[Edu-sig] a non-rhetorical question

[Richard Guenther]

Andy,

Thanks for that pdf.  I'm currently writing some research on teaching programming languages to English Language Learners and will probably include it in my paper.

Here's the sad part for me: in all my years of teaching science and math (and a little programming), it seems to come down to this: some just "have it" and the rest have to work really hard just to "get it".  Obviously that won't be my thesis, but that's how I often feel!  Whether it be math, science, programming, or even acquiring a second language--some just seem hard-wired and much more capable.  In education, we've had to go by the exact opposite philosophy ("ALL children can learn").  Still, whenever I'm involved in a discussion on programming or teaching pre-calculus or genetic drift--I can't help but think that those doing the discussion are those that simply "got it".

Two things help, in my teaching, and they come from opposite approaches:

1.  Scaffolding the problem into much easier steps (having them start with the "hello world" and next move on to "hello [username]"...).
2.  Trying to involve the learning in really interesting and meaningful activities in a constructivist approach ("Hey, wouldn't it be cool to be able to put those youtube videos on an ipod--I wonder how we could figure out how to do that...").

I see the hackety site as more of a #2 approach, which is great.  Sometimes, however, students need to realize that unless they take the #1 approach on some topics, they will never be efficient.  If they come to that conclusion on their own, teaching #1 is MUCH easier :-).

Richard

----- Original Message ----
From: Andy Judkis <ajudkis at verizon.net>

[When I was in college in the late 70s, I worked as a research assistant at 
Pitt, working with people studying expert/novice differences in Physics 
problem solving. 
(http://www.garfield.library.upenn.edu/classics1993/A1993LZ47400001.pdf) 
The outcome of the study (which seemed pretty predictable to me) was that 
experts used concepts like momentum and energy to approach the problems, 
while novices used cues like "spring" and "inclined plane" to figure out 
what to do.]






       
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