ken@aiva.ed.ac.uk (Ken Johnson) (03/08/88)
morgan@brambo.uucp writes: >Why would you want to teach elementary students to program? There are >so many things that computers can do to help people in areas that they >are required to work. Most people will never want to program >anything. It seems to me that the students would be far better off >learning to use wordprocessors, spreadsheets, and graphics packages. >If you want to be really adventurous, let them play around with >desktop video, paint programs, and music synthesizers. Here are the first few reasons that come to mind. - Computing is intrinsically interesting and beautiful, and more accessible than the generality of mathematics. - Making the computer do something is motivating for the child. - Computers give concrete form to abstract concepts like variable, function, compounding functions. - Computer programming allows the child to experiment with topics like grammar and mathematics -- it makes those topics `experimental'. - Computer programming allows kids to incorporate complex constructs in their work without becoming bogged down in the labour of calculation. You want matrix arithmetic or set operations, you plug them in. - Learning to use an off-the-shelf product does not teach you how the product works. The best way to learn how a thing works is usually to make one. (For example, if you'd built your own washing machine, you wouldn't be afraid to fix it yourself when it went wrong, instead of calling the repairman out.) It is very sad to hear arguments along the form of `We shouldn't teach X because nobody ever wants to do X'. Sometimes it's true (put X= long division), sometimes false (put X=programming). There are more important considerations, like whether doing X will enrich the childrens' lives. Writing a computer program is a creative act, like painting a picture; and how many schoolchildren will grow up to be artists who paint in watercolour? Fewer than become programmers, I expect. For a good idea of how to use programming in primary school arithmetic, look up `Turtle geometry' by Harold Abelson and Andrea di Sessa, and read chapter 1. A huge number of quite sophisticated mathematical concepts are available to the child who can write a few simple programs. -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ From Ken Johnson, AI Applications Institute, The University, EDINBURGH Phone 031-225 4464 ext 212 Email k.johnson@ed.ac.uk
edw@pinot.zehntel.com (Ed Wright) (03/17/88)
on a very personal note, teaching my daughter to program in basic got the old math grade from a c to A, more important SHE UNDERSTANDS ! and now she enjoys, on algebra ".. just like the computer huhn dad? look at this ...." I think that sums it up. ed wright I think I've got the hang of it now .... :w :q :wq :wq! ^d X exit X Q :quitbye CtrlAltDel ~~q :~q logout save/quit :!QUIT ^[zz ^[ZZ ZZZZ ^H ^@ ^L ^[c ^# ^E ^X ^I ^T ? help helpquit ^D ^d ^C ^c helpexit ?Quit ?q ucbvax! or varian! or sun! zehntel! edw