Re:Why teaching programming is so difficult?
by NotPavlovsDog on Sunday January 17, 2021 @11:29AM
(#25812062)
Well, you have three options forward. Either treat them like children and just explain on a loop, or you demand that they follow the basic process of adult reasoning and learning. The last option is abandonment, teacher/instructor burnout is a real thing.
And "I don't understand" should not be acceptable. Let them write out what they did and what exactly they don't understand.
For example:
To find out more about main, I searched for "Java main", and got the following: "All Java programs must have an entry point, which is always the main() method. Whenever the program is called, it automatically executes the main() method first. " Yet when I look at this code here, line ref/ code snippet, I don't understand why it doesn't have a main....
I don't have any natural talent for programming nor math, and cried for 2 weeks straight when I was going through my first programming book, my brain literally hurt.
I just ground that book.
Taking a book and typing out all the exercises, muscle memory. You work your ass off for 10 years, and suddenly you get lucky.
And "I don't understand" should not be acceptable. Let them write out what they did and what exactly they don't understand.
For example:
To find out more about main, I searched for "Java main", and got the following: "All Java programs must have an entry point, which is always the main() method. Whenever the program is called, it automatically executes the main() method first. " Yet when I look at this code here, line ref/ code snippet, I don't understand why it doesn't have a main....
I don't have any natural talent for programming nor math, and cried for 2 weeks straight when I was going through my first programming book, my brain literally hurt. I just ground that book.
Taking a book and typing out all the exercises, muscle memory. You work your ass off for 10 years, and suddenly you get lucky.