TITLE: Some Thoughts on How to Teach Programming Better AUTHOR: Eugene Wallingford DATE: March 24, 2015 3:40 PM DESC: ----- BODY: In How Stephen King Teaches Writing, Jessica Lahey asks Stephen King why we should teach grammar:
Lahey: You write, "One either absorbs the grammatical principles of one's native language in conversation and in reading or one does not." If this is true, why teach grammar in school at all? Why bother to name the parts? King: When we name the parts, we take away the mystery and turn writing into a problem that can be solved. I used to tell them that if you could put together a model car or assemble a piece of furniture from directions, you could write a sentence. Reading is the key, though. A kid who grows up hearing "It don't matter to me" can only learn doesn't if he/she reads it over and over again.
There are at least three nice ideas in King's answer. All of these are true of teaching programmers, too, in their own way. Finding ways to integrate design recipes, patterns, and case studies is an area I'd like to explore more in my own teaching. -----