictures on the left include a display of drinks
which a customer is purchasing, T-shirts for different ages, weather patterns over a day and a
basketball match. The questions prompt thought and discussion before planning how to use these in
a program.

Taken from Concepts before coding: non-programming interactives to advance learning of introductory programming concepts in middle
school Shuchi Grover et al 2019 with permission.

I adapted this idea to use with my year (9-10) year old pupils after we had worked with variables in a
more supported environment, see Parsons problems and modelling the four levels of abstraction
below. In pairs they had to answer the top four questions for three stories before choosing one to
convert into an algorithm and then code.

Thinking about the concept before programming using a story was really effective and something I
will definitely use again. You can see the ones they turned into projects here. My improved planner
can be found here.

Other useful strategies to increase pupils variable understanding

Parsons problems
A Parsons problem is where code or algorithm is given to the pupil, but they have to rearrange it into
the right order. We used these early on whilst pupils were still coming to grips with assigning values
to variables and interacting with multiple variables.

Parsons problems can also be used within block based programming languages, asking pupils to
rearrange completed sections of code to complete a project.

Use, Modify, Create

Alongside Parsons problems, examples that pupils can use and modify help to increase
understanding. A few good questions can also focus their learning on some of the key issues.

You may notice in this counting program that we have chosen to avoid using the change variable by Scratch block. As we
used all four operations it was easier to teach all of them using varable = variable which is much closer to later text-based
programming examples such as Python.

PRIMM
Primm is a variation on Use, modify, create developed by Sue Sentence, chief learning officer for the
Raspberry Pi foundation. PRIMM stands for Predict, run, investigate, modify, make. Pupils are
encouraged to think deeply about the programming and predict what it might do before running it.
Investigation might involve lots of activities designed to maximise pupils understanding. These could
include

‘trace through the code, comment the code, answer questions about it, label particular concepts,
highlight it, draw the flow of control, etc.’3
Although designed for secondary pupils it can be adapted and used with primary pupils. You can find
out more about it here.

Modelling the four levels of abstraction

The four levels of abstraction are the stages we go through to think through and create a
programming project. Although superficially a top to bottom process from idea to execution each
level can inform and change levels above as well as below. For example, a programmer spots how a
particular code effect works when it is executed which encourages them to adapt their design or
even modify their idea. Jane Waite describes these stages for primary pupils in her important
research4.

We used these levels when modelling writing a program to calculate the perimeter of an equilateral
triangle.

Idea Level

We started with a really complete idea full of lots of useful information.

Create a program to calculate the perimeter of an equilateral triangle, where all three sides are the
same length, by asking the user to input the length of one side and multiplying that length by three.

Planning Level

In the planning level we identified the key variables such as the perimeter_of_eq_tri and the
length_of_one_side as well as the maths we would need to create to calculate the perimeter of an
equilateral triangle length_of_one_side x by 3.
We also decided to initialise both variables to 0

We then wrote this algorithm

Assign 0 to length_of_one_side
Assign 0 to perimeter_of_eq_tri
Ask the user what the length of one side of their equilateral triangle is?
Assign their answer to length_on_one_side variable
Multiply_length_of_one_side by 3 and assign result to perimeter_of_eq_tri
Say the perimeter_of_eq_tri

Programming level

In this we demonstrated turning each line of the algorithm into Scratch code.
Execution level

Finally, we tested and debugged it

Next steps

Pupils then created a similar program to calculate the perimeter of a regular 2d shape of their
choosing. Pupils subsequent work definitely benefitted from seeing the process modelled. Making
them aware that they would need to observe closely during the process as they would be building a
similar program themselves kept them very focussed. Over subsequent weeks this support was
gradually reduced until pupils were creating all parts of the process themselves. This gradual fading
of support is an important principle of cognitive load theory which you can read more about here.
My variables cheat sheet with algorithm and coding examples has also been useful for pupils as a
reference when reducing scaffolding.

Conclusion
In conclusion, the opening table outlines the amount of information pupils need to know to fully
understand how variables work. If you are using block-based programming, then you can clearly see
how much less pupils need to know by looking at all the additional red text needed to understand
variables in text-based programming. Shuchi Grover et al.’s (2019) paper is called ‘Concepts before
coding’ and it is an important principle that my own informal findings teaching programming to
primary pupils bear witness to. Leaving the programming process to learn about and explore an idea
can seem like a loss of precious programming time but as it develops deeper understanding and
enables greater agency it is worth it.

Phil Bagge March 2019

References

1 See Article What is in the box Hello World 7th Edition by Jane Waite, Felienne Hermans and
Efthimia Aivaloglou

2 Shuchi Grover, Nicholas Jackiw & Patrik Lundh (2019): Concepts before coding: non-programming
interactives to advance learning of introductory programming concepts in middle school, Computer
Science Education, DOI: 10.1080/08993408.2019.1568955

3 Sue Sentence PRIMM

4 Jane Waite, Abstraction in Action: K-5 teachers' uses of levels of abstraction, particularly the design
level, in teaching programming, 2017 Jane names the levels as shown above but calls the last level
running the code