[Bluej-discuss] bluej-discuss Digest, Vol 52, Issue 12

[Lon Levy]

"> Many of us use Scheme as a first language
>   

What is worse too much semantic overhead or the syntax from hell??!?!?!?"

Did you ever really learn Scheme?  The syntax is mostly prefix notation.  There are about five more elements of syntax that I teach my students during three quarters of a high school year, before transitioning to Java.  If you look at the text associated with DrScheme, www.htdp.org , you might find a surprisingly gentle approach that my high school students readily grasp.  By the time we get to Java and BlueJ, my students have a great foundation for object oriented programming and future classes including the data structures class that I teach as a second year course at Oregon High School and via the Four Lakes Distance Learning Network.  

"Mozart is functional and it is clearer ***BUT*** almost all functional
langs are too dynamic for easy debugging and it is almost not to
introduce some very non-mainstream concepts like monad's."

In the DrScheme environment, there are two parts to this:  first, in "How to Design Programs", the text I referenced above, the pedagogic approach is one of teaching a Design Recipe.  Most of the debugging occurs before code is ever written.  second, the IDE includes a very clear "Stepper" that provides clear substitutions making the sequential processes very clear to the beginning student.

I am making a note to look at Mozart next summer (during the school year I am a bit swamped).

Regards,

Lon.

Lon Levy, MS-CSEd
Computer Science Teacher
Volunteer Computer Club Advisor
Oregon High School
608-835-1316
LXL at oregon.k12.wi.us
cs at levytree.net

non somnos requiem